Finding the middle – Why we need it now more than ever.

Yesterday was the 4th of July and we celebrated our nation’s birthday. I did not feel like celebrating, however. My reflections centered on the debilitating polarization across America. Republican versus Democrat, left versus right, liberal versus conservative. It made little sense. What happened to the middle? You know, the middle where we respect one another’s opinions, debate our points of view, and compromise when necessary to achieve a greater good. Can we make the move to the middle once again? Our world of scuba diving is certainly an example of how we respect the middle.

Mitt Romney, the U.S. Senator from Utah, wrote a brief article yesterday in The Atlantic. The title of the article is “America is in Denial.” According to Senator Romney, “Too many Americans are blithely dismissing threats that could prove cataclysmic.” In this article, the senator did not fix blame on the left or right, conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat. I believe he is feeling what I am feeling; the middle needs to be heard. We need to listen willfully to the truth and stop having “a powerful impulse to believe what we hope to be the case.”

A Community in the Middle

I think about our community of scuba divers. We have a common passion for the water, exploring reefs and shipwrecks, telling our stories and enjoying one another’s company. Our community is diverse, with divers from all sides of the political spectrum. We do not question one another’s beliefs or values. There are those who are avid gun owners, while others are proponents of stricter gun laws. Our community comprises Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and Independents. The diving community spans different religions, ethnicity, and demographics. What happens, though, is that we come together in the middle. Our middle is the water. The oceans, lakes, quarries and rivers in which we dive.

In scuba diving, there are many ways to enter this world. There is a diversity of equipment. For some divers, they choose a simple jacket style buoyancy compensator while other select a backplate with a wing configuration. Some divers choose double tanks while others select complex re-breathers. Every diver has their very specific reasons for making that selection. They are passionate about their selection. Each diver will offer their detailed opinions on why they made this selection. After this debate and dialog, however, there is a respect for the choice and the scuba divers come together in the middle and enter the underwater world.

Mutual trust and understanding

The dive community is based on mutual trust and a mutual understanding of the environment we enter. The rules of physics exist and we accept the truth about how being underwater affects every individual. You can’t change the physics by being a liberal or conservative. As human beings, the pressure of the water affects all of us in the same way. There are options, of course, in how we venture underwater, but in the end we must respect the laws of nature.

In scuba they teach us we need to trust our buddy. Someone we can depend upon should an emergency arise. It does not matter if your buddy has differing political or religious views. There is a mutual trust that we will take care of one another should an emergency arise. Trust, understanding and respect comes together in the middle of our scuba diving community.

Are there others in the middle?

Scuba divers are just one example of where we come together in the middle. There are many other communities that have a similar perspective and where their middle exists. As Senator Romney implores us to end “our national malady of denial, deceit and distrust.” I hope that the many examples of where we come together in the middle will dominate our national dialog.

What are these other examples of people coming together in the middle? Let me know by replying below or email me.