As American society moves inexorably toward the full inclusion of all of its members in the rights that have been denied to some, there has been a backlash that many find disturbing and even frightening.
Keep in mind that we are witnessing the process of the evolution of social consciousness, which is a facet of general evolution, whose time frame is billions of years.
No structure or species or philosophy ever arrived fully-formed. Progression of an evolutionary sort is always forward and backward, forward and backward. This is how consciousness does its “test runs,” a vital part of any development program from rockets to artificial limbs to make sure that what is finally introduced has staying power.
Everything in the universe is balanced by everything else. It is no coincidence, therefore, that in political and social movements we see conservative and liberal positions. The conservative function in nature is to hold onto what currently exists while the liberal side of things experiments with change. If one dominated completely we would either see no progress at all or no stability. The status quo is needed to provide a steady platform for the launch of real change.
What this nation has been witnessing with a black president and the emergence of gay rights is nothing short of astounding to someone who was born 70 years ago.
Remember, right after the Civil War, freed slaves enjoyed the rights of other Americans, including participation in the political process as representatives, only to lose all of their gains to a social backlash, particularly in the southern states. It took many years, World War II, Black Americans slowly entering professional sports, and the Civil Rights Movement, among other things, to make the headway that has led to the social disturbance that we currently observe.
Full civil rights is the logical outcome of the unique program this democracy represents. As we experience the natural push-pull of the process let us remain mindful that in evolutionary terms things are just as they are supposed to be.
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