Top Political Values

For the past few classes we have been discussing political values and morals. I thought it was fascinating how we rated the fourteen political values on the board from our most important to our least important. Personally, I believe that having tolerance towards others is most important. Take what happened in Germany in World War II for example. Hitler's anti-semitism caused the death of millions of Jewish people. I know that is taking it to the extreme, but basically being open and accepting to others opinions is extremely important. We need to realize that even though we might think we know everything, we really do not. It is important to stay open minded and accept the beliefs of others. That is how we bring about change. By hearing what others have to say and seeing what their experience in life has taught them, we can evolve as a community and grow. When we close ourselves off and judge others we are really limiting our own capacity of knowledge. Furthermore, i also agree that having respect to the law and not to the individual is very important. The laws were created by many people and with the mindset that our nation is to be a democratic one made by the people and for the people. They created laws we need to follow in order to maintain a working government. If we follow the individual instead of the law, we are leaving ourselves open to totalitarian governments and not following through with our belief in a democracy. Although the president has power, the system of checks and balances keep his power in order with the rest of the branches of government. When we listen to people instead of the law, dictators may rise up and hold too much power. Lastly, i believe in making sure our justice system works! If people are not punished for certain actions, then they have no reason to stop doing them. There needs to be a disincentive to killing, stealing, littering. Basically, a government needs many aspects in order to run smoothly. However, i firmly believe that some of the most important are tolerance towards others, focus on law verses individual, and justice.