OpEdNews - Page 2 of Article: Progressive Values Stories: Attica on Caring

From my 100 or so video interviews of people to date, I find the progressive value with the greatest emotional impact is caring. People will often become emotional and tear up when recounting stories about caring, having been cared for, or how they offered care to others. I see it as one of the most under represented progressive values. George Lakoff, from the Rockridge Institute, talks about empathy being the source of the progressive value system. While caring flows from having empathy for others, in the culture at large, the word people use most often is caring. I believe it is this energy that conservatives cynically tried to tap into by calling themselves compassionate conservatives. I've heard it said that using the term 'compassionate conservatives' in the 2000 election is what swung centrist voters to vote conservative.

Definition: caring
- showing a care; "a caring mother"
- feeling and exhibiting concern and empathy for others; "caring friends"
- affectionate: having or displaying warmth or affection; "affectionate children"; "caring parents"; "a fond embrace"; "fond of his nephew"; "a tender glance"; "a warm embrace"
- lovingness: a loving feeling
http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Related Words

compassionate - showing or having compassion; "heard the soft and compassionate voices of women"
warmheartedness, warmth - a warmhearted feeling

love - a strong positive emotion of regard and affection; "his love for his work"; "children need a lot of love"

Some Questions To Ponder:
- What questions would you ask to gain more insights into the nature of caring?
- What are your insights and stories about caring?
- How important is caring to you?
- What is personally the most important progressive value to you?
- Do you have a personal story or anecdote of how you learned some insight into this value?
- How does this progressive value of caring differ from conservative values?
- How has compassionate conservativism failed?

Edwin Rutsch
What Are Progressive Values? Documentary Project
http://ProgressiveSpirit.com
and Study Group
http://www.dfalink.com/group.php?id=2285

Cross Posted To:
http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/24706

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