I have found myself changing quite a bit over the years, especially the last 10 or so.

Unlike your previous response, I do not see my views as having to do with money or riches, but will concede that maybe age is related.

My problem is, and maybe this is just me being stubborn....I have always resisted extremism. I find it impossible in my mind to believe that one side or the other is always right or always wrong.

Today, that is what has happened. You are considered a bad person (or as your 1st responder once posted to me...very dissappointing) if you shy away from labels, or any kind of extremism.

I started out active in the Democratic Party, became a Republican because of one issue that was being parlayed by the Democrats and stayed an active Republican until this most recent uprising and election.

I am now an independent and view each issue in that manner. i do not feel obligated to like or dislike anyone or any group and make that decision for myself.

So, I have changed in that way, but the extremism now across the country is scary to me. ALL of anything is impossible, and that is where we are.

If you read this forum enough, you will find labels are the common thing...perhaps to make it easy to post, but i suspect more than likely to mask deep rooted "isms". I just find it difficult to put people in catagories and then hate them or do not trust them. I am an individual and hope I am judged by my actions, and thus I owe that same thing to anyone else. I fear no Muslim, because I have no reason to do that....terrorism is not Muslim...Muslim is used to label terrorism, both by us and by the terrorists. I fear nobody or hate nobody because of their skin color, and refuse to label another human being by just observing his or her skin color. That does not make me a "bleeding heart"...that makes me human.

I feel great now with my independent thinking, because you can get locked in mentally with an affliation with a party.

Great question by the way and something many should think seriously about.