As contentious as politics may be, most people are genuine regarding their perspective on life.  Those that have differing opinions from ours are still good people for the most part, but may have a different basis for their beliefs.  The underlying question to any issue is not the issue itself, but the paradigm by which decisions are made.  If that paradigm is based on what feels good at the moment, it is easy to justify almost any cause if presented as good and worthy.

History has taught us that, over time, the same activities always yield the same results.  The real question then becomes, what are the principles that always determine these results.  This is why people with more of life’s experiences are generally more conservative, because they have seen first-hand the results of various activities.  History is soon forgotten by those that don’t study it or by those who think they can change human nature.

Issues become even more confusing when we examine people’s primary objectives.  Everyone wants the same thing, happiness.  All political points of view express the same end goal, but where the rubber meets the road is where things really differ.  It’s not the “What?”, but the “How?” that presents the most problems.

These fundamental principles are natural laws that are as real as gravity even though we cannot always immediately see the results.  To fully understand these fundamental principles we must understand the divine nature of man.  We must understand that we are subject to a divine creator that possesses all truth and knowledge.  We must understand that we are here on this earth for a purpose and that our existence is eternal.  We must understand that we are here to progress toward that eternal purpose of happiness.  With this understanding we come to know that only by following these natural laws do we achieve true everlasting happiness.  We discover that following these natural laws brings us true freedom and that denying them only brings us into bondage.  This truth is counter-intuitive to many youth who feel that freedom comes from not having to follow the “rigid” laws, but they soon learn that their actions slowly remove their freedoms to enjoy good health or to move about freely due to harmful physical activities or possible incarceration.

The most fundamental of these principles is our agency to make our own choices.  The divine powers that be knew that we would only progress if we had the opportunity to make our own choices and to feel the results of our choices, whether they be happiness or sorrow.  They knew that in order for us to exercise our free agency that there must be opposition in all things.  We would not be able to appreciate the good without an appreciation for the bitter taste of the bad.  Our free agency also required that not all would achieve eternal happiness.  Some may have felt that was unfair and may have desired that all could automatically receive the prize.  This on the surface may have appeared to be a good and worthy cause, but would have denied the natural law of free agency necessary for eternal progression.  This principle is exhibited in the lives of great men and women who have conquered the challenges of the refiners fire to become stronger and better people.  To the contrary, those that are not challenged become stagnant and weak, avoiding all opportunity to experience life’s beauty and progress towards eternal happiness.  In this sense the progressive movement is real and good if you understand what it is we are progressing toward and how to best progress within the natural laws.

With this understanding of natural law we can identify other fundamental principles that have guaranteed results regardless of our attempts to change them.  Being equipped with these principles enables us to better answer the political issues placed before us.

Another fundamental principle is the law of the harvest.  We sow what we reap.  This requires personal responsibility for our actions.  Those that call for social justice in the form of group responsibility are denying the principle of the law of the harvest.

This was exhibited in the early days of the formation of America, when the inhabitants of Jamestown in 1607 where financed by wealthy British businessmen and were ordered to form a communal society on American soil where everyone owned the land together.  The Governor gave the labor assignments to plow the fields or clean and cook for everyone.  After the first winter Jamestown almost disappeared due to the lack of food.  Many people found excuses for not fulfilling their assignments at all or beyond the minimum requirement.  The wise Governor decided to divide the land into individual parcels and distributed the seeds and tools to each family.  They were given the opportunity to live or die based on their own production.  They were literally living the law of the harvest, and to the Governor’s astonishment, the harvest was plenty.

Many other true principles have stood the test of time.  We see the good fruits of our labors when we are wise stewards of our resources, when we avoid debt, when we value the basic family unit, when we are generous to others, when we are honest in all our dealings, when we respect the property of others, when we respect justice, when we hunger and thirst for knowledge, and when we work hard for a worthy cause.

The U.S. Constitution was written based on fundamental principles that address the frailties of human nature.  Those that don’t understand the eternal nature of these principles are at a distinct disadvantage to comprehend the meaning of the inspired Constitution.  Rather than be angry with those that have differing views on how to achieve happiness, I feel sorry for them that have not yet experienced the paradigm shift to see how true happiness is really achieved.

The discussion should not be on the goodness of a program, but on it’s support or opposition of the natural laws and fundamental principles whose results cannot be altered.  Our understanding of the divine nature on man and the eternal plan of happiness shines a bright light on how the nation’s problems can be solved.