I'm that free loving atheist liberal sending e-hugs to all the conservatives out there.

I tell most people that I meet that I'm probably the most liberal person they will ever meet. Over time they find that it's generally true. I think one of the really great things about being super super liberal is that I can handle criticism and ignorance quite well because I try to afford people the same consideration they should show me (but often don't). It doesn't bother me. Of course in some of those pesky hot button issues like gay marriage, abortion, etc. I can get frustrated and often times quite sad, but I hardly ever get angry.

Actually, I don't see a fundamental difference in values and goals between myself and people with vastly differing political views. I think deep down we pretty much all want the same things, we just have different ideas of how to go about achieving them and different reasons for wanting them. Because of this the only thing that keeps a conservative from being liberal and vice versa is understanding. We will always misunderstand each other. We can't fathom how someone else can possibly think the way they do and we never can until we think the same way, effectively adopting the same beliefs.

This theory in and of itself reeks of liberalism possibly with a dash of naivety, but I honestly believe it to be true based on the knowledge and experiences I've gained over my 22 years on Earth (most people find it hard to believe that I wasn't always like this... I've come a long way). This theory is why no one will ever hear the words "I hate conservatives and/or Republicans, Christians, Mormons, Scientologists (lol), Libertarians, rich people, men, hunters, etc" come out of my mouth. I don't understand or agree with them and probably never will, but I do try my best to make sure that we can all be heard, even though most of those people would rather I keep my mouth shut. I will cringe and then protest against their policies, but I will also talk to them about it (calmly and as open minded as possible) if I need to. I am biased, but I understand and accept that we all are. What matters is how much we try to see that we are all more alike and connected than most people seem to think.