Rise and Consequence of the Radical or Extremist

What each of us personally defines as ‘Liberal’ or defines as ‘Conservative’ has the potential to vary. But we must not discount the fact that both may be trying to protect something that they believe needs to be protected. We may not believe in what another believes in. But I am not talking about a specific belief. I am talking about the protection of someone to hold a belief.

In some instances, not all, I sometimes personally compare what the liberal and what the conservative may protect to the protection of the Macro (for what some may consider the environment) versus the protection of the Micro (for what some may consider family unity). And some who are to the extreme may not wish to admit it but, often we need both the Macro and the Micro equally.

To ensure protection of both the Macro and the Micro, including our own beliefs, we must not let the extremist hijack the message. When the extremist hijacks the message, the message can become defined by the extremist. When a message is defined by the extremist the meaning, importance, and often the validity of the message can become distorted and clouded behind the rhetoric and the image of the extremist. We cannot let ourselves or others be deceived by the extremist rhetoric. Common sense and practicalities can become lost when the extremist leads.
What I fear is that something that is important that needs to be protected will not be. When the cause becomes associated with the extremist, the cause no matter how noble or justifiable, has the potential to become warped in the rhetoric of the extremist. Then, that cause has the potential to become invalidated in the eyes of the moderate as well as the opposing extreme. The loss of a cause can often be a loss to the community or future.