American culture is reconciling many different social, political and religious issues in our atmosphere of pluralism. While diversity has created a greater understanding of various perspectives, there is also a great lack of confidence in actually taking a position. There are extreme groups on every position, but most Americans desire to find reasonable conclusions on complex issues. However, we often get stuck in the middle ground. If we are not careful, every discussion on difficult subjects is simply an exercise of identifying opposing views, with no personal conclusion on the matter.

What is my point? Take a position. Study. Discuss. Debate. Empathize. But, let those exercises lead you to an informed opinion. We cannot be a nation of “undecideds.” Though the middle ground may seem desirable in order to avoid labels and misunderstandings, it is not a productive place to stay.