Jackson Free Press

Frustrated that you can't be a fiscal conservative without being lumped in with crazy people screaming about gay marriage? That kind of limited political framing is what our two-party system has wrought today—helped along by dumb cultural wars and media hungry for either-or sensationalism. Is it this, or is it this? If you think the answer is "neither" or "both," keep reading.

The "cultural creatives" movement is one attempt to reject the binary division in favor of a new, more enlightened political climate. The brainchild of Paul H. Ray, the movement follows a political compass with four sides rather than two extremes on a spectrum. That is, you can be a business conservative with more liberal social ideas, and you still have a place to exist in the political world.

Ray pushes the idea of a space for New Progressives that brings together all but the most extreme, including people who routinely feel lost in the middle between the two parties. Sure, you have to think outside the box to believe you can like or dislike a candidate without regard for his or her party, but that is what creativity is all about.

New Progressivism promotes:

1. Respecting nature and taking care of the earth.
2. Being the change you want to see in the world.
3. Being willing to help pay for needs of the greater community (if wisely spent).
4. Development of relationships and connections between diverse people.
5. Equality and voice for women on all fronts.
6. Questioning the effects of corporate practices and big business.
7. Staying out of massive debt or spending beyond your means.
8. Spiritual and psychological development.
9. Development of individuals' special gifts.
10. Volunteering for the greater good.
11. Thinking globally, especially about poverty and climate change.
12. Transcending the left and right in politics.
13. Thinking outside the political box.