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Right Wing, Left Wing—or Something Better?
Written by UPF Slovakia
Monday, January 17, 2022
Bratislava, Slovakia—A journalist and historian led a webinar about the ideological divisions in European society, going back to the late 19th century.
The struggle between the Right and the Left is a battle that unfolds within the human mind and has divided Europeans until today, said Mag. Barbara Grabner, the Austrian-born author of the book Children of Cain, who was the guest speaker at a UPF-Slovakia lecture on January 17, 2022, titled “The Head Wing Solution.”
Right at the start she advised the audience to be cautious with labeling. “There are numerous variations of socialism in the Marxist and also Christian camp,” she said. “It is difficult to find one valid definition for both.”
The lecture addressed such questions as:
- What is the difference between the Right Wing and the Left Wing?
- What kind of socialism is in line with Christian teachings?
- How can a society of mutual prosperity be established?
Speaking about the temptation to solve huge economic and social problems by force and dictatorship, Mrs. Grabner compared Fascism, National Socialism and Bolshevism.
“It is useless to debate which was worse—all three were wrong!” she stated.
“Although Fascists and Nazis themselves identify their doctrines as belonging to the Left Wing, leftist intellectuals fiercely reject that notion today,” she said.
Mrs. Grabner asked: “Which is more important – freedom or justice?” She said that, beyond ideological divides, most thinkers agree that “In an ideal society justice and freedom are in a balanced relationship. Freedom must serve to help justice make a breakthrough.”
At the end she quoted the Unification Thought philosopher Dr. Sang Hyun Lee: “Neither left-wing ideology nor right-wing ideology will work. Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that we need a movement through which a new advanced right-wing type that can be supported by the left wing, and a new advanced left-wing type that can be supported by the right wing, should be brought together.” Perhaps this is the best solution – to change existing views from the root, Mrs. Grabner concluded.
The more than 100 attendees of the webinar included participants from all over Europe and a few from the United States and Canada; they had ample opportunity to ask questions afterward.
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