Why I continue to read the FIAR forums even though I haven't used the curriculum in 8 years and only homeschooled for 2 1/2 years:

I like learning about their lives.  These women, for the most part, are so different than me.  For the most part, they're conservative and very Christian.  But they're kind, and family oriented, and educated.  They're not rigid or extreme.  I find it a way to understand how other people think-they're anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti-big government.  But when I read about their everyday lives, their struggles, their families, I see how their opinions are formed, why they feel the way they feel.  There are no debates or big discussions about why they hold the stances they do-so it's a low impact way of understanding their views.

The older I get the more I see the world in grays-but I also understand the appeal of seeing things in black and white:  it seems simple, easier.  There are good guys and bad guys.  There's right and wrong.