The 2010 State of the Union Address
I watched this week’s State of the Union address with President Obama with great interest. I was very interested in how he would address the people and problems that we currently face. For the record, I thought he did a great job – but perhaps not for the reason you think. My reasoning has little to do with jobs, the deficit, government spending, health care, or most any other hot button topic – though they are all important. I was pleased that he addressed Washington politics so clearly and effectively. You see, my opinion is that if we cannot get Washington politics under control, we’re not going to solve many of the aforementioned problems.
The elected politicians were elected to care for the problems of the people they represent – not the political viewpoints of their party leaders, and not for their own re-election campaigns. I want a politician who will do what is morally and ethically right – regardless of whether the “right” thing is popular with party leaders or the President. I want politicians who will find a way to achieve common ground, and work to solve the problems of the society they represent.
Each of us has been brought into this world carrying our own unique set of values, priorities, and belief systems. Each of us knows that when we sit in a group conversation, most people in that group will express a unique point of view. Given that reality, I would expect that uniqueness to spill out onto the floor of the House of Representatives during the speech – and yet it doesn’t. Every congressman and senator seems to ignore their inherent unique points of view and simply applauds (or fails to applaud) ideas and positions that conform to their party’s established viewpoints – a type of lock-step group-think.
I see many of our Senators and Congressmen behaving in rude, inconsiderate, and arrogant manners. We hear so much about the “Party of NO!”, and the Democrats who exclude others. Were they not raised better than that? Did they miss basic Kindergarten etiquette? If I were raising children, I would discipline them for that type of behavior – and so should you.
I would say to each Senator and Congressman: To Hell with your damned party. Stand up for what YOU believe in. Applaud for what YOU believe in. Fight for what YOU believe in. Represent the people who elected you. Be respectful towards others – even if their viewpoint differs from your own. People elected you (I hope) not because you were a Republican or a Democrat, but because they placed some level of trust in you, your ideas, and your values. Please help all of us to achieve a solution to the problems that confront us. ”My Way or NO WAY” is not a defend-able position. It’s childish and rude. If you cannot help solve the problems that confront us, the American People need to vote you out of power in favor of someone who can.
If you happen to be a politician reading this, I hope that you will read some of my other blog entries. You see, I am not a person to be rude or inconsiderate. In fact, I am far from that. Yet, this is where I find myself with career politicians. The profession no longer seems noble to me. I know that I am not alone in my views. The general public disgust is toward your behavior, and standard Washington politics. Without solving that, we can’t solve anything else – and we have LOTS of problems we need you to solve.
After President Obama’s speech, I was amazed to hear people immediately start bickering about party lines on taxes, the deficit, health care, etc., etc., but very little was said about President Obama’s words on Washington politics. Washington politics as usual have got to stop, or we can’t move forward. Period.
Something to think about…..
Understanding and Honoring Cultural Differences
As the United States deals with other countries in matters of trade, peace-conflict, environment, and/or any of the other hundreds of issues we may have to discuss, I believe that it’s important for us to take a learned look at the culture, customs, values, and potential mindsets of each of the other countries we’re dealing with. Without that learned approach, we can unintentionally sabotage our opportunities for success in whatever issue we’re currently dealing with.
I thought about this recently when people reacted negatively to President Obama bowing in greeting to Emperor Akihito from Japan. I believe that the negative reaction President Obama received was from Americans who understood what the action meant in their culture, based on their upbringing. In the Japanese culture, however, the bow (or lack thereof) may mean something far different. I am reluctant to pass any judgement on that bow, since I understand that I am not well versed in Japanese customs or culture, nor am I well versed in diplomatic protocols. I do, however, understand that the bow may have been a component of achieving a mutually satisfying exchange of ideas, informal agreements, etc.
From my perspective, a bow may simply have been a respectful greeting, honoring the humanity of the person being greeted in a manner most appealing to the person being greeted. From my perspective, it did not signify American subservience to Japan, nor did it signify any weakness of America. I don’t believe the bow in any way weakened our position to negotiate or discuss our relative positions. In fact, I think President Obama may have strengthened our negotiating hand by greeting the Emperor in a manner meaningful to his traditions.
This is similar to how I hope to greet you, should I ever have that opportunity. I hope that I have the knowledge and grace to greet you in a manner that is pleasing to you. With that greeting, I intend to honor your humanity. After the greeting, we can go to work to discuss anything that is of importance – including those areas where we may strongly disagree.
In a recent TED presentation, Devdutt Pattanaik presented a far clearer picture of how this works than I can do here. His 19 minute presentation discussed the difference between the Western and Eastern culture, religions, traditions, and resulting mindsets. In a world hungry for conflict resolution, I think it is a video worth watching. Just click on the link that follows.
Something to think about…..
Spiritual Leadership in Government
I finished watching “This Week with George Stephanopoulis” and “Meet the Press” on this week’s DVR program list. Not watching, actually, but listening while I sat here with the computer, wondering what I’m going to write next.
While I was half watching, the thought came. These are the people who are leading our country? People who engage in personal attack, disrespectful behavior, and congressmen who insult others to their face? Politicians who work to instill fear of the future into the hearts and minds of it’s citizens, as they search for a political advantage? Speaking for myself, this behavior is far more discouraging than the individual policies they may represent.
Our problems are too big, and too complex to be playing a game of political football. Read more »
Balance in Government
I recently found an excellent graphic that clearly delineates the differences between the Left in Government (The Democrats), and the Right (The Republicans). I found this extremely helpful as it promotes understanding at the level of philosophy, family life, and social values. I have included in the table below some of the elements of comparison, yet there is significant value in the way the graphic itself is constructed. To see the document for yourself, click here. (You will need to refer to this graphic document to really understand the remainder of this blog entry). Read more »
The Measure of a Person, Government, and Society
Balance, from my point of view, is essential for a healthy life. As I learned in my early life, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Or, to put it in other terms – Any strength, overused, becomes a weakness. To be healthy in my life, I believe that there are times and events in life that call for tough decisive action; times and events that require patience, exactness and precision; times and events that call on my ability to relate effectively and compassionately to others on a one to one basis; and times that call on my ability to address and interact with groups of people effectively. To the extent that I am unable to be effective at any of those skills, I will be ineffective in some life situations. To the extent that I overuse one of those skills to the detriment of another, I am ineffective. I value someone who respects me enough to take the time and energy to present me with a balanced view of any given situation. Read more »
About
I decided to put this page together at the urging of friends. Several of them were encouraging me to do this, as they were sure that my words were needed to help counteract all of the negativity out there. I’m not a pollyanna. I understand the problems of the world. I also understand that most of our problems are of our own making, and that the only way for any of us to solve our problems is to start exactly where we are, and solve what we can. We made the problems. We can solve them.
I know we cannot improve our lives by being negative. I know we cannot create what we want by fighting what we don’t want. It just doesn’t work that way, though the nightly news is full of people who are determined to do so using just that method. The only way out is to find a path of cooperation, Love, and compassion. This Blog is written so we can find a way to do just that. I hope you join me.
Mark
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