Without Fear

A friend gave me an archive of weekly newspaper columns written by one of her friends. Witty. To the point. Published in a small local paper. The writing is erudite; piquant as well. Thought provoking.

I’d like to think these words describe what I write, but that would be folly for me to speculate! My friend gave me these records so I could value this writer’s work as she did. He published for nearly 10 years; weekly; 200 to 300 words in each column. Pithy. Terse, even.

I read maybe 9 months of columns so far. What strikes me is the cyclical nature of the times in which we live. Back then, 1982 and 1983, we were struggling with stagflation – falling productivity, inflationary prices, sky high interest rates, horrendous unemployment – and yet we the people elected a new president, senators, congressional representatives, state and local public servants. We also had political discourse based on ideology. Republicans and Democrats were at each others throats. Problem solving in the public sector was nowhere to be found. Energy costs were sky rocketing. There was fear in the land! Sound familiar?

Well, not everything is the same. But fear in the land is. Especially when warring politicos are mouthing solutions with words they cannot spell. Bureaucracies become faint at heart just dreaming of the new jobs they will have to implement the new rules, regulations and laws being spouted by vote seekers. Who will win? Who will lose? More importantly, who will pay?

Seems to me this is an age old repeat – over and over again. Endlessly regurgitating the same old things as though they were new. And yet those we elect to manage these matters continue to do little. The problems continue to multiply as the ‘leaders’ snuffle in the public trough for answers. Hell! They mostly created these problems. Solving them would reduce the need for their jobs. And maybe, just maybe, that is a solution we should explore!

1983 or 2012. What goes around comes around. Stupid phrase but true nonetheless. Because we allow it. Because we can’t seem to control our elected officials enough to demand and get solutions.

I don’t really care how big or small the government is. I just care that our society works well and humanely. It doesn’t have to be the end-all and be-all. But it does have to have common sense. And be fair. 

Why do I have an awful feeling that we’ve been here before? And will continue on this path? Because fear is a constant in American politics. “Do this or else! We will surely reap what we have sowed!” – or similar dire warnings. Notice how often these sound biblical? That’s another problem we have yet to deal with.

It seems to me that our best times as a nation have been when we were tested, pulled together and focused on getting things done. I believe we are facing just such a time.

The world has changed in many ways. Global communications, travel and economics have leveled the playing field. Cultures are fascinatingly different; so are their religions. But getting along in a diverse world has huge rewards. Those who travel know this. Those who study history and anthropology know this. And sociology. And medicine.

Where we make rivalry we build distrust. Fear and resentment surely follows. The old game continues for no positive end.

I think it is time to skip that last paragraph. Drop the fear. End the rivalry. Get to know these people and get along. Work for common goals that benefit most of the world’s population. As we do this our own economies will do just fine. Standards of living across the globe will improve. That includes our own.

Without fear we can accomplish much. Shouldn’t we at least attempt this?

June 22, 2012