Go anywhere in our country. Talk to people, or maybe just
listen at a breakfast booth near another few people talking about the day over
morning coffee. Listen to what they are chatting about. After comments of the
day’s weather, they most likely will talk about what is in the news. Usually
some sports on or just after the weekend, but then politics will rear its head.
In most social contexts we are polite and respectful of
differences. We are trying to be pleasant, maybe even nice! But let one person
offer an opinion on a political topic and watch out! If tempers visibly rise
two things will happen: either the other people will remain silent, change the
subject, or leave the immediate vicinity; or someone will begin the process of
building a bridge to another point of view on the same topic.
I hope the latter springs up more and more. Building bridges
helps others understand the complexity of the issue and why it is not easily
solved. Differences of opinion should not automatically find the dummy in the
crowd! Rather, discussion should unearth why the topic needs to be solved for
the common good. Not solving the issue creates worse problems until solved, and
in the meanwhile festering disagreements poison the peace and tranquility of
the many moments.
Finding common ground is not easy but the process itself
helps build trust and camaraderie needed for civil society to co-exist while
finding meaningful solutions. We need a lot more of this behavior to build a
stable future for our nation but also for others in the global community.
I read a news article this morning reporting that Democrat
leaders in America
are sidelining the President from many campaigns this election season because
his approval ratings indicate he is a liability for many local campaigns of
fellow Democrats. I think this is unfortunate. The President is one of the calm
voices in political discourse today. His is a voice of history, past and
present, and the building blocks of our tomorrows.
Political disagreement should not be based on personalities.
They should be based on facts and broad hopes for the future. Focusing
attention on those elements should serve us well in understanding issues and
solving shared problems. Ideologies alone will rarely serve the discussion
productively. The outcome of our work
together is the important thing. Results. Commonly used and needed. Our
differences followed to the nth degree will lead us nowhere. Blockades of
progress. Fights. Disruption. Incivility and ugliness.
Another article I read reported on ISIS
attacks on the Kurdish/Turkey border and how the American led airstrikes may
turn the tide and save the Kurdish towns. A citizen comment offered by an
American reader of the article stated that the military should be left free to
handle this skirmish to a successful conclusion while politicians should be
removed from their self-serving decisions. I wonder if this person understands
that American military decision making starts with civilian authority in order to avoid a military state. That
is the constitutional reason for making the President the Commander in Chief.
International relations and long range futures rely on building alliances not
hegemony. Military solutions may be more pleasing over their certainty, but rarely
do they build long lasting peace.
Life is not black or white, on or off, in or out. It is a
constantly changing mix of elements. The right and wrong are relative and
morphing into different relationships constantly. Understanding such basics is
very difficult and nuanced. It takes patience, goodwill and deep caring for all
the participants. Military solutions are none of these.
Often, as in the past, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) has
something to say about this:
“Obama is being criticized for
not being ‘aggressive’ and ‘forceful’ like Bush and Cheney. Thank God! Let’s
not forget that Bush and Cheney got us into Iraq
The President needs to be a peacemaker. With strong military
backing peace will have a chance, but the talking and negotiating and
understanding must be done with patience and openness. A gun held to the head
may be persuasive in the short term but rarely in the long term.
Words to ponder for each of us.
October 9, 2014
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