The Greatest Challenge to This Generation

I have watched with a combination of deep sadness, frustration, horror and fear in the past few days, the violent events taking place in our country.  Normally I write about topics related to the dangers of rampant partisanship and rigid ideological thinking in our political discussions, and how these attitudes or thinking patterns are barriers to successfully developing real solutions to our key problems.

Today I am writing about the racially-related violence of the past week, because I believe there’s a common link between these events and the state of our politics.  That is, the absence of an ability or willingness for most of us to sincerely care about those people or groups who look and think differently than ourselves.  This absence impacts our ability to successfully address not only political issues but those of race and community relationships with police.  These issues are putting our economic and community security at risk today, and I shudder to imagine what events might take place in our cities, streets and neighborhoods between now and the coming election.

Based on news coverage and social media, we seem to be divided into “camps” even in our outrage …. One camp seems only to be outraged at the deaths of police at the hands of a black man in Dallas, and the other seems only to be outraged at the deaths of black men at the hands of police in Baton Rouge and St. Paul.  There does not appear to be a middle ground, a place where the two points of view can be accommodated … where people can express outrage at ALL these killings, and can both support the daily police sacrifices to protect citizens, and want any police abusive action to be held accountable.  That divisive attitude in viewing issues and problems is what this blog is about addressing, at its core.

So here’s my thinking today.  This inability to handle difficult events, or to solve difficult problems, as the “one nation” we profess to be in our Pledge of Allegiance, is the greatest challenge of this generation.  I believe it threatens the security of our country, our prosperity and our future to a greater degree than global fascism in World War II or communism in the Cold War. According to the historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Teddy Roosevelt once said that “we cannot have democracy where people don’t understand each other’s points of view.”

Is there a solution?  I have not yet heard one from our leaders.  So let me step into the vacuum, and with all due humility, provide a suggestion to consider.

I believe the solution is recommitting to our foundational values at every level in our society, up to and especially including our political leaders.  It starts with acknowledging the truth that each of us benefits more greatly by coming together as a united nation, society and community than we do by dividing into separate camps, groups, parties, regions or states.  Each of us in our own mind and heart needs to put “respect for others” near the top of our list of personal values that guides our thinking, decisions, behaviors and actions.  We have to do more listening to others who think differently than we do, with a sincere desire to understand the points of view of others in very different situations than ours.  We need to respect and value those different points of view, needs and concerns. 

And here’s the action step … we need to work to accommodate those needs and concerns with our own in a “Win-Win” solution that largely addresses the major needs and concerns of both ourselves and others.   Practically, this means that political leaders from both major parties need to seek not a Democrat or a Republican solution, but a solution that addresses the needs and concerns of both parties. For a practical demonstration of how well that can work, please read the blog post on Gay Marriage that I posted on June 23, 2015, at the bottom of this page.

For our racial issues today, we need to build trust through demonstrating that there is true caring for the safety of both the police and the safety of ALL citizens, for both respecting police and not tolerating bad policing.  Our police leaders, including the police union leaders, really play a key role here, by taking the lead in expressing understanding of the pain and distrust that excessive use of force by police causes in the Black community.  They need to be explicit in words and actions that there is no tolerance for those behaviors by their officers, and those who exhibit them will be weeded out of the department, either by legal or administrative actions.

We need to be able to bring together, community by community, and on a national level, the groups concerned with supporting police and the groups concerned with the loss of life and the level of police action that can be perceived as harassment in the Black community.  Community leaders need to bring groups together to address the causes and develop solutions that accommodate the needs, concerns and fears of both sides.  We have to stop just reporting events and statistics and begin to come together to develop real solutions … not to dictate solutions but jointly develop solutions on the “Win-Win” basis, reflecting honest respect and concern for both sides.

I pray that this generation is ready to be the next “greatest generation” that comes together in service and some sacrifice to promote a “more perfect union” for all Americans.  If you are, please pick up a pen and/or your cell phone and reach out to your community leaders to volunteer to be part of the solution. It’s time to enlist in the cause of bringing the country together.

July 4 2016 – A Thought for Independence Day

Today we are celebrating the 240^th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in communities all across our country. 

I saw a video on Facebook today that showed John Wayne hosting a rendition of God Bless America, sung by a collection of the day’s most well-known stars, dressed to represent the major groups of people from America’s history; from the Indians and Pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving, to the Founding Fathers, to the soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War, to the freed slaves, to the western settlers, cowboys and shopkeepers across all 50 states.  America has always been a melting pot of people with diverse backgrounds and beliefs.  But in difficult times, we have always found the path to unity.

John Wayne opens the video by encouraging all of us to recite on the Fourth of July, “This is my country and I’m going to do something good for it.”   That’s not too unlike the urging by John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address, that we should “Ask not what your country can do for you …  what you can do for your country”.

The common thought here is, it was not just the words of the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence that we need to celebrate today.  Wasn’t it the selfless sacrifice of these leaders, who committed “their honor, wealth and their very lives” to bringing these words to life in an Independent America?  They committed to this sacrifice in the belief, the faith, that it would lead to the freedom they sought, a freedom they sought not just for themselves but for all the citizens of America. 

Also on national holidays like today, our thoughts often are focused on the sacrifices and service of those in the military who are far away from home and loved ones, standing watch to ensure our freedom and our national security.  Again, it is the sacrifice and service to their fellow citizens that earns them the gratitude that nearly every American rightly shares and often expresses.

So here's a thought on one action we could choose to do that would be good for our country, in following John Wayne’s and John F. Kennedy’s words.  In this election year, let's honor the sacrifices and service of others that have secured our freedom for the past 240 years in actions, not just by saying "thank you for your service" ... that's far too easy.  Let's try to mirror their ability to focus on doing their jobs and serving their countrymen in both parties, all regions, all ages, races, creeds, beliefs, genders, economic levels and sexual orientations, as we discuss the best ways to help our country address our problems with respect for differences and unity of purpose.  

Let's commit to work together to address our challenges and problems by listening to, respecting and working creatively to address the needs and concerns of Americans on both sides of the ideological divide. The last year of the primary campaign results have clearly indicated that there is a large disconnection between the actions of our current leaders in both parties and the needs and concerns of a large segment of voters.  In all honesty, the leadership in neither political party has done a good job of serving the needs of the country, of all Americans.  And as for sacrificing personally for the benefits of others … that unfortunately seems to be a characteristic that our leaders, and  too many Americans expect those in the military and our first responders to exhibit, but are not willing to practice much themselves.

I believe a case could be objectively made that rigid ideologies and partisanship are major barriers to working together for effective solutions to our problems.  How did we lose our respect for the beliefs and concerns of other Americans, and replace it with the belief that our ideas and ONLY our ideas are the best ideas for America?  Indeed, both sides often resort to claiming the title of “true American” or “American patriot” only for those who share their beliefs about how to best address our major problems.  This is not just unfortunate; I believe it is dangerous to our national unity, our security, and our strength as a country … perhaps the greatest danger we’ve faced our country has faced in more than 150 years.

The challenge for this generation is to renew our own commitment to sacrifice and service for the good of the country and our fellow citizens.  We each need to commit to working to respect and understand the beliefs, needs and concerns of those who look and think differently that we do, and to develop "Win-Win" solutions that can accommodate both our and their concerns.  Without such an approach, we may continue to experience only "Win-Lose" or sometimes "Lose-Lose" approaches.

On this July 4^th, let us each strive to again be a country where we successfully resolve differences for the common good of the country, as the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence did 240 years ago on this date, Let’s not just honor their words, let’s by our actions begin to also honor their service and sacrifices that have provided the freedoms we enjoy and celebrate together, today.

Here’s the link to that John Wayne video, hoping that it may help inspire this new commitment in each of us: https://www.facebook.com/thisblewmymind/videos/623005504464850/.   As John Wayne said, “It just might work.  But we’ll never know unless we give it a fair try.” 

Happy Birthday, Americans all!