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For those of us here in the United States, there has been a great deal of drama playing out on the local level in reaction to national events. The recent passage of the Health Care Reform Bill has fomented a wide variety of responses, ranging from elation to violent threats.
It is not my intention or purpose in this column to suggest how you should feel about this particular bill, or the current Administration, or either political party. In a free society, it is far more important for people to form their own, informed conclusions, than for writers or commentators to try and impose conclusions on others. No matter how confident I may be in my opinion, I still must accept that your priorities and important issues will likely differ from mine. What may seem vital to me may seem trivial to you, and vice-versa.
Instead, I would rather suggest modes of thinking and reacting that are better suited to productive results, even if those results aren't the same as the results I'd like to see occur. It's one thing to feel a certain way about events. It's another thing entirely to act intelligently about them.
I am distressed by name-calling and vilifying on both sides of the issue. First and foremost, insults are the default mode of those who either have no rational discourse to offer, or who are simply too lazy to engage in rational discourse. Insults are easy, and can be quite satisfying to toss about, but they solve nothing. Calling your debate opponent an idiot may seem to discredit them, but ultimately, it discredits you as much or more than it does them. Let me be quite clear in this - If you cannot express the reasons for your position in quantifiable terms, offering empirical or anecdotal data to support how you reached your conclusion, you are better off refraining from the debate. If all you can offer are insults and vitriol, you damage your position more than reinforce it. Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying, "It is better to remain silent and thought a fool, than to speak up and remove all doubt." It's an adage we all would do well to keep in mind.
I would like to mention at this point, as well, that demonizing the President is both common, and useless. Ever since I was old enough to understand the political stage, every President in office has been demonized by one group or another. Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr., and now Obama - all have been slammed and labeled evil, and often for some of the most outrageous reasons. I had one person in 1983 tell me Reagan had to be the Antichrist because his name, Ronald Wilson Reagan, had six letters in each name, and therefore corresponded to 666, plus he was the astrological exact opposite of Jesus Christ (as if we really knew the exact date Jesus was born). You may not like Obama as President, but calling him the Antichrist isn't going to impress anyone any more than calling Reagan or Clinton the Antichrist impressed anyone. It's just another pointless insult, and serves no purpose.
Emotional responses are not productive, either, whether they are gloating or pouting. We label such behaviors as "poor sportsmanship" when they are displayed in response to the outcome of a play or game in sports, and they are no better when expressed on political or legislative issues. We're supposed to be adults, and we should act like it. Gloating and pouting serve only to further inhibit productive dialogue and response.
The violent threats are some of the most disturbing responses to current events. While I understand the feelings of frustration that can lead to such outbursts, it is frightening to think that we would resort to such measures. Yes, I understand that the founders of this Nation believed it was in the best interest of liberty for the citizenry to retain the ability to rise up against the Government, if necessary. I also understand that violence is both messy and indiscriminate when it escalates to that level. It is rarely just the "guilty parties" that suffer, and such conflicts have historically been some of the most brutal in terms of lives and property damage. For all of the advanced weaponry of the last century, the American Civil War * remains the deadliest in terms of casualties in our history. Before anyone advocates a violent response to a Government decision, they need to seriously consider what they are proposing in terms of the human cost. If you want a revolution, stop first and look at your family and friends, and ask if the current situation is truly grave enough to make it worth burying some of them. It isn't enough to ask if we are willing to fight for a cause. It isn't enough to ask if we are willing to die for a cause. We have to ask if it's enough that our children may die for it, even if they are not old enough to be combatants.
The founders of our Nation made provision for a peaceful means of expressing our feelings about the Government. We are guaranteed the Freedom of Speech, the Freedom of the Press, the Right of Dissent, and - one of the most important - the ballot. Speak your mind. Write letters. Take the time to do so intelligently, in a manner that has a chance to win people over to your opinion. Exercise mutual respect. You don't have to agree with someone to respect that they have a right to their opinion, even as you have a right to yours. Above all, take the time to vote intelligently. Don't just choose the candidate whose party matches yours - they may not really represent you at all. Look for a candidate that works for their constituency, rather than for their own interests or those of the big money donors.
This is the most vital response we can have, whether we agree or disagree with the direction the current Administration is taking. Our first response should be to let our votes do the talking. Re-electing or replacing politicians makes one of the most powerful statements that we the people can make, and it's one that tends to get more attention from the parties than any other. If a party is losing seats, they know the people are unhappy with them and they have to change the direction they're headed. Conversely, if they're gaining seats, it's a statement of support for their platform.
If you're happy, vote. If you're unhappy, vote. If you don't vote, then don't complain when the decisions being made for you are ones you don't like. By not voting, you abdicated any say you may have had in the process, and let others make those decisions for you.
The greatest weapon we have ever been given is our brain, and I pray we're using it properly.
* It should be noted that the American Civil War was fought over the issue of whether the Federal Government had the right to impose law on the States, or whether the States were supposed to be free to determine such laws for themselves. While slavery was one of the hotbed issues in dispute, it was subordinate to whether Federal law could override State law on any given point. This is precisely what many opponents of the current Administration are expressing as the call to action, that the Federal Government is overstepping their bounds. Whether they are right or wrong in that assessment, the potential for history to repeat itself is just as real.
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