The United States of America is a good country. You would not know that by the tone of the news, world events, and the rancor of US Citizens. But, the reality is we are all ultimately about doing good in the world and maintaining freedom as a universal right.
I have become tired of our inability to trust the direction of the country. Looking at the news, we seem to be always doubting the intentions of others. Pelosi is doing this evil thing, or Bush is doing some other evil thing.....
My personal experience in life is that if you think that the other guy is doing something bad it is often the case that they are not. If the other person is doing something that looks wrong, often I am without all the facts. It is a pattern of understanding that has helped me become a better person and judge of people.
At the same time, I believe strongly that there is evil at work in the world. There are people making choices in their life's that hurt the concept of freedom. Saddam and Bin Laden are evil people. I really don't care what may have made them evil, or what convoluted set of events some feel excuses them of their responsibility to be rationale actors in the world. They ultimately work against the interests of freedom.
JFK asked us "What can you do for your country". He reminded us that our course ahead is not decided by Government, but by us individually and collectively. Buried in his message is also the believe of faith in each other that we can trust we are all ultimately interested in the concept of freedom. We may debate how to deal with Iraq, but at the end we have a common set of values around the concept of democracy and freedom that ultimately draw us together. We are more alike than we are different.
So, why can't we have a more effective conversation in Washington. The 2006 election was an opportunity for a fresh perspective. It was a chance for refreshed leadership to support our mission in Iraq with perhaps some new methods. What has it become? It seems so far that the new congress is more about what the old congress and current administration did wrong. It is more about getting Rove, halting the president, beating on the republicans.
I have no idea in the end if the President and the past congress had evil intentions. Maybe this is really all about controlling oil so that Dick Cheney's buddies can get rich. I doubt it though. I suspect everyones motivations in the end are about doing the right thing. I am just not sure people are focused on the consequences of their actions.
Ever since 9/11 President Bush wakes up every single day, every single day, wondering how many Americans will die due to a terrorist action. He wakes up every single day wondering if something we fail to do that day will somehow lead to a threat tomorrow, next week, a year ahead, or 10 years ahead.
I am sure he can do better, I am frustrated by some of the things he has done, but he has more information than the rest of us and ultimately is held accountable for our safety. So what about us. Would we make mistakes with this responsibility? Of course.
So, reminded by JFK's challenge, I wonder what I can do to change the dialog. How can I change my perspective to respect that others are trying to do good rather than evil? How can I change the dialog so that different opinions are used to improve policy rather than destroy it?
