A POLITICAL OPINION

Politics! Now, that is a dirty word for some. For others, it is a religion.

This is my bi-annual post on the political landscape of our time. It is just my observation.

If you are conservative or liberal or moderate, please do not read this. If you are “woke” or “far-right” on social issues, please do not read this. Same goes for you who are progressive or MAGA. There is nothing in this post which will convince you to change your political position. It might even make you mad (madder).

I am just talking to myself, and I do not have any hope that I can even persuade myself to embrace a different political mindset. This is only my perspective of our current politics. I do not claim I am right, but if you stop reading now, then I was able to change your mind.

Ha! “I love the thrill of victory and I also love the challenge of defeat” (New York Yankee legend, Lou Gehrig).

Here is my brief political resume. I took a picture with a Democratic governor. I worked in Washington, D.C. for a U.S. Senator. I shook hands with several Presidents.

I watched thousands of young men and women such as myself carry briefcases and submit unnecessary new laws and red tape regulations in order to justify their salaries. I imagine their mothers proudly posted their work on the homeland refrigerator. Following a large federal government gathering, I rode in a car with older political operatives I admired. Sadly, they turned into vulgar chameleons on their way to the post-victory celebration. I lost some confidence in our political leaders that night.

I unsuccessfully ran for a state political office, defeated in a landslide. I campaigned door-to-door throughout the district and only met one person who was honest enough to say she would not vote for me. I wish Mom would not have said that.

And I once lost a debate about climate control with my wife. In the spirit of unity amidst diversity, I was the one who rose from my chair and turned off the air conditioning.

Where did that illustrious political career begin?

My early exposure to politics was two-fold. As a baby, people in our church would call me “Ike” after President Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower…we both had no hair.

Secondly, my mother and her five siblings would spend the holiday gatherings arguing politics. Passionate. Heated. A little chaotic. It was frightening and hilarious. Their loud and varied opinionated discussions were more of a gang fight than a game night.

Their father was a staunch Republican coal miner from Kentucky. He transplanted his family to Tahona, Oklahoma. Their hard-working mother had little formal education and waited until she was fifty-five before getting her driver’s license. However, she could solve any crossword puzzle and watched every episode of As the World Turns. What other education does a person really need? She outsmarted six children and made sure they stayed and succeeded in school.

The four sons and two daughters became Democrats for assorted reasons. My mom was a closet Republican because of loving loyalty to her dad. Since she lived in a heavily Democratic part of the state, she had to register as a Democrat in order to vote in the local and state elections.

My mom lived for the moments to be with her sister and four brothers. All of them shared an intense sense of the importance of family. They were all smart, educated, and independently opinionated. These siblings were critical thinkers. They never took the social norm as the only way things could be.

“Some men and women see things as they are and say why. I dream of things that never were and say why not” (Robert Kennedy).

Each of the six family members would have flourished as a king or queen or dictator. They knew how to run this world. Every night, they gathered at the round table for the political fight to begin. Their spouses had to find another place to eat or fellowship. Their observations provided colorful, witty, and insightful commentary about the debate at the round table. Their entertainment was therapeutic relief for being denied the right to vote.

This was CNN vs. Fox News in a two-hour debate in a time before either network existed. It was Beyond Bias (a book written by my talented son-in-law, Scott Krzych). No one really listened to the other persons. No one ever changed their political position because of someone else’s point of view or truckload of facts.

As the big sister, Auntie Jo could command the table with her straightforward talk and pointed finger. Whenever she held up her hand like a stop sign, everyone yielded. I am not sure anyone listened, but no one spoke when she had the stage.

The table group also listened to Uncle Ray explain the political nuances as only a NASA scientist could. Raymond was brilliant and his opinion was respectfully heard, but internally discounted because of the liberal influences from his transplant to the West Coast.

Uncle Sherman and my mom were the loudest. Sherman’s commanding voice had been trained by his years as a football coach yelling at the officials.

Sherman and Uncle K.P. were older than their little sister. Bea grew up idolizing these brothers. She also felt the need to boss them. I imagine that had been a lifelong endeavor.

When Mom got her turn (translation: injected her strong opinion into the debate), voices would get louder until Sherman would stand up from the table, hitch up his pants, and declare he was going to get another cup of coffee. That always signaled it was halftime intermission. Coffee refills and a restroom break. As Sherman strolled away from the table, he would fire off his best round at my mother. It was usually sarcastic in tone.

K.P. (at least he was royally named King Philip) was the target of Mom’s response because he was the only one smiling or listening at that point. He would tout the same political verbiage as his twin-like brother, only with more humor, more sarcasm, and less decibels. Those two brothers knew how to agitate their little sister and they enjoyed it immensely.

Uncle Curt was the youngest and, most likely, shared the wisest insights because of his educational and business experiences. His outlook seemed to be more balanced and broader-minded. More metropolitan.

Uncle Curt respectfully waited for his turn which seldom came before there were more empty chairs at the table. His best audience came on those rare occasions he would admit that my mom had made a good point. She would yell for the others to listen to Curt. He never escaped the “baby brother” tag. That is almost like not having the right to vote. Only the youngest in a family can understand that.

My biggest takeaway from this family political dispute was that it always ended the same way. Always. Everyone hugged and said, “Goodnight. I love you.”

They would hug several times. Smiles and laughter and love filled the political debate room. The siblings might have stayed awake thinking of their first comeback shot at breakfast, but there was no doubt that family love trumped political loyalty.

LOVE SUPERSEDES POLITICAL LOYALTY! What a concept!

Oh, if only our national politicians shared that same sentiment! If our religious dialogue would embrace that endeavor. If our cultural masses and social classes would follow the soap box debates with sincere concern for the welfare of all.

I witnessed my parents’ interest in politics as it related to education. I was raised by two Christian educators in a small community in eastern Oklahoma. Life was about God, church, family, and education. For our family, sports were intertwined with education.

My parents were always supportive of the next political candidate promising to commit more government funding to education and teacher salaries. The struggle repeated every two years after the newly elected official went the way of the former elected politicians. In other words, throughout their lifetime, school support never got fixed as Oklahoma wallowed at the bottom of educational funding.

Side note 1: The volatile oil industry, horse racing, casino gambling, and the lottery were supposed to “fix” the educational funding. Instead, they “fixed” the politicians’ pockets and pet projects.

Side note 2: In my ego-centric opinion, my lifetime best photograph was taken with the Oklahoma Governor. I was a young man, tanned and lean, nice head of hair, dressed in coat and tie. The governor looked happy as well. He claimed it was one of his favorite photographs. That governor went to prison for bribery and extortion. Somewhere, on a prison cell wall, hangs a picture of a happy, handsome, young man standing next to a crooked politician.

Does any mention of politics cause your family get-togethers to be messy or spoiled? Does the subject of religion heat up the room? Do some feel the compulsion to comment on others’ parenting skills?  Those all can spill over into a need for climate control.

It seems to me that our country is seriously divided by our political arguments. The fringe elements of both parties appear to be intent on causing a split in our nation, even threats of civil war.

No one person or one political idealogue should ever dominate the outcome of the lives of others. That is dangerous. Even varied interpretations of the #1 Textbook can lead to divisive arguments.

There is not much wiggle room for discussion once a person has decided they have the truth and then they only listen or watch things that reinforce that position. There is no middle ground, no compromise, nothing we can agree on.

So, we decide we will debate the issues. No one changes their minds. We just cheer on our own position. And should I ever mention I do not like one side, people assume I have embraced the other.

It seems as if “We the people” has been replaced with “Me and the people like me.” Where is the greater concern for “We” when it negatively affects “Me”? Each of us acts as if we expect and demand the world change to please us.

It is alright to work and vote for your opinion, but a loss should never break up loyalty to the greater good of a family, nation, or even the football team fan base.

Can we minimize the “apocalyptic” rhetoric? Shouts and shots. Protests and propaganda. Taunts and threats. Political rivals engaged in name calling and cage fights.

When two people or political parties believe in their complete correctness and the other’s egregious error, they inherit the wind (#1 Textbook). Debate is followed by Hate. Poison is infused into the soul.

What comes next in the political divisiveness? “A weariness of contest, and an extinction of benevolence” (Samuel Johnson 1750. My college roommate insisted I take a class on the writings of Samuel Johnson).

Nothing should ever have precedent over the law of love. The law of love has structure and guidelines. It is not a moral free-for-all. However, it is never meant to be suppressed or used as a sledgehammer by political or religious denominational rhetoric.

Most political, church, business, or family leadership failures are rooted in flawed character.

There is a worship issue at the heart of all flawed character. When one worships self or worships a political position or religious concept rather than worship of God, the moral compass becomes broken.

IN THE LAW OF LOVE, CHARACTER MATTERS.

“Do not lie, cheat, or steal” is the bedrock principle of legendary UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden’s character principles which form his Pyramid of Success. I am pretty certain this comes straight from the #1 Textbook.

Do not lie, cheat, or steal. 

That ideal is supposed to be included in the vows of every politician, minister, and marriage partner.

In the law of love, character development is a lifelong journey. Throughout this earthly journey, character either erodes or grows. Stay the course. No detours and no deviations. Finish the race…steady and swift.

OVER TIME, YOUR CHARACTER EITHER ERODES OR GROWS.

It is always right to do what is right. I have fought the fight…I have finished the race…I have kept the faith…I look forward to what lies ahead (#1 Textbook).

The best way to help others is to love them first and most. You do not need a political position or church ministry to do that.

Character development is personal.

Kindness is not just something you do until kindness does not work. We do not transgress moral virtues in order to gain advantages for our social and cultural agendas.

Politics is a necessary part of government. There will always be uncertain political answers to complex social questions. Political debate evolves. The virtues of character are timeless.

“Character is, in the long run, the decisive factor in the life of individuals and of nations alike” (Theodore Roosevelt).

The #1 Textbook emphatically declares that Jesus is the means and model for true character which is the evidence of God at work in and through your life. Suffering produces endurance which produces character which produces hope. That is the evidence of God’s love inside you (#1 Textbook).

Far too often, we want to engage in social media debate regarding church, politics, climate, or parenting techniques. Debates on those subjects always carry baggage of presuppositions and misinformation. Who is listening? Who changes his/her mind?

Wisdom is not learned through education, politics, law school, seminary, charm school, or social platforms. The #1 Textbook is the only foundation for wisdom. Integrity and judgment are virtues of wisdom-formed character. Respect and gratitude are wisdom-fruit that is always in season.

Today is a reminder to value whom Jesus valued and to serve those whom Jesus served. Let’s cast our vote and our allegiance to love first and love most.

United in our diversities.

Perhaps you enjoy political debates with family, friends, and foes. I feel certain you have some ideas how to straighten out our country and world. I offer my mantra for political and spiritual progress:

Debate less. Judge less. Condemn never.

Vote, but do not allow the outcome to change you emotionally. God will still be on His throne.

Do not let your fears hold you back from pursuit of your hopes.

Whatever you say and do, finish the interaction with “I love you.”

OK. I am coming down from my soap box. I love you……….Uh, I’m waiting. Let’s hug it out!