Working Together

Sometimes the most profound things are said/read when you don't expect them.  When scrolling through the barrage of political posts (has there been anything else on social media?), one of my friends (okay, maybe more of a casual acquaintance) who has been disenfranchised (as have I) by the whole mess ended his post with:  "My hope is that some form of sanity is restored to government, although I am not holding out much hope for that."

His hope is MY hope...and I'd like to think the hope of most of the nation.  We don't need more Republicans.  We don't need more Democrats.  We NEED sanity.  We NEED rationality.  We NEED common sense.   We NEED OUR representatives to work TOGETHER; for ALL of us and for the benefit of OUR country.

As a country, we have NEVER agreed on everything.  Go back to our forefathers; they argued like mad!  But they DID so for what they considered the best for the people they represented.  Somewhere in the over 200 years since, we've lost quite a bit of that.  This cock-eyed optimist would like to hope that there are still some men and women in our government (no matter what level we are talking about) who are truly in it for the betterment of the people.  We need more.  We need a lot more!

There's a quote from the movie Dave that I have always felt very strongly about. "I forgot that I was hired to do a job for you and that it was just a temp job at that. I forgot that I had two hundred and fifty million people who were paying me to make their lives a little better and I didn't live up to my part of the bargain. See, there are certain things you should expect from a President. I ought to care more about you than I do about me... I ought to care more about what's right than I do about what's popular...I ought to be willing to give this whole thing up for something I believe in."  And while this quote references the President, it really applies to ANYONE in public service.  The job is to SERVE the PUBLIC.  It's not an easy job (I know I couldn't tackle it), but it's what the job is SUPPOSED to be.  It's what the job SHOULD be.   It's what we, ALL of us, NEED.

For all of those who were elected last night; for all of those who currently serve, this cock-eyed optimist is reminding you that you have a responsibility.  You have vowed/will vow to serve the people.  NOT yourself.  NOT your family.  NOT your friends.  Your job (and as Dave points out, it's a temp one) is to do what's RIGHT for the people.  Do what's right for ALL the people.

This means you'll be working with people you don't like.  You need to work WITH them.  Even if you haven't in the past, that doesn't mean you can't change now.   For example, if you consider yourself Christian go read Acts 9.  Or read Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol.  (No cheating and watching any of the numerous movies.)  We all have the ability to change, IF we are committed to doing so.  And we need leaders who are committed to doing the right thing; not the popular thing.  We need leaders who are not afraid to reach across the aisle and work.  Members of all political parties need to LISTEN to each other and when the inevitable disagreement arises, they need to have respectful debate.  

You have been elected to serve for a reason.  You are the face of your community, your state, your country.  You need to BE that leader.  You need to be the person who makes your parents, your grandparents, your spouse, your children, etc. proud.  You need to be the person that serves and is NOT served.  Take this job as the honor that it is.

And finally:

• If you've won or if you've lost, take down your darned signs!
• If you've lost, don't lose heart.  Continue to work for your beliefs.  The only real loser is the one who gives up.  Perhaps you are not the new senator, governor, mayor or whatever, but you CAN still make a positive impact and be a leader.  
• We, the public, need to support our new leaders as they start down a new path.  Not blindly, but with consideration.
• When and if we don't like the path that our leaders have taken, we need to make our voices heard.  Remember, there's always another election.  It's just a temp job after all.  (We may need to remind our elected officials of that.)
• If you feel passionate about something; maybe it's time for YOU to consider serving.  That's the beauty of our system; you CAN serve.  We all can serve.  Maybe we can't all have an official title or position, but we call CAN serve and make this world a better place.