This is one of those essays I occasionally write where I
unburden myself of some unpleasant thoughts that threatened to invade my mind
and (temporarily) ruin my outlook on life. Driving home from work today and
listening to a particularly inane and racist local radio host, it occurred to
me that the negativity in the air lately is surrounding me and that I
needed to beat a hasty retreat from it, and seek more agreeable thoughts- at
least for a while. It also occurred to me that when I start to feel this way,
the influences that are weighing on me are almost entirely there by my own
invitation. I’m a news junkie- I’m addicted to current events and political
discourse. There, I’ve admitted it.
For me, this dangerous addiction began during my high school
days. We got a new Principal the year I entered high school, a small Catholic
School in my home town. And this particular Principal had been a Principal in
another school where he had a very successful debate team before being
transferred to our little town. As you
might guess, he was determined to build a debate team at his new home. He had
an uncanny recruiting method. He took all incoming freshmen and gave them a
choice between Debate and Choir. Look, you have start somewhere- forced
servitude can be an effective way to get the numbers when you’re trying to
start a team from nothing. So, I ended up in debate. I also stayed with it and found
pretty good success. One of the by-products of this priest’s instruction and
teaching methods was to instill in those of us that stayed with it a true
appreciation of logic, knowledge, research, and the art of expression. He was
the most influential teacher in my life. But he also got me totally hooked on
watching the world and all its fascinating events, while constantly seeking to
analyze it, research it, study it and sometimes put together a cogent set of
thoughts about it.
Occasionally this compulsion to see and understand the world
around me leads to listening to, or watching
events and people that are
negative, hateful, or destructive to the advancement of human understanding. If
you’ve read many of the essays I’ve written on this blog, you know I can be
pretty harsh towards those who seek only to restrict the advancement of a
better culture- at least by my definition of a better culture. And admittedly,
I can occasionally dip into the slog of negativity myself. In my own defense
there is plenty out there to justify my occasional outrage. We have a
government paralyzed by partisanship and petty rivalries. Racism and hatred
seem to be getting worse instead of better as I had hoped back when I was in
high school. Whole regions of the world are locked in bitter, religious wars
and endless conflicts. And truth has now been replaced by dogmatic political
and religious belief systems. I’m so discouraged that today’s political
discussions lack the use of logic, of real knowledge, and of polite, respectful
disagreement- like Father Ribble taught us in class and in the competitions we
entered. But if you’re going to be a student of current events, you face the
risk of exposure to all that negativity and disappointing behavior.
It is in my own self-interest to sometimes just step back
from that for a short while. These dog days of summer seem a fitting time for
such a planned retreat from the nonsense of politics and conflicts. After all,
I have a great many things to be most thankful for and appreciative of in my
life, that afford me a very positive outlook. I have a tremendous family. Again, those who have read these essays in
the past might remember one called The Mothers in Our Family. I
wrote about my good fortune to have my wife and my daughters provide such solid
foundations for this family’s generations. I’ve written about my children (My
Two Daughters) and described their lives as children, parents, spouses, and
wonderful contributors to our community. They are all the best family I could
have ever asked for. I’m also amazed nearly every day by the people I have the
privilege to work around at Goodwill. I get to see amazing human stories played
out before my eyes on a daily basis, and experience bravery and dedication not
many people have the chance to experience in their everyday lives. That is
pretty cool, and far removed from the rhetoric of fear and blame so many
politicians wallow in, and seek to infect us with. I’m also fortunate to have some
very good friends. I’m not one to collect tons of friends, but the ones I
have care about me and are people I’m proud to know. So, I fully recognize that
I have a wealth of positive influences and examples in my life that far outweigh
the fools clogging up the airwaves and the halls of government. I just have to
remember from time to time that they are my true treasure in life.
I also have reason to hope for a better tomorrow regarding
the issues that are important to me. I know there are those who are content to
remain distant from the issues of the day and adopt an attitude of
non-involvement, even to the point of avoiding the slightest hint of
conversation about controversial topics. I’m not one of those people. The old
priest from high school insisted on knowledge and debate as a way to change
minds an influence the world. For example, I could never be content to see
brave people at Goodwill working hard against disability and disadvantage,
without also caring about the public policies that directly impact their lives.
So I will never stop speaking out whenever I can. I was on a business trip with
some colleagues this week and conversation got around to the Zimmerman case and
eventually to the broader topic of racism. One person asked, “what can we do
about this problem, it is so entrenched in some people and some generations?”
After some intelligent discussion we concluded that “talking” about these
things is the only way to resolve them. What a delight to intelligent conversation with well-meaning people. But, we can’t be afraid of topics like race, religion, or politics and policy- even if they sometimes slide into negative territory. This is the only way to break barriers of
communication that prevent us from moving forward.
But there are times when it’s good to back off, let the mind
relax, and allow ourselves to recharge. I also have the good example in my wife
to follow as we make our way through this summer. She is taking a well-earned sabbatical
this summer. She is relaxed but highly focused on exploring some new avenues of
thought and action in herself and her profession. As I watch her go through
this very deliberate process I’m inspired to allow my own thoughts to seek a
new path too. All the battles yet to be fought and the arguments yet to be made
will all be there waiting. These long, hazy, warm days of summer can give us
all a chance to allow better ideas and better thoughts to wash over us- if we
only let them.
Thanks for looking in.
