Communication

Sitting in the Newark airport, the tv is blaring political campaigning. The newscaster was interviewing a dude who was speaking on behalf of one of the parties, and no matter what question she asked, he replied with the same answer. I think this is called "staying on message," which seems to mean, "don't listen, just keep repeating yourself." Or "pretend that she asked you the question you want to answer."

These are supposed to be experts, so what message are we sending? That the only point of view is our own and that it's a sign of weakness to let anyone else have a say? That we are weak if we change our minds (waffler! Flip-flopper!). That actual communication and listening leave us open and vulnerable to attack? Fear rules. So we act from fear.

I say it's a sign of courage to open up to other ways of thinking. To say, yes, I've found a way that works better for me. I think it's a sign of inner strength, and confidence to actually hear a question, and answer the question. To me, It seems weak to be afraid to answer a direct question directly. It stinks the stank of fear. And that stank, like a skunk, is hard to wash off.

Ever since advertisers discovered how powerful and motivating and manipulative fear is, and when entire administrations and platforms became based on how to scare people into voting for you, lest we be subject to and classified as "weak," political campaigning has become nothing more than who can who can beat the other in a stare down. Who will be the one to blink, to let in another point of view, to consider that the best answers may come from true teamwork, not a bunch of quid pro quo hidden agendas that are really not so hidden.

So if its about a playground game, like a stare down, or even more poetically put, "king of the hill," then maybe the candidates should just take it outside into the back alley and duke it out. On their own time and their own dime, and when they've learned to play nice, then they can run for president. Because it seems that no matter how much integrity a candidate has starting out, what wins elections is the back alley, fear and bully method, where the only thing that wins is who listens less and talks louder. And I know we've all been in enough arguments to know how well that works out. Does anything get solved or resolved?

That saddens the idealistic part of me. But I'm not afraid, because I know there is more to the story than politics.

Like Mother Nature. Or even bigger. Mother's Mother. So live with integrity. Dare to be fearless. Dare to find real confidence as opposed to posturing. Dare to listen. And maybe one day, we will become the "experts" and get to model that kind of attitude on tv. But will it sell? We know we've made it when it doesn't matter anymore.

And fear not. Ma has your back.