American Christians in the 1990’s elevated the simple abbreviation WWJD to a sort of daily reminder of where their moral compass should be. "What Would Jesus Do?" said so much to them in those four words because the background of Jesus, the quotations by him of how to live a righteous life and help the less fortunate, etc. (Side note, the original phrase started in the 1890’s by Charles Sheldon and actually espoused a Socialist Christian advocacy.)
I think a more apt line of thinking these days is WWMD – What W Might Do? (and then do the opposite)
What W Might Do? has just as much significance in our lives as a polar opposite to WWJD because after 8 years many people are highly cynical about many basic institutions of our government or religion and politics in general (I mean, evangelicals voted for the guy—twice, right?). It is not by accident that the acronym WMD is contained within this. Applied to the dubious "hunt" for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which incidentally caused such a large loss of both Iraqi and American lives, as well as countless other examples of ineptitude, the message is clear:
Do not lie and cheat, do not carry oneself with hubris, do not enable and support the corrupt, do not only talk with doublespeak, do not blindly spread fear, do not tepidly ignore reality, do not always act hostile to differing opinions.
What broader context of questioning What W Might Do? can the past 8 years demonstrate?
Robert F. Kennedy
Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.
It is "Never Again," the idea that after living through the worst president ever we must remain vigilant to keep history from repeating itself. Think about it like this. We lived through a worse president than James Garfield, Woodrow Wilson, Martin van Buren, or any other obscure name one can throw out there. 43 Presidents and we NEVER had one this bad. Now that we have seen the damage that one man (and a cabal) with a mission can do, it is easy to highlight what the stakes are.
David Hume
When men are most sure and arrogant they are commonly most mistaken, giving views to passion without that proper deliberation which alone can secure them from the grossest absurdities.
It is "Beware!" of the height of arrogance. How likely is it that we will see someone as bad as Walker, Texas Ranger? Then again, when applied to the GOP at large, What W Might Do? may be a stark warning that their reign of terror will not be over until the head of the beast is cut off.
WWMD in our lives
Simply put, the phrase is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps more relevant is its application in the contemporary political battles that continue to play out: Obama’s faith-based plan, FISA, Iran, trade, and all the major issues have much at stake. How we balance our worst fears with the reality of our concern is fundamental. Understanding what could happen is different than assuming what will happen. We all have a responsibility to balance our judgments and try to be fair and honest in our assessments.
What W Might Do? is a challenge to not live in fear, don’t waver, and be vigilant because absolute power corrupts absolutely. But by the same token we must remember this: not everyone who disagrees with us is the enemy. That is Walker’s line of thinking. Not all who speak with a religious tone are hell-bent on fundamentalist positions, and these right-wing people are not necessarily representative of all Christians either. Look at what Jesus had to say:
Matthew 7: 21-23
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Whether you believe in the Bible or not and regardless of the position you take on a particular issue I think we can all agree to look at the underlying essence of What W Might Do? and think very hard about what the exact opposite means.