It is not enough to look behind a candidate’s name to see if there is a D or an R. The nation is desperate for some kind of leadership that will provide solutions to the nation’s problems. In these times of seeming chaos, we need leaders who are infused with selfless devotion, who exhibit the qualities of a well trained mind, who have the kind of experience that will lead them to cooperate and collaborate with others for the betterment of humanity. Moreover, the candidate should exhibit qualities of maturity that will guide his/her behavior. These qualities are not well represented in the current election cycle. Name calling, threats, chants, and yelling are not part of a mature experience. Selfless devotion is an interesting quality. What does it mean? Devotion to what? How about, devotion to the ideals embodied in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence? How about selflessly not manipulating the laws of the country for personal gain? How about having a mind that is capable of thoughtful, logical thinking, basing decisions on reality?
We choose our leaders to make significant decisions for our future. Yet all too often, the choice is based on some kind of emotional “gut feeling”. If the electorate is not educated to make dispassionate decisions based on an understanding of the job that the candidate seeks is going to challenge that her/him to rise above the petty ideas of any ideology, but must act to raise the level of discourse to a way that we will become better human beings because of that discourse.
In the current cycle, emotions, prejudices, and frustrations galore are erupting to a level that threatens the future. Neither candidate for President can unite the country in a way that will overcome the disunity that is bringing chaos. So what do we do? We begin in our own neighborhood by bringing people together to talk about unity and concord. We begin by talking about prejudice and its elimination. We begin by reassuring others that their interests are not being threatened by the idea of unity and the oneness of mankind. We begin by addressing the real needs of each other: food, shelter, clothing, a sense of worth and well being. We begin by viewing our neighbors as friends, and not threats to our well being. We begin by exhibiting the qualities we want to see in others. Jesus said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” One does not have to be a Christian to agree that this is a good idea. Yes, sometimes that is hard to accomplish, but we can’t accomplish it at all if we don’t try.
If you bring your neighbors together, you can begin to build community. And that can begin a change in the discourse of society at a local level that can be transferred to a national and then a world level. Imagine for a moment, what great things can be accomplished of all of the negative energy that is expended in anger, prejudice, fear, frustration and the like are used rather for the fulfillment of one’s potential and the betterment of the neighborhood.
It is easy to dismiss these ideas as some like of pie in the sky dreams. But it is wrong to do so. Doing nothing is as destructive as tearing down a wall. Let us remember the multitudes of Germans who did nothing as their neighbors were hauled away. Movements of great import have to begin somewhere, and the better the foundation of that movement the greater the impact it will have on the fabric of society.