For a while I have to leave my home in New Mexico. Today, while driving across the Great Plains I needed radio distraction from the howling wind and speeding semi-tractor trailers. I could find only one station with sufficient power to burn through loud and clear over the many other static-filled ones. Forget about FM.
I landed on a 24 hour talk news station and was bombarded with the political debate over Senator Obama’s seemingly lack of integrity. Evidently, according to this particular news host, Senator Obama’s failure to immediately distance himself from the Reverend Wright and other notable un-American clergy (so says the show’s host) puts a large question mark over the Senator’s integrity, trustworthiness, and hence ability to act as President of this country.
What interested me most was how folks on the radio program handled conflict. One said that Obama should have immediately and publicly severed all friendships and / or contact with notable un-American activists while others said that open and honest conversation is important for unity (my interpretation). So, on the one hand the show’s host handles conflict either head on in direct confrontation or through immediate retreat while the other advocated for more central way – I call this standing in the middle of the whirlwind holding in tension the two wings of descent.
The conversation turned into what to me appeared to be a shouting match between left and right ideology – evidently, Senator’s Obama’s desire to use diplomacy with our enemies is not a popular policy. Thus, I became lost in the noise of the debate while fighting the whirlwind along the Interstate highway. It came to me then that a one-wing airplane acts like a gyro and spirals to its grave. It takes both a left and a right wing for an airplane to fly.
November 3, 2008 at 2:35 pm |
Insightful analogy John.
To reflect back on what you wrote: I too recognize a picture of balance. Left and right is but one example. Most are not either/or options, but continuums of some sort or another–matters of degree in other words. Any behavioral feature that admits degrees gives rise to such a need for balance. Your concept of liberal/conservative exemplifies our political process. Those in the middle are those with the greatest degrees of balance–your suggestion. And fortunately, in our democracy at least, they provide a tempering environment for our political processes. They are the mid-continuum, MC, folks. They are our political salvation.
To continue a dialogue if I may: How can we create a model describing excessive behavior in a simple, understandable format, with a common thread, that is so obvious that it grabs the imaginations of those in the middle? Could such a model pass muster against the backdrop of history, science and dogma? Is such a breakthrough even possible? If so, what then?
November 3, 2008 at 6:12 pm |
Dr Rosenberg
Thank you for your well placed words and assessment. As a pilot and engineer I understand the well the use of some of the mathematical filters used to provide flight stability required to manage spurious inputs including those of the pilot as well. I believe that it is possible to develop a tool that might be used that can provide fairly reasonable levels of confidence on identified courses of actions that will result in sustainable peace — albeit imperfect of course … the metrics I have identified I believe are the correct ones but I not know how to measure them … but once we have a handle of them then we could begin to develop something useful for key decision makers to work with … I am now serving a parish full time at present so am limited in availability of time but would love the opportunity to discuss more … I am living in Southern Virginia now … let me know where you think we might go with this …
And to others, please engage and let’s see what can be done .. JFair