Thursday, December 28, 2006

A Wonderful “Temp”

In the movie “Dave,” Kevin Kline’s Dave is called upon to impersonate the President of the United States one night while the real President gads about. When the real President suffers a massive stroke, his staff presses Dave into continuing the charade while the evil Chief of Staff plots to blame the honest Vice President for the political crimes committed by the White House and, in doing so, get the Oval Office for himself.

What drives this movie is that Dave is a decent and honest man who recognizes that he has an extraordinary opportunity, while playing President, to do some good…which he does. The Deus ex machina of the film allows Dave to exit gracefully, clearing the name of the Vice President who vows to continue the President’s (Dave’s) good works and exposing the corrupt staff that surrounded the corrupt President.

One of the best messages of this film comes near the end when Dave is addressing a joint session of Congress. He observes that the power of the White House can go to your head and that it is best to remember that the Presidency is only a job and a “Temp” job at that.

I thought of this movie and this moment as I reflected on the passing of Gerald Ford. Here was a man who never wanted to be President, who never ran for President, and who, through an incredible twist of fate, was appointed Vice President and then President of the United States. And unlike many of the vast egos who have held this office in the past, who have held it since, and who viewed this achievement as some form of divine right ascendancy, Jerry Ford saw this as a temp job and so, rather than try to create a legacy, he decided to do this job with as little fanfare and pomp as possible. He was a man of integrity and good humor and, when he left office, he left the limelight behind and became good old Jerry Ford…probably one of the best “temps” we’ve ever had.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Santa and the Lump of Coal

A little background…a few years ago, my Jewish nephew was asking questions about Santa Claus. He wanted to know why Santa brought a lump of coal to naughty children. As the Santa expert in the family, and wishing to tell a story that made a point, I wrote the following story:
For those children who celebrate Christmas, Santa Claus has always been the spirit of giving come to life. For all children everywhere, Santa will always bring a gift. Sometimes they are great and sometimes they are small, but Santa always brings a gift.

Sometimes children forget, but they are gift givers too! Whenever children listen to their mommies and daddies, whenever they do what their mommies and daddies want them to do, they show their love and respect, and that is a very great gift indeed. Santa knows these things and always gives the best gifts to those children.

Unfortunately not all children give these gifts to their parents. Santa knows this too. But that doesn't stop Santa from bringing these children a gift. But for those children, the gift may be something they need rather than something fun they may have asked for.

A long time ago, people would heat their homes with big Pot-bellied stoves and in those stoves they would burn coal. To the children, coal looked like a dirty black rock. But, to their parents, it was a gift of warmth.

For those children who "gave gifts" to their parents all year long , Santa would bring gifts of joy and wonder. For those children who did not, he gave a lump of coal. While this did not appear to be a gift, it was in fact a gift of warmth that they could give their parents. And by doing so, they learned the value and the joy of giving so that in future years they would give to their parents all year long and, at Christmas time, Santa would bring gifts of joy and wonder.

To this very day, Santa still brings the lump of coal as a reminder that in giving we create the inner warmth that sustains us all and that, by giving all year long, the warmth is already there and presents of wonder and delight await "giving" children at Christmas.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Christian Fundamentalism vs. Fundamentally Christian

A large part of the recent elections and, indeed, the cover topic of a large number of recent issues of both Time and Newsweek has been the impact of Christian fundamentalism on our society. More than 10% of Americans belong to denominations which are generally thought of as fundamentalist. These groups and their often high profile ministers wield tremendous social, political, and even economic power. And unlike the more mainstream Christian sects, as well as the vast majority of American Jewish groups, the fundamentalists, being fundamentalists, seek to absolutely impose their absolute view of how America should operate. And in a democracy (which at its worst has been described as civilized mob rule), this is their right. What disturbs me, however, is the seeming hatred and vitriol these groups display towards those who disagree with them. What disturbs me is how fundamentally Christian they are not!

When you look at the four gospels, you find that certain stories are included in some and omitted in others. The important stories, and lessons, are repeated. One of the most basic of these stories involves Jesus being asked the question of the greatest of commandments. In Mark, the question was posed by a scribe. In Luke, it was a lawyer. In both cases, Jesus responds that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart and mind and strength. And in both accounts, Jesus adds that the second greatest commandment is like the first and is that you shall love your neighbor as yourself. In Mark, the scribe heartily agrees with Jesus, and no more questions were asked. In Luke, the lawyer (wouldn’t ya know it!) asked Jesus “who is my neighbor?” which prompted the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Of great significance in this parable is the fact that, in Jesus’ time, the term Good Samaritan was oxymoronic. Samaritans were despised by the Jews and the feeling was mutual. Jesus’ message was to love and respect all people as we are all each other's neighbors. Nowhere in the story did the Samaritan attempt to change the beliefs or viewpoint of the injured man. He merely helped him. The Samaritan acted in a way which was fundamentally Christian.

I suppose, in today’s world, you could substitute gay for Samaritan or liberal for Samaritan or anything other than ultra-conservative for Samaritan and you would elicit the same visceral response from the fundamentalists that Samaritan elicited in the Judea of Jesus’ time. But this response is exactly what Jesus rejected.

I have often wondered if fundamentalists have ever considered the significance of St. Stephen on bases of their fundamentalist positions. St. Stephen is generally considered to be the first martyr of the Christian church. He was stoned to death on the temple steps for preaching that the law of Moses was no longer the law God wished mankind to follow. Rather the law and teachings of Jesus were the true path to salvation. For this he died and for this Christianity declared him a saint.

When fundamentalists condemn those things with which they disagree, they almost always cite the Old Testament as the justification for their position. They cite the teachings and the law of Moses…the law rejected by the early Christian church. Jesus preached love and acceptance of all people. Of course, Jesus was fundamentally Christian.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

A Term and a Half

In 1988, George Herbert Walker Bush (Bush 41) was elected President of the United States. Bush 41 was a thoughtful and measured man, one who really listened to all his advisors and who chose to work toward consensus with those who held differing viewpoints.

In 1990, after Iraq attacked Kuwait, Bush 41 made every effort to resolve the conflict through diplomatic channels. When this failed, then, and only then, did he go to war with Iraq. And like the man, the war was measured. Once the stated objective, freeing Kuwait, was achieved and the no fly zones put in place, Bush 41 was true to his word and the war ended.

Neo-cons were furious. They wanted to continue to prosecute the war and drive Saddam Hussein from power. Bush 41 knew the perils that removing Saddam would bring. The vacuum created by his removal would be to re-visit Yugoslavia, only worse. Besides, Saddam was widely disregarded in the Arab world and provided an effective buffer against fundamentalist factions in the region. And so, Bush 41 said “no!” And two years later he was out of office…after only one term.

Anno Domini 2000, George W. Bush (Bush 43) enters the White House. He is the antithesis of Bush 41. He is neither thoughtful nor measured…and the neo-cons have his ear (and most other body parts). He leaps at the chance to effectively abandon the righteous pursuit of Osama Bin Laden (whom he can’t seem to catch) and go after Saddam Hussein (whom he thinks will be easy pickin's). He got it partly right. Saddam was pretty easy to dispatch but the beatific vision of America as the liberator (the pipe dream of every neo-con) was not to be. Today, if you were to look up the terms “chaos” and “disaster” in a picture dictionary, both would be illustrated with pictures of Iraq. Amazingly, in the midst of all this, Bush 43 got elected to a second term.

And now, with the mid-term elections behind us, it is finally dawning on the Bush 43 administration that what is needed is a thoughtful measured consensus in dealing with Iraq. And so the Iraq Study Group came to be. Headed by measured and thoughtful men from the Bush 41 administration, it now appears that a new direction will be taken in Iraq over the next two years… a Bush 41 direction.

Between the two of them, Bush 41 and 43 were elected for three terms. America is finally beginning to realize that two was probably too many for Bush 43 and one not enough for Bush 41…so maybe a term and a half each?

Sunday, November 12, 2006

The Perils of the Pendulum

I am mostly pleased by the nationwide outcome of the midterm elections. What I now hope and pray for is that the new makeup of Congress will focus more on doing the job they are supposed to do and not succumb to the enticing perils of the pendulum.

The pendulum of a grandfather clock swings from right to left and back again, the mainspring providing just enough impetus to insure the length of the arc never varies. And so it is with the liberal and conservative ideologies. Each is a terminus of the political arc of the pendulum of national sentiment with the happenings of this world as the mainspring which pushes us to and fro.

And the current to (or fro, depending upon your viewpoint) is toward the left and away from the conservative (maybe neo?) viewpoint which has dominated the Congress in recent years. I believe this can be good, IF, and this is a really big IF, those now in control of Congress use their newfound power to provide a check and balance to an executive branch which has, in my opinion, operated unchecked ( and perhaps unbalanced) for years. If this happens, I believe a coherent plan for Iraq can be achieved as well as a reasonable resolution to other national hot topics like immigration reform… but there is always the peril of the pendulum.

When you sit on that pendulum, and its starts to swing your way, it is very easy to be seduced into believing that it will always swing your way and that your point of view is the ONLY point of view. And as the pendulum begins to pick up speed, as it always does, as it approaches the bottom of its arc, a sense of entitlement (divine right?) can lead leaders to want to secure their position by destroying the opposition.

Within my lifetime, every major shift in the composition of Congress has led to some level of witch hunt against the former dominant party. Democrats tried to impeach Nixon. Republicans tried to impeach Clinton. And while both men behaved badly, did either of these proceedings really advance the interests of our nation as a whole? Probably not.

Our nation has desperately needed a change…and change is coming. I pray that the new congressional leaders will resist the peril of the pendulum and will look to furthering the needs of our nation as a whole. It would be a refreshing change, indeed.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

The Path of Least Resistance

On November 20, 1961 I turned 15 ½ and immediately dragged my parents to the DMV to get my learner’s permit. My parents were very conservative and, as a result, I had never been allowed to touch the controls of a car until that day. We dropped my mom off at home and then my dad drove us to a local department store parking lot.

The lot was huge and, unlike today, had no landscaping or parking bumpers, just white painted lines on asphalt. My dad reasoned, correctly, that before I hit the streets, I needed to learn the basics of controlling a car. Of course, the car jerked forward the first time I hit the gas and jerked even more when I tried to stop. After about an hour, I had learned to start, stop, turn, and drive in a reasonably straight line. Only then did we proceed out onto a veeery quiet local street with no parked cars in sight.

Over the next six months, I learned how to drive. I learned to follow the narrowest of roads. I learned that, to be safe and legal (and keep my license), I wanted to follow the correct path. For me, that became the path of least resistance. And like my vehicular education, I find that life in general follows paths…and they are always the paths of least resistance.

I know…I know, the path of least resistance has always been thought of as a bad thing, the easy way out. My response is no and yes. No, it is not always a bad thing, but yes, it is always the easy way out.

Now before you send for the men in white coats, let me offer you two examples to prove my point. First, a hypothetical example. An honest man is walking down the street and finds a wallet on the sidewalk. He opens it and finds $1,000 and a driver’s license which indicates the owner lives two houses down. What does he do? Because of the person he is, in his moral mind, he has no choice but to return the wallet to the rightful owner. He can’t even imagine keeping the wallet. Returning the wallet is his path of least resistance.

Need a real world example? Last week, my niece and nephew had the day after Halloween off from school. My wife and her sister took the kids to Disneyland for the day. My nephew, Ryan, LOVES Disneyland. For him, a proper trip starts when they open and ends when they close. But Ryan also wants to do well in school and so, in the early afternoon, he asked if they could go home because he wanted to finish his homework. This kid, who loves Disneyland, wanted to leave because, for him, his homework and doing well in school were more important than staying and playing. For him, leaving was the path of least resistance.

So the next time someone berates the path of least resistance, remember and be thankful, for the majority (I hope) of people in this world, that path is one of honesty and truth.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Elephants and Reasonable and Prudent Blind Men

I just finished 9 days of jury duty and, as with the numerous other times I’ve sat in judgment, I was once again amazed at how differently 12 people can view the same set of facts and testimony.

We, the jury, walked into the jury room to deliberate and I was amazed at the diversity of opinion. The jury instructions, which were four pages of single spaced type written text, took 15 minutes for the judge to read in court. They continually stressed that the jury should use, as a standard of behavior, the actions of “reasonable and prudent” people when dealing with the issue of negligence.

The overall testimony indicated that the defendants had followed the letter of the law and had acted in accordance with the safety manual which applied to what they were doing…BUT…the plaintiff said “they could have done more” because people responding to the actions of the defendants not only acted “unreasonably and imprudently” but they flagrantly violated the law.

Despite the fact that the plaintiff’s expert witnesses never presented any viable “could have done more” options, five jurors felt that the defendants “could have done more” and wanted to find for the plaintiff. The mere statement that “they could have done more”, with no proof whatsoever that more could have been done, was enough for them.

It’s like the blind men experiencing the elephant. One touches the elephant’s side and declares the elephant is like a wall, while another feels the leg and declares the elephant is like a tree, and a third, touching the tail, declares the elephant is like a rope. People can look at the same evidence and arrive at conclusions that are poles apart.

After five hours, the vote went from 7 to 5 for the defendant to 8 to 4. Finally, on the third day of deliberation, fatigue and, in my opinion, common sense and reasonableness and prudence set in and the vote suddenly went to 11 to 1, crossing the 9 to 3 threshold necessary for a verdict. We found for the defendant. And I was freed from bitter bondage.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Pied Piper

I went to a funeral today. It was for my friend Sue’s father, Pete. I really didn’t know Pete that well. We first met at Sue’s engagement party 15 years ago and, as I was a member of the wedding party, I got to know him a little better at the wedding…but not really well.

The funeral was well attended. Pete had a large family - nine kids and an exponential number of grandchildren. There were personal friends, of course, but what struck me, as I met people before the service, was the large number of people who didn’t know Pete that well…but they knew his children and grandchildren, and those mourners were there for them.

Sue delivered a eulogy in which she fondly recalled her father singing “Lazy Bones” to his brood on a Saturday morning to roust them out of bed to eat the breakfast he had lovingly prepared for them. That musical reference struck a chord (no pun intended).

Life is like a song. Everything we learn and experience creates harmony or dissonance in the song that is our life. Good influences create beautiful sounds which draw people to us. Bad influences, like bad music, push people away. And the true measure of a successful song (life) is that the people you meet walk away singing your song.

Pete’s life was a melody. He learned it note by note as he grew. And the melody was beautiful and compelling. And his family and his friends heard it and were compelled to follow along. And they incorporated the melody into their own melodies which became more complex and still lovelier. And we all heard it…and we all followed.

Friday, October 27, 2006

In the beginning...

I guess it is because the poets and philosophers of this world have always looked upon life as a journey, that the “Road” has always been a comfortable and reliable metaphor. The road less traveled, the fork in the road, the road to ruin…to salvation are all familiar to a people whose history is filled with movement. And the road can be a dangerous place. As children we were admonished to “stay out of the street.” When crossing the road we are taught to “use the crosswalks” and then to “look both ways". Looking both ways is important, of course, because the traffic is absolutely polar...one side goes one way and one side goes the exact opposite. Conventional wisdom suggests that a pedestrian who wishes to travel along the road should pick one side or the other and then stay out of traffic as much as possible, good advice, indeed. The last place you want to be is the middle of the road…at the centerline. The world whizzes by you north and south, east and west…right and left. Pick a direction and you are safe. Pick the middle and you risk getting hit from both directions. And yet, that middle of the road, that centerline, is exactly where my life experience has taken me. Over time, I hope to offer some thoughts from what I perceive as the centerline.