This I Believe -- an Encore

Wow.  I never anticipated the effect that my endorsement of Obama would have on this campaign season.  I was thrilled when Maria and others followed my lead in lending their support to this amazing candidate.  ;-)

But seriously.  Shortly after posting my last blog, I went to lunch with a good friend who mentioned he had read it.  After settling in at the table and ordering, he announced that he had a few bones to pick about some of the statements I made about what I believe.   After recovering from my initial internal reaction, which was "oh shit, this is why I have never before wanted to put myself out there," I decided to take a deep breath and enter into the murky territory I call "exchange of ideas" aka "opportunities for serious conflict among friends and family."  The 2 primary items that he wanted to discuss were (1) my statement about "opportunity and prosperity for all" and (2) my seeming unwillingness to discuss specific positions or policy matters.  

My friend expressed concern that "prosperity for all" meant that I was supporting an entitlement handout mentality.  He felt very strongly that there were certain members of society who were not interested in bettering themselves or availing themselves of opportunities; they merely wanted a handout.  I contrasted this category of people with those in my immediate community that I had read about in my local newspaper over the holiday season.  

There is an annual "Season of Caring" initiative in the Austin community that highlights the plight of certain families in need and invites local citizens and businesses to make contributions to help these families.  Most of the stories I had read described earnest people with serious needs and problems. Admittedly, there were a few situations where perhaps some better judgment (or birth control) could have alleviated some of the burdens that these families were facing.  But I believe my friend acknowledged that the example I described to him represented a family with true needs that our current health care system didn't adequately address.  And I assured him that most, if not all, of the other families depicted were similarly situated.

As I thought about how to address the issue of handouts vs. helping the less fortunate in our society, the second item that he took issue with  -- my seeming unwillingness to discuss specific positions or policy matters -- was immediately put into play.  I acknowledge that part of my hesitation to engage in political discourse is grounded in insecurity.  I am not a policy expert.  I don't have a bevy of facts and figures at my recall that are Western culture's hallmarks of "knowledge" and "expertise" (as opposed to wisdom).  I don't have the "right" answer, or really any answer.  But I do have some thoughts and ideas, and I am willing to share them with those who are interested in listening.  

What I do believe is that our society has to address this issue from the perspective of "what size and strength of safety net do we fashion?"  Do we let one truly needy and deserving person drown so as to make sure we don't give a lifeline to someone who doesn't deserve it, or do we tolerate some people getting a "free ride" in our net so that more of those truly in need are served?  Our criminal justice system and laws were enacted from the framework that our society believed it was better for a guilty man to go free than for an innocent man to be jailed.  While Project Innocence has shown that it is very questionable whether our laws and system are working as intended, the initial intent and framework are still valid.

I realize that not everyone will agree on the answers to these questions.  For those who respond that we shouldn't tolerate people getting a "free ride" even if the net does save some deserving folks, my response is "why not?"   What is the great harm if someone benefits who doesn't deserve to?  Is it that justice must be served?  Is it a "slippery slope" concern?  Something else?  I really am curious.  For me, I am more invested in people than in justice.  I also believe in abundance, not scarcity.  So I am not concerned about the slippery slope.

I am not advocating any specific policy about any particular issue.  I am certainly not a socialist.  I just want the mother with cancer, who can't maintain a job because of her illness and whose young adolescent son cares for her, to have access to affordable medicine that might enable her to be in less pain and him to reclaim his childhood. 

I will lose any argument or debate where winning requires the recitation of statistics or facts that I am not likely to have knowledge of.   But some knowledge comes to you not from your head but from your heart.  This I Believe.

Teresa

This I Believe

This I Believe is an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives.  The project was initiated by Dan Gediman and Jay Allison in 2005 and airs the personal statements submitted by people of all walks of life on NPR.  This I Believe is based on a 1950's radio program of the same name, hosted by acclaimed journalist Edward R. Murrow.  

Allison reflects that "(a)s in the 1950's, this is a time when belief is dividing the nation and the world. We are not listening well, not understanding each other -- we are simply disagreeing, or worse."  In reviving This I Believe, Allison and Gediman intend not to persuade Americans to adopt the same beliefs, but to undertake the much more difficult task of developing respect for beliefs different from their own.

Allison and Gediman have recently published a book under the title This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men & Women.  I have not yet read the book, but I intend to.  Meanwhile, I decided to write down some of my own beliefs, which up to now have remained relatively undisclosed except to a few trusted confidantes.

Articulating my beliefs, let alone sharing them, is not something that comes easy to me.  Although I have always valued pursuing individuality over group mentality, historically I have tended to watch from the sidelines, rather than actively participate in certain discourse.  When friends or acquaintances have presumed that my politics were the same as theirs in making casual politicized remarks, I have smiled compliantly.  I have sought peaceful existence rather than more intimate honesty in a number of relationships.  

But my 44 year old mid-life crisis, if you will, is manifesting as a mission to live intentionally, rather than to just exist and take up space; to share myself with the world --not keep my ideas and personal gifts locked inside me; and to truly know and value myself.   I am also on a warrior path to live outside my comfort zone. And so, ...

This I Believe:

I Believe that right now our country needs Barack Obama and the message of hope and unity in which he fervently believes.  I would currently categorize myself as a moderately left of center Democrat, although I have historically been an independent.  I voted for Reagan twice and elder Bush once.  I think McCain is an intelligent and noble man of integrity.  He has some strong presidential credentials.  He just isn't what our country needs right now.  And neither are any of the other candidates.  

I Believe that Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike -- the vast majority of Americans --  basically value the same things:  opportunity and prosperity for all, not just a few; clean air and water; quality education available to every child regardless of gender, race or economic status; affordable, quality healthcare; limited regulation of and interference with personal rights by the government.  I don't care to debate a lot of details on specific policy matters with anyone.  Does this list reveal anything that is terribly debatable?  We should instead just get busy making our world a better place to live in.

I Believed that George W.'s presidency would be a major disappointment the day he selected Cheney as his running mate.  I didn't believe it would be one of the worst in American history.

I Believe the war in Iraq was a mistake.  I vividly remember attending a St. Patrick's day party in 2003 a few days before the bombing started on March 20th.  Most everyone at the party was talking excitedly about the massive troop mobilization that had begun.  Bagpipes played.  A patriotic song was sung.  The partygoers cheered.  I felt sad inside.

I Believe in a divine presence.

I Believe that adults should get married before bringing a child into this world.

I Believe that the quality of what you watch, read and listen to greatly affects the quality of your thinking and your life.  Listen to music or messages filled with violence, fear, or doom and gloom, and your experience of the world will be very negative and fearful indeed.

I Believe that creative expression is possible for everyone and is one's highest calling.

I Believe in and value kindness, integrity, honesty, respect for yourself and others, compassion, individualism, humor and intelligence.

I Believe in global warming.

I Believe the vast majority of people are basically good, despite humanity's capacity for evil.  

I Believe there is a lot of psychological suffering on this planet.

I Believe everyone can find a means to be a leader.  I am trying to discover my own pathway to lead and want to help others find theirs through my coaching.

I Believe in Love.

Please feel free to share your beliefs with me, if not publicly than privately.  I truly value each person's core essence, and one of my unique gifts is my ability to create an environment of acceptance and love so that people feel comfortable being exactly who they are.  I welcome the opportunity to share this gift with you.

Teresa