Volume 4, Issue 31
Of all the hopes, dreams, values and aspirations of humanity, regardless of religion, geographical area, culture, or citizenship, the one common denominator that penetrates and permeates all of the world’s societies is a desire to leave a better world for our children. This emotion is so basic and foundational to human nature, it is primeval. Care for the generations is not only a characteristic that binds us as human beings, it binds the generations throughout history. It can be evoked in a mother as she sends her child off to school for the first day of class. Or it can be aroused in a war-hardened Ukrainian colonel who, when looking at Soviet tanks in the streets of Kiev, had to make the decision on whether to proceed with the elections for independence, asked his American advisors, “If we proceed with these elections and the Soviets attack, and we are still successful, how long will it be before my children have the same freedom of opportunity as your children?” The commitment of each was the same.
We find ourselves today in a vitriolic and invective discussion on who to support for President of the United States in 2016. The public questions the character of Hillary Rodham Clinton and the attitude of Donald Trump. Eighty-eight percent of all Americans believe that our government is on the wrong track. Both candidates attack each other to make the case that their opponent, in either attitude or character, is too structurally flawed to be President. America looks at this political environment and senses toxicity. This turbulent political atmosphere does not yield a conclusive answer to what is best for our children. We yearn for a leader who can not only call us to a higher standard, but who can fill the need in us, that whatever we do every day, and for whomever we vote, we can justify our actions to our children.
The national press is of no help. Social media dominates the citizens’ collective dialogue. Yet still, over 70% of all citizens receive and digest their political information from broadcast TV and cable channels. It is not only that certain news coverage appears unfair and unbalanced; it misses the point of what generates the public’s consternation. The grievousness of societal anxiety is driven by the fear that we may be leaving our children in a position to inherit an uncertain state. Concern for children is one of the most unselfish attributes of the human species. It is part and parcel to the creed of a higher calling. We despair in the proposition that we are being robbed of the opportunity to serve our children.
Those national commentators, in charge of presidential candidate scrutiny, fail to address all shortcomings of the candidates equally. Both presidential candidates have equal incidents in their past histories that require explanation. Commentators are quick to decide, from their biased point of view, what is important and what is not. Never is the question asked, what is the foundational concern of the American public that results in this determination that we are on the wrong track? Listing such particulars as jobs, national security, immigration, health care, or cultural values is not enough. A deeper dive into the perspectives of the electorate that renders apprehension is necessary. Instead of aiding us to analyze policy positions, they try in vain to direct us by channeling the discussion to a predisposed intellectual destination. The public recoils, not always even understanding why. Their basic instincts of advancing the generations are provoked.
The current firestorm in presidential campaign news is the ongoing debate between Donald Trump and Khizr Khan, father of the slain Muslim U.S. soldier. Hillary Clinton experienced her own similar moment recently when the mother of a soldier killed in Benghazi blamed Clinton personally for the death of her son. Hillary recognized the mother’s emotion, was sensitive to her feelings, and refused to comment further. Perhaps Donald Trump should have followed her example. Both soldiers are heroes. Both deserve our ultimate respect.
The answers to the world’s conundrums are not easy. But solutions are at least pursuable when examined through the purpose to advance opportunity for our children. Of course we are for due process, equal opportunity and fairness for all citizens, regardless of race, creed, color, sex, or sexual orientation. But why should the military have to pay for sex change operations for transgender soldiers and accommodate a 6-9 month recovery? Does everybody have a constitutional right to serve in the military? Maybe a better way to look at this is that everyone has a constitutional right to serve in government. Such service should be determined for what is in the best interest of the agency and of the individual.
The issue of the military and LGBT soldiers should be considered in terms of the budget, the morale of the military, and most importantly, the military’s overall purpose and mission for our country. Being true to a purpose is essential to providing future opportunity for the next generation. There are many ways to serve one’s country. We are not all equal in specific talents and gifts. But we are equal in the collective body of our talents and gifts when properly applied to purpose. This idea that we all have something to contribute, and in that contribution we are all equal, is one of the first lessons of encouragement taught to all of us in the first grade.
A constructive debate in the politics of America today would be to define, by our vision, what type of world we want a first grade class in 2016 to inherit and walk into twelve years from now in 2028. All of the menial arguments that so consume political debate today might dissolve into obscurity when taken in the context of whether the solution enhances opportunity for today’s first-graders twelve years from now.
To make sense of our anxiety about the future, we simply have to recommit to the principles in which we believe. These principles are those that will not disappoint the smiling, trusting faces of our children who not only depend upon us for their future, but believe in our best motives for them.
To find peace in our current political circumstances, we have to find purpose in the meaning of life. Too big a question you may say. Maybe not if you understand what binds you to the human race. This, in essence, is wanting what’s best for your children. All parents want their children to find their own natural orientation. By looking at your children instead of yourself, and in wanting every opportunity for your children, you are seeking the collective good for society.
We may not be able to stop the cacophony of angry voices generating a political storm. But we can sustain our principles by thinking beyond today to the future of our children.
My name is Marc Nuttle and this is what I believe.
What do you believe?