What are we fighting for?

Like a slow boil, an erosion of cohesion is taking place across America. Emotions are strong, opinions are diverse, and discord dominates. Why? What have we become? We are America because of and in spite of our differences. Our strength lies in the fact that we do not have a dominant race but are instead an eclectic melting pot of cultural diversity. Instead of embracing that however, we have allowed it to divide us.

Recently, I’ve watched as politicians, pundits, news media, and community organizers vie for a dominant position on perhaps one of the most sensitive topics of our time – race in America. Each side carries a self-serving agenda in the hope of acquiring power to assert their will, viewpoint, or motive across the very eclectic people of America using race as the basis of their argument. And not one of us likes it.

As a nation, we have historically existed because of and in spite of the predominant diversity of our demographics. We often clash over ideals and are a passionate people when it comes to the protection of our inalienable rights as Americans. It’s not always pretty, but we find a way. Even yet, we remain one of the strongest forces on the planet among all others, some of whom may never taste the very freedoms and rights we take for granted on a daily basis. Ask anyone who has served or traveled abroad just how real that statement is and they’ll affirm it.

Keep your passions in check.

I’m a white male. I generally lean conservative when it comes to a political point of view. I’m not overly religious but operate from a highly spiritual perspective. Like you, I have opinions, viewpoints, ideals, and passions. I also have a culturally wide diversity of friends and family. Those who know me know that I don’t give one damn about the color of your skin. My opinions are based on the content of one’s character and whether or not he or she is a uniter or a divider. The best I can offer to a person of color is empathy. I have not walked in their shoes so it is true that I have no idea of the disparages they encounter. But it goes to my point that if we collectively seek truth and healing, the cultural differences will strengthen us instead of continuing to exist as an American vulnerability.

It is said that we can learn a lot about a person in the first seven seconds of meeting them. I believe that to hold true for most of us. But the ugly divide that predominates our country at this time demands a lot more time than seven seconds to come together and move past that which divides us. The key to conquering that divide is in our approach.

Agree to disagree…without decay.

Most people don’t simply want to get their way. They want to be heard and they want their opinion to be respected. It’s really that simple, because if we respect the viewpoint and opinion of others, we gain empathy. When we gain empathy, we gain insight. And when we gain insight, a powerful healing effect takes place that brings us together. Only then can we collectively break away from that which divides us and begin to move toward that which unites us.

An opportunity.

We have an opportunity before us today that will define us as a nation. That opportunity has revealed itself to us on a grand scale by the increased rhetoric that continues to dominate the underlying issue. That issue is that there still exists a deep racial divide in this country that we need to get past. The opportunity lies in just how we handle it. It’s not up to politicians to exploit this opportunity because, as we’ve seen all too clearly, their judgment is clouded by their agenda.

It saddens me that those who have led this country (both past and present) seem so willing and ready to brush aside the opportunity to effectively lead us through the steps of healing we so desperately need as a nation. The opportunity to find common ground and come together as a nation is lost in personal, political, or cultural platitudes.

The opportunity that lies before us is one that requires us all to respect the differences we have while keeping an eye on the topic. Let’s not make it any more personal than it already is. OK, easy for me to say–or is it? There has been many a time when I’ve mistakenly injected my own bias or “feelings” into a topic when there was no reason to do so. The result: communication breakdown, discord, and resentment. The societal similarities can be seen on a daily basis.

Leaders need to lead, advocates need to advocate, rights and opinions need to be protected, and healing needs to take place. America needs a voice of confident calm to overtake the “conversation” I keep hearing that we so desperately need. I’m not convinced that voice should come out of Washington because, as I said earlier, they seem to be mired in their own ineptitude and shortsightedness.

I personally believe the rising division in our country is not about race insomuch as it is about the sociopolitical and economical realities we’re under. As a matter of opinion, I believe that, as a people, we continue to move past the blatant ugliness of the 1960’s. We are genuinely hurting in this country, as is most of the world. The economy is on the verge of collapse or a significant correction at best (believe it), unemployment is much worse than we’re told, savings are at an all-time low, the nucleus of the family has deteriorated, and we are more concerned about celebrity than our true heroes and warriors of freedom. It’s true that we have differences. But those differences rarely rise to the feverish pitch they have recently. What am I missing?

There is simply not enough room in this forum for me to depart on a diatribe of suggestions to address the issues that divide us. Suffice it to say, however, that we all need to take a step back, focus on the issues while doing our level best to keep our emotions in check for the sake of addressing those issues. Because the moment it gets personal, the conversation is over.

Let me know what YOU think. Something tells me you will...

Until next time!

- G -


If you enjoyed this article, you can help by recommending it on Google by pressing the "g+1" button below...

Please visit my website: www.gwestfal.com
----------------------------------

Get your copy of my first novel Dream Operative. Visit my website (www.gwestfal.com) and order your copy today!
 

If you'd like to receive a notification anytime I publish a new blog (currently about every two weeks), visit my Facebook page: G. Gary Westfal, Writer, Artist Educator

Once there, click on "Get Update via RSS" on the bottom of the left column. You'll be subscribed and will receive notification whenever I publish a new blog or provide updates to my novel Dream Operative. And help me by recommending this blog to others and "liking" my FB page.

Please visit my Introspection bog at: http://gwestfal.blogspot.com/

If you enjoyed this article, you can help by recommending it on Google by pressing the "g+1" button below...

Service Before Self

Scenario:  You’ve got five minutes remaining until your shift ends.  You’ve been looking forward to getting off work all day when, seemingly out of nowhere, a customer shows up who presents a unique problem that has to be taken care of right away.  You know you can address the problem and possess the expertise to easily take care of it, but it’s going to take thirty minutes more of your time to do it. 

Scenario:  Your buddy is pinned down by small arms fire.  The only way he can break free is if you put yourself in a vulnerable position to provide covering fire.  Bullets are flying everywhere and the area is getting hotter by the second.  You must act now if you expect to have any hope of saving his life. 

Scenario:  A deadline has been set for the completion of a task that is two weeks away.  There’s plenty of time built in to accomplish all the necessary work to meet or exceed expectations.  You have knowledge that will enhance the quality of the report but are significantly distracted by other obligations.  You can be proactive or reactive…the choice is yours.

Each of these scenarios presents unique perspectives that capture the essence of service before self.  Each requires a decision that pits self-interest against the answer to a higher call of service. 

All too often we hear messages that, although well-intentioned, distort the honor and benefits of service.  The messages speak well of self-discovery and offer motivating clichés to carving out a success path in life by keeping our eyes on our dreams and aspirations.  But they often fall short of revealing the full spectrum of instructions that adequately articulate the rewards of service.

The opportunity for service can present itself at any time under most any circumstance, as indicated by the diversity of the examples above.  The opportunity doesn’t always present itself in crisis.  Sometimes, it’s just a simple opportunity to serve.  Habitat for Humanity or the Red Cross blood donation comes to mind.  The complexity arises when we fail to remove our own self-interests from the equation and allow it to distort the opportunity to serve.  Doing so may cause us to miss the opportunity altogether.  And that’s unfortunate. 

The bottom line is this – when the opportunity to serve presents itself, we have one of two choices: to serve or not to serve.  Either choice brings with it an appropriate affect.  To serve is typically the honorable choice because, (and here’s the twist) out of sacrifice comes the richness of our decision.  You see, even the smallest gesture of service is richly rewarded in at least the knowledge that your actions enhance, preserve, or provide for the needs of someone else at the pause of your own needs and desires. 

Unselfish service has a way of finding favor with those who provide it.  The epitome of such service, in my humble opinion, is the Medal of Honor citation.  Those who have received it will be the first to tell you about how “others” are the real heroes deserving the recognition.  And perhaps there’s an underlying truth to that sentiment.  But it’s their unselfish act of service that garners the true recognition it so rightfully deserves.  Those who put service before self seldom seek recognition.  They act because it’s the right thing to do…plain and simple.  Whatever their motivation to act, Medal of Honor recipients stood tall at the hour of greatest need and said, “Pick me, I’ll do it.” 

But you don’t have to be a Medal of Honor recipient to step forward and in the interest of service before self.  Look for an opportunity to serve and, as the Nike slogan encourages, “Just Do It!” Put someone else first and your rewards will pay dividends far beyond your imagination.  After all, the highest form of recognition lies within.  It lies in knowing you contributed to enhancing the value or quality to someone’s life they otherwise would not have, if not for your unselfish service. 

Service before self can also be penned in a slightly different way: “Unselfish service!”  The sooner you take “me” out of the equation and replace it with “we” your entire perspective changes for the betterment of those around you, and I would argue, mankind.  Let’s face it, we live in a “me-centered” society where gratification has become the yardstick by which we measure our actions.  Whether you know it or not, your decisions affect the lives of someone.  Whether you choose to act (and serve) or whether you choose not to. 

This nation was founded on principles of service.  We look out for each other.  Its part of what made us the great nation we are today.  Are you doing your part?  Who have you helped recently?  Your church or civic organization always has a need for service providers.  You’re not expected to do it all...just what you can.  Collectively, we can all make a difference by placing service before self! 

Until next time!

- G -

"Unselfish service is the cornerstone of human compassion." - G. Westfal - 

If you'd like to receive a notification anytime I publish a new blog (currently about every two weeks), visit my Facebook page: G. Gary Westfal, Author

Once there, click on "Get Update via RSS" on the bottom of the left column.  You'll be subscribed and will receive notification whenever I publish a new blog or provide updates to my novel Dream Operative.  And help me by recommending this blog to others and "liking" my FB page.

Please visit my Introspection bog at: http://gwestfal.blogspot.com/ 

Please visit my website: www.gwestfal.com

If you enjoyed this article, you can help by recommending it on Google by pressing the "g+1" button below...