When Politics Make Us Forget the Big Picture

The other day, I was reminded again of how lucky I am to live in the United States. It’s easy for us all to become cynical lately with all the political mudslinging and arguing and antics we have watched from the candidates currently running for president. It’s easy to think our system may be broken or badly in need of reform, but the truth is that for all its faults, the system still works very well.

I recently was talking to a woman who was an immigrant to this country. She came to the United States as a young woman following World War II. She saw her family driven from their home by German soldiers; she knew poverty and loss. She commented that when people ask her today how she made the big adjustment to living in the United States, she simply tells them, “I get down on my knees everyday and I thank God that I live in this country.”

In other words, we don’t have it so bad. If we spent a little while living elsewhere, we might then realize how good we have it. After all, even with all the political mudslinging, we don’t see a revolution happening. We don’t see guerilla warfare or people being killed in the streets. Even some years back when the Republican Party tried to impeach President Clinton, it was primarily a polite process. There were no people in the streets fighting, no tanks trying to gain control.

That said, we do want our politicians to work together. Some of you are going to think this is a crazy thought, but wouldn’t our elections be better if all the candidates got together and talked about why they thought the other candidates should be president? Each candidate could tell us what he or she liked and respected about the other candidates, and then the voters could determine who should be president based on who received the most glowing reports. Doesn’t that thought feel better than our current process, which often results in our trying to pick the lesser of two evils?

It’s unlikely Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney will start singing each other’s praises, but we can try to find good in them ourselves. Rather than disliking a candidate because we don’t agree with him on an issue, let’s be grateful for all the issues we do agree on.

Let’s start with gratitude. Let’s start with the politicians we dislike or feel indifferent to and find ways to be grateful for them. For example, we might say, “I am grateful that Barack Obama is asking people to be tolerant toward gay people,” or “I am grateful that Rick Perry believes in the power of prayer.”

If we come to appreciate our politicians, we will start to see what is good about them, and perhaps that will filter toward focusing on what truly matters; it could help to unite rather than divide us. We can’t expect one politician to do the job of bringing people together; we all need to work toward that goal.