"Use soft words and hard arguments." - English Proverb
Two other quotations come to mind when I think of this:
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." - Abraham Lincoln
""Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." - African Proverb (often mistakenly attributed to Teddy Roosevelt)
I have always tried to teach my sons not to swear, get angry during a discussion, or to ridicule when in disagreement with someone else. The reason I taught that (as my Father taught me) was that you lose control (or "home field advantage" in Sports terminology) when you try to reason with a "salty" tone. I have witnessed my share of debates in Congress over the years (via CSPAN - the world most "BORING" network other than the "Earth" network - the one with 24 hours of viewing the earth from a satellite), and even in the "Hallowed Halls" of Capitol Hill, the rhetoric used is often PG-13 to R rated.
So why is it that we must be this way? Oh, I know I have my moments - even though "my boys" call me "the Father that never swears," but I do try hard to set the example, not only for my sons and their friends, but also for the tens of thousands of Scouts that I have worked with since 1989. You have to live by example, and not TALK about the example. You know the saying: "Talk is Cheap!" - this is a prime example for me. That's also why I choose not to drink or to ever entertain a client in a Bar or Tavern (and that's not saying anything bad about those who do - it's just not for me).
I am not perfect: I chew my fingernails - sometimes until they bleed (and yes, I've tried to stop many times since I was in Elementary School). I also have Adult ADHD and am OCD to an extent, and have passed some of those traits on to my two sons. I also have a memory that I wish I could either pause like a DVD or have it stop recording entirely. Finally, I am very impatient; someone who wants results now. But, through all of that, we can still control ourselves by our language, rhetoric and by the seeds we sow.
Through the next 7 weeks, we will witness the worst that our Politicians have up their sleeves in the form of negative Campaign Ads and rhetorical comments about their opponents. Whatever happened to running on your own "record" and honor, and being trustworthy and honest ABOUT your record and honor? Whatever happened to "common decency to your fellow man?" The comment I always hear is "Well, that's just politics!" I'm FED UP with politics, and not just with the Halls of Congress, but with ANY ORGANIZATION that I am part of. This should not be a world of "kissing rear-end to get ahead," this should be a world of living by example and STANDING UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN! If that's a youth organization, then STAND UP for the rights of the youth involved regardless of what you are told! If it's Religion, then follow the teachings in the BIBLE! What's so hard and wrong about that? That's why I use so many quotes from Abraham Lincoln and Mother Teresa.
What stirred this up? The "Mainstream" GOP denouncing Tea Party Candidates last night and this morning that have won primaries! I am so sick of both organized Parties, I could just scream. I am no longer a card-carrying Republican - I am a Conservative Independent. Until BOTH Political Parties get their act together and actually CARE about the world outside the Washington D.C. Beltway and realize how much they have screwed things up as a collective body, I'll remain that way.
Think about it - I actually have! Sorry - I just had to get this one off my chest . . .
Yogi: 9/15/2010 12:35PM CDT
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