Perspective is everything in life and politics
Perspective. It is a strange animal. Two people can view the same automobile accident from different sides of the street, and because of their different locations, they might tell the police very different accounts of how the accident took place. In all facets of our lives, “where we are coming from” makes all the difference in our opinions. I believe that truth is truth no matter what people think and say; however, when these two witnesses speak to the police, although each of them believes their version of the accident is true, the account each one gives might be entirely different from what truly happened. What follows illustrates how important perspective is.
Consider the adage, “Do not bite the hand that feeds you.” Most of us would agree that we should appreciate being fed at least to the point of not biting the one who is feeding us, but this sentiment is totally lost on our family’s gaggle of four geese. Spring has arrived and has brought with it a fowl’s urge to nest. Now, a goose nest is very much like a foreign country’s embassy-it is sacred ground and off limits unless you have authority to approach. Trespassers will face prosecution.
And I, the hand that feeds, have been prosecuted ever since the first goose egg was laid early this spring. Forget the wisdom, “Do not bite the hand that feeds you,” because from a nesting goose perspective, the prime directive is, “throw a hissy fit at anything that moves in our direction.”
To an expectant goose, it matters not that before my own breakfast each morning, I fill her feed bowl, clean and fill her pool, clean and straw her coop, and check her fence to ensure protection from marauders. It matters not because anyone lacking a long neck, white feathers, and three-toed bare feet who approaches her heated, luxury condominium for any reason will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of her long neck and hissing beak. (I wonder if the phrase, “hissy fit,” came from someone attempting to approach a nesting goose.) Hatching time has come and gone, and now that babies are afoot, I am doubly persona non-grata, the object of hissy fits from Mother Goose, Papa Gander, and aunts as well. With geese and with politicians; perspective rules, truth drools.
Societal mores, our society’s rules and regs, come from long standing Jewish and Christian principles. For instance, most US citizens condemn lying. We do not like our leaders to be dishonest and believe it or not, it is still a crime to lie to Congress, Harry Reid and many other politicians notwithstanding. In an interview after Harry Reid lied to Congress (and hence to the U.S. public) about Romney’s income taxes, he was asked about his falsely accusing Romney of not paying taxes for ten years and his response was, “We won, didn’t we?” In other words, getting Obama elected justified any means deemed necessary to accomplish that end.
This same “anything goes” perspective seems to have prevailed in guiding President Trump’s detractors during our last presidential election. “Anything goes” is a dangerous perspective for politicians and media to embrace, but increasingly, twisted perception colors the actions of our leaders.
I fear that many in Washington are so set on removing our current president or keeping him from being reelected, that they would let the country go to ruin before they would tackle the problems we elected them to solve. While everyone is out trying to “bite the hand” that has successfully created a healthy economy, that is diligently trying to protect our borders, and that is negotiating fair trade deals, who is working to save Medicare, Social Security, and our health care system? Who is working to improve our educational system?
Socialists preparing to run in 2020 tell us about free this and free that, but what good is free stuff if it is broken stuff? If our elected leaders all worked together from a “Make America Great” perspective instead of supporting socialist ideology, their party, or their own lifetime political interests, between now and 2020 they could solve our country’s important problems and then take a four-year vacation.
Perspective is everything!
DeWitt Clinton is a resident of Dunbar.