While there is no shortage of opinions on the "who's" and "why's" of the Government Shutdown, there is one "who" and "why" I haven't heard. One that I think is the real culprit to this mess.
WHO: It is not the Democrat's or the Republican's fault, even though both parties are acting like spoiled children who refuse to talk to someone who disagrees with them. It is no the Tea Party's fault. It is not Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, or any other new outlet's fault though each of them often slant the news to their own agenda.
IT IS OUR FAULT!
We are the ones who voted for these men and women. Now, you may be thinking to yourselves, "Well, I didn't vote for ___________." But you did vote for the other person. And while I will not make a blanket statement about ALL politicians, I am comfortable enough to say that MOST politicians don't run based on their personal convictions about right and wrong. MOST politicians, if the truth were to be told, run on VOTES. They say and do what they think will either get them elected, or help get them re-elected in the next cycle. And...they act in a way that they think their electors want them to.
All of this leads to the WHY. Why is it politicians are so divisive, so unwilling to converse with the other side to come to a peaceful resolution? Because the people they represent, the people that voted them in, are. Don't believe me? Spend some time parsing through social media. If you do, you will read nothing but extreme statements and opinions with no consideration for the other point of view and any merits they may have. We are an angry society today, and look for any reason to express it.
Case in point. Today, I needed to call my old post office in MI to look for a package that was delivered there. I have a forward on my mail to be sent here to my new home in AR, but sometimes that doesn't happen. So, I looked up the number and called. The phone began to ring....and ring....and ring....and ring. No answer. What did I do next? I went to Twitter and posted:
After posting, I decided to "google" whether or not the post office was supposed to be closed due to the government shut down...and it wasn't. So I called again, and they answered.
We spend so much time complaining and criticizing everything, and especially those that disagree with us, that we have lost the art of dialogue. No one listens to anyone anymore. Paul listened to others, viewed their actions, and dialogued with them (Acts 17:16-34). Instead, we want everyone to know our opinion, how we've been wrong, and how everyone who disagrees with us is completely wrong and has no business doing whatever it is they are doing. Now, in this world, there are absolutes. Some things are right, and some things are wrong. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't try our best to keep the lines of communication open with those whom we disagree with.
Take time to hear out both sides, and realize there is only One who in infallible, only One who has the answer. We don't, and we would do go to remember that when in discussion with others who disagree with us. A kind spirit goes further than forceful words filled with hate and ignorance.
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