Blog
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Your Proverbial Turkey Chase
I've never been on a real turkey chase, and maybe you haven't either, but as we approach Thanksgiving, I suspect we're all in pursuit of something. But where will your own chase lead you, and why are you headed there? Here are some thoughts concerning "the chase" to think about this Thanksgiving.
Turkeys hold a special place in American culture -- from defining early historical meals and current Thanksgiving menus, to Wild Turkey whiskey, to calling something we deem unsatisfactory "a turkey!" It was even the bird Benjamin Franklin suggested be our national symbol instead of the bald eagle. And on every Thanksgiving, there are all kinds of "turkey runs," 5K and 10K races sponsored in support of some charitable cause; if you're so inclined, it's probably not too late to find one in your community.
And yet, the notion of "a chase" conjures up the pursuit of the unattainable. Think: "chase dreams," where you cannot bring closure or finality to something in your life. Think: "ideals," which we strive to place within our grasp, knowing that they may never be fulfilled. According to Wayne Capooth, in Delta Farm Press, "Turkey chases have been a part of American history since our earliest days. Samuel Kercheval in his A History of the Valley (Shenandoah), 1833, said "the native youth is taught the wiles of the turkey hunter."
This week you may be "chasing" your own way to a Thanksgiving gathering. Maybe it is across town, or in another community, or at your home. But, wherever the places you go, this time of year puts each of us in a precarious bind: running to complete our work, running to get somewhere, running to get back to work. That's me too.
I'm in the middle of a number of projects, most focused on how people can make good on their urge to do good. There are many subtexts at work, but there are two that shed light on the notion of the turkey chase.
First, there is the pressure of inwardness, which is our proclivity to see our work in public life through the prism of promoting and spreading our own efforts. Inwardness tells us to start with our own needs and programs, rather than the community in which we live and work. The second factor is the push for busyness -- a kind of "activity happy, yet action deprived" approach. Such busyness can make us feel we are doing something, moving ahead, and soothing our own anxieties about the lack of progress. But for all the running, all the activity, little changes.
I raise the ideas of inwardness and busyness because they launch us on a chase of the unattainable. If we are not careful, we risk losing sight of what we care about, and what change or goodness we hope to effect. What about you?
What is that path for you on this Thanksgiving? Is it the "chase" -- the proverbial unattainable, unachievable, even undesirable; or, is it something that you should stop to see and feel and know? There is something noble about Thanksgiving, about how it has the power to halt our busyness and inwardness; for many, it creates the space that might not otherwise exist to come together with family and friends (however difficult that can sometimes be!).
Maybe it is trite to say that this Thanksgiving should be about something doable and intrinsically decent: giving thanks. It's a simple idea, I know, and one that you have already thought about. But it may not be something we each do.
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Mississippi and Ohio: The Road to Real Change?
Last week’s defeat of numerous state referenda is proof that Americans are rejecting a scorched-earth approach to radically shift the nation’s political landscape. For weeks, people of every political bent have told us about their outrage, and now with these defeats they’re giving us clues as to what it means to move beyond the outrage. Common sense and the better angels of our nature may still prevail.
Let’s take Ohio and Mississippi as prime examples. In Ohio, a whopping 61% of voters rejected the governor’s attempt to significantly restrict public sector employees to engage in collective bargaining. In Mississippi, the “personhood” amendment also was roundly defeated 58 percent to 42 percent. Just a month ago polling suggested the amendment would win by 20 points.
In these and other states advocates who seek to exploit society’s fault lines for their own gain have sorely misread the meaning of people’s outrage and how people want to get things done. Their actions are marches of folly that will produce dangerous repercussions: leading to wild swings in politics and public life, more acrimony and divisiveness, and more ideological battles.
All this is occurring at a time when our latest research in our Main Street study is showing that Americans want more problem solving, more fairness, pathways back into the public square to do things together, and the restoration of their faith in themselves and one another that we can get things done together.
Make no mistake, people do want some real changes in such areas as collective bargaining, state and local budgets and corporate accountability, among others. Some Democrats and Republicans, such as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, have diligently proposed tough measures in these and other areas. But Cuomo, like some others, has insisted on taking a balanced approach in his discussions with public sector employees and has avoided demonizing and bullying others, all while holding firm to a set of principles he believes are important to making progress.
What then are the implications? Take a look below at some of the words and phrases I’ve used in this piece. As you check out the two columns you’ll see that in many of the state referenda voting last week – and increasingly in many debates across the nation – most Americans are yearning to choose the right-hand column, while proponents of many amendments and politics as usual believe the left-hand column will win the day for them.Road to more gridlock Road to real change - Radical shifts
- Acrimony and divisiveness
- Ideological battles
- Bullying
- Demonizing
- Win at all cost
- Problem solving
- Moving forward
- Principle-based
- Better angels of our nature
- Common
sense
- Build something
In our own lives each of us can make the choice to go down the road to real change. But this will require rejecting the road to more gridlock. Here are some easy ways to get started:- Look at your own work and community efforts and determine how you’re doing in terms of each column. Then, re-calibrate your efforts to clearly reflect the road to real change.
- When you
are in conversations with others –
colleagues, neighbors, fellow parishioners, and
others – be mindful of which column you’re
in. Don’t let the conversation veer to the
road to more gridlock. Instead, keep focused on
the road to real change and you’ll see people
regain a sense of possibility.
- When you take in the news, notice how it is framed by the road to more gridlock, and then seek out news sources that illuminate the road to real change. You’ll be more engaged, and more apt to engage others.
Within our vast nation there are two seemingly contradictory desires at play: the expression of outrage and a deep aspiration to move ahead productively. The truth is these desires are not contradictory at all. The first is a normal human emotion when people feel things are spinning out of control and no one is listening to them; the second is about creating the kind of society we want.
To get the country moving again, let’s choose the road to real change.
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Uplifting Story: The Counter to the Penn State Scandal
A horrid child-abuse scandal is unfolding at Penn State University, where people’s integrity, care of vulnerable children, and betrayal of privilege all are at issue. Today I offer a counter-point: a short, 5-minute speech by Michigan State University’s quarterback, where he speaks about privilege and responsibility. In these times, his words are uplifting and worth listening to.
I have been a fan of Kirk Cousins, MSU’s quarterback, long before I heard about and then listed to his speech, where he had been given the huge honor to kick-off the Big Ten annual conference. There, he spoke before his follow Big Ten football players and coaches, among others. His speech drew widespread media attention and plaudits. He received an extended standing ovation. Here’s why – and why I urge you to watch this short video: Kirk Cousins at Big 10 Luncheon.
In his speech, Kirk Cousins did not obsess about himself, his football exploits or serve as mere cheerleader for the Big Ten. Instead, he stood tall before all his peers and coaches from throughout the Big Ten and laid down a marker. Remember, Kirk Cousins is all of 23 years old.
He said that playing big-time college football is a ‘privilege’ because of the platform big-time football provides. He and his fellow players are treated to playing on television – a life-long dream many have held since their childhood; that kids seek them out for autographs; that they are granted opportunities to speak to young kids; and that they have the unique opportunity to come together as players to achieve something that none of them could achieve on their own. In short, each player holds a special place that is afforded to them.
But Kirk Cousins then makes this point: “But it is here in this place of privilege that danger lies.”
He asserts that this danger can lead to a sense of entitlement: “The notion that I deserve to be treated special because I am privileged.” For Kirk Cousins, it’s just the opposite. He believes deeply that such privilege leads to a ‘responsibility’ – in fact, it leads to holding a greater responsibility because of the nature of the privilege and an athlete’s standing in society.
For instance, he believes college football players hold a special responsibility to children. He talks simply, and thus with a beautiful eloquence, about how players can set a standard for how to treat others – that they can embody what it means to be a person of integrity - that they can show young people that excellence in the classroom is a worthy pursuit. He says that players can demonstrate that it is more important to do what is right, than what feels right.
At the end of his talk, with wisdom beyond his years, he remarks: “While I believe that we as players do not deserve the platform we’ve been given, we have it nonetheless. It comes with the territory of being a college football player in the Big Ten.” He then offers this, “May we as players have the wisdom to handle this privilege, and the courage to fulfill the responsibility we’ve been given.”
Perhaps folks at Penn State will watch the Kirk Cousins speech once more and remind themselves of their own privilege and responsibility to others; and they will hear the call to step forward and do what is right. Meantime, may the rest of us, in our own daily lives, listen to Kirk Cousins words, and let them be a reminder of the innate goodness in people, and that we must be vigilant in our response to the forces that weigh upon us each day.
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Bringing Together the Tea Party & Occupy Wall Street - Part 2
After last week’s blog, Let’s Bring Together the Tea Party & Occupy Wall Street, Michel Martin, from NPR’s Tell Me More, asked me and representatives from the two groups to have an on-air conversation. All the potential peril in trying to do something productive could be heard during this conversation. But I remain undaunted, and I hope you are, too. Here’s why.
First, it took a nice dose of courage for Michel to invite the three of us on. Not surprising coming from Michel, but noteworthy nonetheless. Joining me were Shelby Blake, from the Tea Party Patriots, and Kyle Christopher, from Occupy Wall Street.
From the get-go the conversation took a turn for business as usual. The two individuals saw themselves as representatives for their respective groups, and so what came forward were the well-worn talking points, name calling, bomb throwing, and insistence that “We’re Right, You’re Wrong!” No matter what Michel asked, the responses towed the party line. This is the reality of where we at the national level – we cannot deny it. Right now, these groups are talking past each other.
The key to moving the conversation forward will be to get folks around the table who do not see themselves as either “leaders” or “spokespeople.” When I talk to everyday individuals who subscribe to one of these movements, I have found among them – as I have found among most Americans – that they want to find ways to move the country forward. Like many of us, they too are anxious about where the country is headed, scared about their own jobs and keeping their homes, and lack trust in various leaders, institutions, organizations, and groups to hear their concerns.
That is why on Tell Me More I said the best place to get things moving is on the local level. On the national scene, too many groups (not just these two) are happy to indulge in gridlock, because that’s their ticket to “success.” They want to rally more members, more financial support, and more clout. Making progress on the national level will require the shifting of broader conditions in the country.
Still, there is a ripe opportunity before us: to tap into a growing groundswell in the country. This represents what I believe is the big missing story in America today. People want to come back into the public square. People want to make a difference. And people want to be a part of something larger than themselves. They feel they can no longer go it alone – it simply doesn’t work. Nor do they think that outage alone will change current conditions – they say we must note it, understand it, and then get beyond all the outrage.
Let me be clear: What I’m suggesting is no silver bullet. Nor is it about all of us “getting along” or “liking each other.” The times demand that we be more practical than that. At issue is how best to change the trajectory and dynamics of a gridlocked and mistrustful public life and politics.
One good place to start (among others) is to bring people from the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements. As I’ve said, what I don’t mean is to bring representatives of the two groups together; instead, my hope is to engage everyday Americans who happen to subscribe to these two groups. If we can show even some progress, it will be an important sign to all Americans – and to the leaders and spokespeople of these movements – that people want to get to work.
At the Institute, we’re actively pursuing ways to push this effort ahead. Please, let me know your own ideas and ways for us to work together.
All this is possible. We can do this.