Executive Choices

There were two of President Obama’s choices during inauguration that earned him some negative press. Firstly, his choice of Rick Warren to pray at the swearing-in ceremony and, secondly, choosing to acknowledge the nonbelievers in the nation. The lack of support for Warren has to do with his lack of support for gay rights. As for the use of the term “nonbelievers” – here it is in context from a transcript of Obama’s speech.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers.

What I found so interesting was not Obama’s choices, but rather the way people responded. Although I don’t agree with Rick Warren’s stance on gay rights, should he be excommunicated? Can I allow that to be the primary factor for determining his qualification as Chief Prayer Giver at a national service? If only people with whom we agree 100% on every issue are invited, how big can our party be? As for “nonbelievers,” brace yourself, it’s true. Not everyone in the USA believes in God. It’s not even a requirement for citizenship. What were those founding fathers thinking?

Now the pomp and circumstance is over and it’s time for work. Everyone seems to be saying we need to work together. It seems a monumental task for modern politicians who are more comfortable with conflict versus compromise, talking versus listening, and blame versus solutions. But the underlying question is more profound – are we, the general population, ready for a different tune from DC and from the press? The fact that Warren and “nonbelievers” caused such a stir makes me wonder.

When we meet someone with a different view, how often do we ask them to explain their reasons for thinking that way? Or do we launch into refuting them, denying their claims, and building our own case? There’s a saying “seek first to understand, then be understood.” Talk about a buzz-kill. When I am on a roll, getting one good punch in after another, why would I possibly want to shut it down? I might just have a convert here – whether I’ve browbeaten my opponent into admitting that white sauce is better than red sauce with pasta or that defined-benefit plans are superior to defined-contribution plans. Who cares the issue? The point is to be right.

Right?

Wrong. Wrong because right is such a subjective construct. A story to illustrate:

A rabbi is holding court in his village. Schmuel stands up and pleads his case, saying, “Rabbi, Itzak runs his sheep across my land every day and it is ruining my crops. It’s my land. It’s not fair.”

The rabbi says, “You’re right!”

But then Itzak stands up and says, “But Rabbi, going across his land is the only way my sheep can drink water from the pond. Without it, they’ll die. For centuries, every shepherd has had the right of way on the land surrounding the pond, so I should too.”

And the rabbi says, “You’re right!”

The cleaning lady, who has overhead all this, says to the rabbi, “But, Rabbi, they can’t both be right!”

And the rabbi replies, “You’re right!”

(Thanks to Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein, authors of Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes – one of my favorite reads last year – for this little tale.)

What if we could give up the pursuit of being right? What if we could feel comfortable and confident enough in our personal beliefs and opinions that we didn’t need to press them on others? What if we could actually recognize that the other side might have something to offer – that two heads might truly be better than one? Call me a dreamer, but at least I don’t feel all alone anymore. Obama has an even bigger dream.

We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

Even if we have to use a microscope, let’s search for that common humanity, nurture it, strengthen it and bring it into the light of this new day.