Setting my bike down in the driveway I began to walk my ten year old self timidly toward the front door of the house with my task in hand. I suck in a deep breath and for the thousandth time rehearse the assigned speech in my head. I push my shaky finger on the doorbell and wait an interminable amount of time all the while imagining my escape plan. The door suddenly opens and a woman who looks like my grandmother’s twin smiles and says, “Hello young man. Can I help you?” Immediately I shove a brochure at her and say at 100 miles an hour, “Vote for Stewart!” And with that I turn, run to my bike and peddle to the next house. This was the beginning of my life in politics…
Since this maiden voyage of getting paid a penny each to pass out flyers for an aspiring congressman I have navigated many a sea in the political world. From running for 6th grade fire chief to a governing body of a multibillion dollar organization, I have been fortunate to weigh in on real life changing work and…I have been completely disgusted with the underbelly of politics.
Gandhi suggested one of the deadly social sins is politics without principle. That, in my opinion, is an insightful succinct description of what differentiates productive healthy political engagement from self-serving power mongering.
The word politic derives from the Ancient Greek word politiká which means, ‘affairs of the cities’. It is the process of making collective decisions that involves negotiating, compromise, and at its purest endeavors to do so for the greater good.
When individuals or a group of individuals stay focused on seeking an outcome that has integrity, is transparent and is focused on enhancing and enriching others’ lives, then I believe we are aligning with what Gandhi is referring to as ‘politics with principle’. On the other hand, what we far too often do in all sectors of governance is focus on individual or one particular group’s self interest rather than the good of the whole.
Nineteenth century theologian and author James Freeman Clarke offers this as the distinction, “A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation.”
We must keep turning toward the light.
The shadowy world around us can easily
beguile us to look away.
To take our eyes off what is valuable.
To stare into the abyss.
But the smoke and mirrors world of power politics is always just an illusion.
So much of it is posturing for the crowd.
The core value is that we maintain our diversity, our
democracy, and our decency.
They are the essence of the light to which we are by faith
committed.
They are our birthright and our future.
From their common ground a community can grow and a legacy become established.
We must keep turning toward
the light.
Darkness never wins, unless we look away.
– Steve Charleston
BP