Insight, Meditations and Reflections

I agree that we desperately need to move beyond what divides us to see what unites us; I believe the whole future of the world may rest on it. Yet I think you could have picked a better example than Carville.

I didn't see the whole thing, but I saw enough of him in "Our Brand is Crisis"--a film about the attempt of political consultants including Carville to sell a pro-globalization candidate in Bolivia--to feel literally sick to my stomach (mostly because of all the blood of the protesters being shed by the government-backed riot police).

I'll play... because people READ blogs and don't mention that they're out there. Many don't comment because they feel that their writing skills do NOT measure up, missing the point that the opinion is what counts (rathur then the grammer and spelin: ). It's one of the conundrums of blogging. The author is speaking to the invisible audience : ).

I work with a group of teenaged girls, a dozen to twenty of 'em, depending how you count. If you've been in a room with two people in this age group, you've noticed that the era of agreement doesn't last long.

These same kids work year after year as Program Aids for a Day Camp. They don't "need" to work there. Their community service requirements for high school have already been quadrupled. There is no monetary compensation... and to be honest, it's a terribly thankless, peril filled volunteer position.

Why do they do it? How do they manage to team together to make the world a stronger and brighter place for those younger than themselves, even as they are so individually minded?

I believe that the bigger picture feeds their souls. I think that they are so bonded, so much in love with the unique qualities of one another, that they can't imagine skipping the time together. And, of course, the altruistic goal pulls them like a magnet. These are the politicians of our future, THANK GOD!

Carville and Matalin are the only couple I found. Does anyone know of a bi-partisan couple without a baggage?

I like your idea of the invisible audience. You never know who is reading your blog...

Thanks for the amazing example of the girls who disagree with each other but still show up to serve and volunteer.

I wonder what happens when they grow older. Do they begin to dance to a different tune? A different script?

I don't know what happens to the girls... but some who have followed similar paths are the leaders today, as 20 year olds, 21 year olds; that's hopeful.

Regarding the politics, it's interesting how much fire arises in the topic! Personally, I have a history of being very left... yet I read somewhere that there is no linear position, it's a loop. Far left is closest to far right. That scared me! It's been a while since I could take myself very seriously.

Maybe, just maybe, that's the point. If we take our positions too seriously, we forget the cause. And ultimately, my goal would be that each of us come to realization of our Oneness. So I try to understand the position (of Tim Eiman for example), try to see what brought him there, see what my perception means about me, about us as a whole. Perhaps that's the key in households like the Carvil/Matalins and the Shwarzenegger/Shrivers.