Seek First ...
November 14, 2000
7:32 a.m.
I finished the latest draft of "Searching for Ghandi" today. I think it may need another half-draft to address the secondary character...but it's close. Then, of course, will come the pairing down effort--the getting rid of extra stuff. (Those of you who read the "survey" piece may be interested to know that the last version of that story is about 2,000 words shorter than the version you read--achieved almost purely on tightening prose).   Still watching the politics fly on TV at night. It's an ugly game. Most "How to Live" books include a piece of logic that says something like "Seek first to understand." I know the people discussing these things are not totally unintelligent. I cannot believe that the two sides don't at least understand the other's point of view. So it makes it even more frustrating when they ignore them. First, let's acknowledge that both parties would argue whichever side is in their "favor." So what. This is a fact, and neither validates nor invalidates the argument. It merely says that we as citizens should take note and not let political rhetoric sway us from our understanding. If we take up one side without understanding the other, then we are no different from the politicians, and we deserve whatever we get. So. Let's take the "non-counted" ballots that hadn't been punched for president. The Republican point of view is that since the votes did not register in the machine, there is every likelihood that the people chose not to vote for president. If we count those votes in one category or the other, we are voting counter to their wishes--hence "stealing" their right to vote. The Democratic point of view is that it is odd for that many voters to not vote for the biggest race on the ballot, hence something must be fishy. Add to that the confusion of the butterfly ballot question in Palm Beach county, and it seems the best thing to do would be to try to ascertain what these people meant to do. Obvious votes should be counted--this, of course, begs the question of what is "obvious." Both of them are right. If I were a voter who decided not to vote for president because I didn't like either, then I would be pretty upset if my vote was put in one bin or the other merely because the paper was possibly dimpled in an unfortunate place. If I were a voter who messed up my ballot by not pressing hard enough, I would be upset that my vote didn't count. Resolution of the problem gets down to which group of people you prefer to infringe upon. I have an opinion on the subject, of course. My opinion here is that you infringe upon the people who made mistakes over those that didn't. Sorry if that sounds harsh or unpatriotic. You are perfectly free to have a different opinion--and I certainly respect it. But the important thing to realize is that no matter what course is decided, there is a potential infringement of the right to vote. And perhaps the most important thing to remember is that Republican and Democrat are really on the same side. Neither has the goal of bringing an end to the United States of America. Sometimes, among all the name-calling, this is easy to forget. Have a great day.  I know you are, but what am I? Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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Falling back now, and looking at what my next project will be |
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