Learn not to ask why, but say why not

Learn not to ask why, but say why not

Take down your mental barriers, open your mind and your heart so you can create, excel and truly live

As I watch and listen to the news each day I am reminded of my childhood dreams and at the same time disgusted by the daily cycle. Yes, I was the 10 year old who when required to write a 5th grade paper asking “What do I want to be when I grow up?” answered, “President of the United States.”  What occurs daily during this campaign is nothing short of insanity, bursting and exploding in different directions every hour.  I cannot imagine going back 39 years and answering the question the same way, even though it is still a fantasy dream that sits DEEP in the recesses of my brain.

However, if I could go back to my 10 year old self, knowing what I know now, I hope I’d have the guts to write, “When I grow up I want to be happy.  I want everyone to know what happiness is at the core.”  If you watch the news you would think that no one is even close to happy. But let me digress, you will see the happiness and politics connection later.

Where have public servants gone? Where are the statesmen?

Today, no one uses that term anymore; it is politician morning, noon and night.  Ego, money, power, these are the words driving our elected officials and guiding decision-making. I proudly consider myself a moderate, but I support some conservative economic theories and I completely and unabashedly believe that government can and should play a role in society. I don’t care if you are liberal or conservative, but please understand the labels you follow.

Today’s climate is so filled with vitriol, hate and even spite that there is ZERO chance that our elected officials can build consensus, work together to create a landscape for society to flourish, or collaborate on anything all because of ideological theory.  Conservatives, wake up.  You are not the conservatives of Barry Goldwater. Show me his speeches or interviews where he speaks about religion at every turn? You are not ideologically aligned with our founding fathers either.  Washington, Jefferson, Adams nor Franklin invoked god.  God is nowhere to be found in the US Constitution. The Declaration of Independence says governmental power comes from the people not from any god. Liberals, you don’t get a free pass either.

Government cannot solve every problem or cure every ill. High taxes, like the 70% my great-grandfather paid, do not create a culture anyone wants to live in. I hope that liberals and conservatives could approach each day with one simple tweak to their thinking.  Don’t think about what you want to spend money on, or what policies and programs you have to push forward, and then decide how to pay for them.  Rather, think about how much revenue the government took in last year and determine how it should be spent this year. Then prioritize short term and long term needs.

Hey you running for president….Don’t tell my daughters or other women in my life that governments and courts should have influence over their bodies.  Create policies that encourage them to take care of their bodies, be healthy and make informed decisions based on their mental and physical needs. Nurture don’t lecture or dictate.

Don’t tell my gay friends they are unequal to everyone else.  Don’t legislate marriage, rather create a society that encourages every one of us to grow, communicate openly and act with kindness.  Develop an economy that expands so that our relationships are not over-burdened by economics or poor communicators. Nurture the concept of relationships so that fewer marriages end in divorce.  Isn’t this a better way to look at the real issue?  Focus on the positive of each, not the negative. 

Encourage people to think differently about education to make it better and more affordable, but remember we live and thrive in a capitalistic society.  Should we have a safety-net – yes. Should every human being live as long as their bodies allow – yes.  Should healthcare be available for everyone – yes. But everything comes with a cost and choices. 

This week rap and hip hop have been front and center.  Don’t be afraid when one part of society uses music or art to express their feelings. You may not like it, but ask what it means, what it says.  Be empathetic, try and understand what another person, different from you, thinks or feels.  Only then will fear and rhetoric change to recognition and acceptance.

48 years ago this June, the US lost arguably its last statesman.  Robert Kennedy was cut down in his prime. At his funeral, his brother Ted gave the eulogy.  It may have been Teddy’s finest hour. Quoting his brother Bobby, Teddy said:

“…because real love is something unselfish and involves sacrifice and giving…”

“Through no virtues and accomplishments of our own (being born a Kennedy), we have been fortunate enough to be born in the United States under the most comfortable conditions. We, therefore, have a responsibility to others who are less well off."

The largest section in the eulogy is a reading of a speech Bobby gave in South Africa, in June 1966, almost two years to the day he was assassinated.  Here are excerpts, amazingly these words were written 50 years ago, yet they could easily have been written today. Nothing has changed.

There is discrimination in this world and slavery and slaughter and starvation. Governments repress their people; millions are trapped in poverty while the nation grows rich and wealth is lavished…These are differing evils, but they are the common works of man. They reflect the imperfection of human justice, the inadequacy of human compassion, our lack of sensibility towards the suffering of our fellows.

…they (those suffering) seek -- as we do -- nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.

The cruelties and obstacles of this swiftly changing planet will not yield to the obsolete dogmas and outworn slogans. They cannot be moved by those who cling to a present that is already dying, who prefer the illusion of security to the excitement and danger that come with even the most peaceful progress.

Our future may lie beyond our vision, but it is not completely beyond our control.

It is the close that was etched on me when I first heard it over 25 years ago. While George Bernard Shaw should get the credit for its origination, it was Bobby Kennedy who often said:

Some men see things as they are and say why.

I dream things that never were and say why not.

This is how I live.  It is how I look at life, love, work.  My mother would say to me as a child, the two worst words in the English language are “if and timing”.  Screw that.  Saying why or wondering what if only keeps you from experiencing something great.  Putting up roadblocks in your mind keeps you from truly living.

I am a Midwest boy, mistaken for the east coast that lives in California.  Do I wish there was more community here – absolutely.  Do I wish people had more compassion for one another – absolutely.  Do I want you to have the same values and moral compass that I do – NO.  I want you to be you; just don’t impose you onto me.  There has to be a middle ground.

To those close to me and to those wanting to be the leader of the free world, to my daughters whom I love more than life itself…open your heart, open your mind.  Don’t ask yourself why this can’t work, why this can’t happen...just say why not and please smile when you say it. If you prefer, smile and say, “Fuck Yeah, Why Not!”