Sometimes most of us just have to get it off of our chest so that we can get on with it. This is me, wanting to get on with it.
Last week I made calls to 3 of our elected officials. Congressman, Dan Newhouse, a republican for whom I voted, and democratic Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, for whom I also voted. My message was simple: Stop. Blaming. The. Other. Side. Stop blaming the other side and let your constituents know that you are working diligently with your colleagues, no matter which side of the aisle, to get the government back to work. Stop blaming the other side and consider how you have been, and are, contributing to the ongoing polarization that is hellbent on tearing our country apart. Stop blaming the other side and start doing the work you were elected to do. The work of collaboration, compromise, and consensus building. And do it with integrity, excellence, and humility. To watch you, our elected politicians who work for us, point fingers, shout down, stonewall, and claim it is the other side that is to blame is not only embarrassing. It’s untrue, it’s destructive, it’s unpatriotic, and it’s downright shameful. Please, and respectfully, knock it off.
Now, lest any of us think that the democracy buck stops with those at the top, my message to the rest of us is simple: Stop. Blaming. The. Other. Side. We are collectively responsible for the divided mess in which we find ourselves. Either by sins of omission or commission. Sins of omission could include but are not limited to…complacency and lack of interest in the political process, not voting, being lazy about seeking reliable news sources, reading only that which support “our side”, leaving the problems to others to solve, ignoring the needs of the world right within our own reach, or fill-in-your-own blank. Sins of commission could include but are not limited to…blaming the other side, using disparaging language about this president, this administration, and those who see it differently, fighting against rather than working for, one issue voting, losing family and friends over differences rather than doing the hard, hard work of connecting around commonalities, or fill-in-your-own blank. Please, and respectfully, let’s knock it off.
It’s not my fault, but I have responsibility.
It’s not your fault, but you have responsibility.
It’s not their fault, but they have responsibility.
Which can only mean one thing. It’s all of our fault, and we all have responsibility.
So let’s get to it.
