Government Shutdown? We’re Not So Different.

With the recent government shutdown dominating headlines, it’s clear how fractured our politics have become. More than just policy gridlock, what we’re really seeing is a clash of values....each side arguing from a completely different foundational belief system. And the frustrating truth is that when it comes to value clashes, nobody wins. Perhaps we’re all stuck at the mercy of a two-party system where each side cries, “All or nothing,” and seems to have forgotten the meaning of the word compromise. But are we any better when our own debates mirror the same dynamic? 

We’ve turned policy disagreements into virtue battles where no one wins. It’s no longer, “You have some good ideas and some bad ideas,” but “You are fundamentally a bad person.” 

My hot take is this: We've all fallen short of the virtue lines that we toe. Yet, we still try to hold others to that invisible line in the sand that we rarely fully attain ourselves. Expecting them to value the things we value with perfect adherance. An expectation they never once agreed to meet.

One of the reasons I started working primarily with faith communities is not to exclude others, but because it’s where I can expect alignment within a shared framework of values. When someone breaches the “code of conduct,” so to speak, there’s a common guide book that I can gracefully point them back to and say "Hey! Remember you agreed to live like this!" And they can do the same for me.

Perhaps we all need to find our aligned spheres and begin making an impact there, before trying to wrestle with those who never shared our starting point in the first place. In fact, lets start even more micro: Lets start with ourselves. 

Here’s a shift we can make, right now:

Let go of persuasive argumentation—and start embodying the ideals you want to see mirrored around you. Perhaps you'll begin to make the impact you hope for. If no one follows suit, they were never yours to control. Your responsibility is not their response, but the integrity of your own conduct. And maybe this won’t get us out of a government gridlock, but it just might get us out of some of our own personal ones.

~Peace