obama-d.russell

We have entered a critical time for decision making in America and in the world. Our home, Planet Earth, is deteriorating before our eyes. Experts plea for major decisions before adverse global trends become irreversible. Our current energy sources are running out and costing more. Health care costs are out of control. The threat of terrorism hangs over us. Potentially explosive conflicts between some nations do not seem to be solvable without our participation. As America chooses a new leader in November, the choice of the right person is as critical as it has even been.

From time to time a politician appears with the insight, skill and courage to unite rather than divide, to inspire rather than threaten. A person whose instinctual process for problem solving is to bring people together. A person connected to the people but with the prospect of outstanding leadership. We cannot know how a candidate will actually perform in office but we have indicators that might help.

The lights dimmed and talking hushed as faces turned to the front. A moment of expectancy before the first note. First Wagner...then Dvorak...then Gershwin...then Arirag...yes, Arirag, a wistful Korean folk song, which brought smiles of familiarity. Afterward all stood, cheered and waved and the players waved back and there were tears of gratitude all around. For a beautiful shared moment they were as one. The Pyongyang concert of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra shows again that people are basically the same and not the enemies that their leaders represent them to be.

Yaron and Hani had just had the most implausible experience of their lives. Coming to Maine in America was predictably new and wonderful. The long flight, a miracle in itself. Then weeks in the Maine woods, safe from danger. And the silence - except for the whispering trees - provided opportunity to really think clearly. Israelis and Palestinians together every day in classes, meeting and social events. (Did the other side check their guns?)

The revelation came as they got to really know each other, sharing fears and interests, hopes and favorite foods. Could a life of indoctrination by family, school and government all these years be so wrong? For the first time, the truth could not be distorted or tangled. It became obvious that they were more the same than different. Just being together and sharing fostered respect and friendship. Yaron and Hani became friends when they really got to know the “enemy”. And if they were the “same”, it was probably true of others and even everyone. So maybe even countries of “common people” could be friends!

(Seeds For Peace is a program started in 1991 that brings teenagers together from all over the world so they can discover they are really the same and can be friends. They then return to their countries as Seeds For Peace.)

The Commonality of People would seem to be conceptually obvious, as inferred from these examples and just life experience. People need the same things.: food, shelter, education, health care, justice and a reasonable standard of living. If leaders are not acting in consonance with the needs of the people, whose needs might they have in mind? The Commonality Principle is the inspirational underpinning of statesmanship.

So why the special importance of Statesmanship? The real change wanted in virtually every area of public policy in America depends on the one person in the leadership position that controls much of the assets of government and the veto power with Congress. The president is also the principle organizing agent for change in the world. Therefore, if having a Statesman President means a higher likelihood we can solve our major problems, it is important that we identify such a person.

A Statesman has a high level of intelligence and ambition and there must be a high degree of leadership charisma. These things are important and obvious and do not need elaboration. A Statesman then has a vision of how things could be better and sees that there is a potential to be realized. There is also a desire to make it happen with commitment to the planning and work necessary. However, these traits could also belong to a politician. It is in effectuating change to create concordance that differentiates a statesman. If the mindset for bringing people together is so crucial, how is the mindset of the Statesman different?

Most politicians (and people) do not distinguish between the actions and the actor. If a person makes a decision we do not approve of we call them wrong or bad. If a fellow legislator goes against us we call them impossible to deal with or on the other side. If a national leader of a non-democratic state like North Korea takes unfriendly actions we label them as evil or part of an “axis of evil.” If your church minister says controversial things, reject him and walk away. And at the receiving end, at all levels, those being attacked or criticized react in predictable fashion - they go into “survival mode.” The first law of survival is that it comes before everything else. If we don’t survive nothing else matters. Therefore, negotiation and compromise become almost impossible when one’s identify is under attack and when one has no respect as an viable entity.

On the national level, totally condemning a government or head of government also has a negative effect. Assume there are segments (like university youth) that protest the lack of freedom from their government. A government in survival mode will reinforce its domination in the name of “national unity” and opposing youth segments will likely weaken their opposition when their country is at risk as national survival takes precedence.

A statesman has an innate vision of how things could be if people can come together to address issues. Indeed, people and nations must work together to solve major issues like global warming, energy and health care. Instead of pushing people into survival mode, the statesman is critical of only the actions and not the person. By doing this, the subject is not moved into survival mode and is more open to consideration of contrary positions and compromise. In fact, if something positive can also be expressed along with the criticism, the likelihood of cooperation is greatly enhanced. This is the key approach to creating consensus instead of enemies. In deeper context, a statesman comes from a posture of forgiveness rather than condemnation. Forgiveness implies respect which fosters appreciation and keeps open possibilities for cooperation. It is one of the more powerful forces on earth, has yet to be widely appreciated but will inevitably gain prominence in a future world which works for everyone.

There is debate about whether our nation and President should talk directly with other nations we have difficult relations with. The Statesman favors this process for two reasons.

The most extreme form of divisiveness. Survival becomes primary and all possibility of compromise is lost. Because the common people always suffer the most from war and the issues at stake are not addressed, war is always anathema to the Statesman. Defensive war as a last resort would be the only kind acceptable. Actions like the preemptive invasion of Iraq or comments like “We would blow them (Iran) to smithereens” are dangerous, counterproductive and not those of a Statesman.

David Hawkins in his book Power Vs Force 1 (Inclusiveness Vs Divisiveness) offers useful insights into the nature of Statesmanship.

“To fully comprehend the dichotomy we’re discussing, it’s necessary to consider the difference between politicians and statesmen. Politicians, operating out of expedience, rule by force after gaining their position through the force of persuasion. Statesmen represent true power, ruling by inspiration, teaching by example, and standing for self-evident principle. Statesmen invoke the nobility that resides within all men and unifies them through what can best be termed “the heart.”

Force often relies upon rhetoric, propaganda and specious argument to garner support and disguise underlying motivations. One characteristic of truth, though, is that it needs no defense; it’s self-evident. That “all men are created equal” requires no justification or rhetorical persuasion. That it’s wrong to gas people to death in concentration camps is self-evident; it requires no argument. The principles that true power is based upon never require vindication, as force inevitable does--There are always endless arguments about whether force is “justified” or not.

It’s clear that power is associated with that which supports life, and force is associated with that which exploits life for the gain of an individual or an organization. Force is divisive and, through that divisiveness, weakens, whereas power unifies. Force polarizes. The jingoism that has such obvious appeal to a militaristic nation just as obviously alienates the rest of the world.

True statesmen serve the people, politicians exploit people to serve their own ambitions. Statesmen sacrifice themselves to serve others; politicians sacrifice others to serve themselves. Power appeals to our higher nature, force to our lower nature. Force is limited, whereas power is unlimited.

Great leaders inspire us to have faith and confidence because of the power of their absolute integrity and alignment with inviolate principles. Such figures understand that you can’t compromise principle and still retain your power. Winston Churchill never needed to use force with the British people. Gandhi defeated the british Empire without raising a hand
in anger.”

Finally! You’ve made it. A Harvard Law degree after four challenging years. And Editor of the law review too. The perfect jumping off point to a clerkship on the Supreme Court or with a federal judge. Or to a prestigious law firm. Fame and fortune assured. But wait. Memories of another life keep coming up. Memories of Chicago and good people trying so hard to feed and educate their families. Memories with specific names. Memories of how good it felt to help them and to make a difference. They must be still there still struggling. You could help organize them as before but now you could take their cases right into court as a lawyer. The power of the judicial system energized. An new exciting potential. You can’t deny there is another choice beyond those “other things.” Your heart pulls you to also consider the unlikely option of community service back home where you know you are needed. Which is more consonant with who you really are? Fame and fortune or community service. It’s a critical career decision. Obama returns back home to Chicago and starts work on a voter registration drive.

This is a real test. A test for the sincerity of a would be public servant. A test well passed!

One’s office is where the world comes to meet and exchange ideas. What one chooses to have on their office walls might indicate preferences and beliefs. Pictures of Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King would clearly suggest a leaning towards inclusiveness and non-violence.

These pictures have hung on Barack Obama’s Senate office walls predating his campaign for the Presidency.

In his “A Defining Moment” column in the New York Times 2, David Brooks summed up Barack Obama’s hope for the Nation. He discusses his evening ending talk at a political meeting November 10, 2007.

“Obama sketched out a different theory of social change than the one Clinton had implied earlier in the evening. Instead of relying on a president who fights for those who feel invisible, Obama, in the climatic passage of his speech, described how change bubbles from the bottom-up: “and because that somebody stood up, a few more stood up. And then a few thousand stood up. And then a few million stood up. And standing up, with courage and clear purpose, they somehow managed to change the world”

The Obama compaign for the Presidency is designed to function on this bottom up principle! This is the first national campaign that has ever been designed this way.

Look! There is a shooting star in the sky! They don’t come very often. You don’t want to miss it. You have to look with your mind and a little heart too. Try again. Really try. It’s worth it. O’ America, so blessed with so much promise. The whole world is watching with fingers crossed. Don’t let this opportunity pass by.

It’s your time to change history this November with your vote for Barack Obama.

1 David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D., Power Vs Force (Hay House Inc., 2002) 154
2 David Brooks, New York Times (3/4/08) A25