Public Service, a curse or a privlege

Ego, arrogance, denial, ignorance, stubbornness

Visionary, revolutionary, idealist, optimist

What is the difference between those characteristics? Honestly it is usually if the person accused of those was right or wrong. I have been accused of all of the above (except maybe revolutionary), some times I was on the side of angels others the demons in my head. Sometimes I was right, others maybe I was, but things didn’t play out as expected, and finally many times I was just plain wrong. One consolidates oneself by believing that everyone learns from their mistakes and will become older and wiser because of each and every decision. Every choice that we make, makes the next choice that much harder because we gained that much more insight and now need to take that into consideration. As a child to touch or not to touch, was a question never even considered. It wasn’t until we touched the hot stove, that now we need to consider if the pot is hot. But then we touched something that was sharp, so now we need to consider if it is hot and sharp. And on and on.

So over time our decisions get harder due to increasing factors, but the stakes raise as well. The impact begins as an ouchie and moves to our own lives to the lives of others. We wonder why it is an exponential curve to gaining grey hair or age beyond your years, it is because of the weight of the decisions that one is forced to make. Suffice to say, it stinks, but it is the price we pay for being the species who have the ability to learn and grow beyond ourselves. It is the privilege we hold as the species that holds the power of the almighty and choose not to use it, the power of life and death. It is the honor we hold as the species who will create new life and propel us beyond the physical reaches of our solar system. But all blessings have a price. It is the price of knowledge. Knowing what your actions caused and what you could have done.

To the candidates of every election from school board to president, you will be questioned on every move, every choice, and every word you make. It is an honor and a privilege to have the trust and hope of the optimists and the stubborn alike. You will make mistakes, and you will pay for them in your own mind every time you need to make another decision. To those who have not been smitten by the Cupid arrow of greed and power, may you judge fairly and trust your instincts and your advisors. Sometimes ego is the right way to go for the other side of ego and stubbornness can be visionary and optimist.