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Feature Article: Taking a Stand for What Matters Most to Me
“Some Men See Things As They Are And Say Why.
I Dream Things That Never Were And Say Why Not.”
Robert Kennedy
For four years, I’ve written about leadership, life and the importance of having
meaningful conversations when it matters most. Today, I have decided to claim a point of personal privilege by using this
newsletter to tell you what matters most to me on a very personal level because I believe this is the most important election
of my adult life—since 1960 to be precise. Yes, I am one of those older white women you have been hearing so much
about! Let me say at the outset that I am voting for Barack Obama.
I am a liberal AND I love this country! I am a life-long Democrat AND a
patriotic American who doesn’t believe I have to wear a flag-pin to prove it. I am a proud American AND I am a concerned
citizen of the global community. I am a feminist AND I am proud of it. I have worked hard on behalf of women, to end
racism, violence and war, and to save the earth…all interconnected issues from my perspective. I believe in equal opportunity
AND personal initiative. I believe that our freedom comes with a responsibility to serve. I believe that we have a sacred
responsibility to future generations and to this planet Earth. I am a grandmother who believes that our legacy to our
beautiful children, grandchildren and great grandchildren demands that we join together in support of the common good.
We are in a defining moment in our history. Our economy is in turmoil. Our
planet is in peril. We are fighting two wars. Yet we, all of us—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents--are allowing the
political conversation to deteriorate with rhetoric that avoids the critical issues that face us, fuels people’s anger, feeds
on fear, and is polarizing us as a people. No wonder so many have become cynical about the political process, have felt
helpless in the face of overwhelming problems, and have lost faith in the unique promise of our extraordinary
country. This rhetoric obscures our vision of who we are as Americans, of what it means to be a model of freedom and
opportunity to the rest of the world. This conversation is perverting the idea of patriotism, saying that diversity and
dissent threatens our cohesiveness and comforts our enemies. In reality, what our enemies, foreign and domestic, fear
most is our capacity to join together in our diversity to solve problems, to take care of each other, to support the cause of
freedom and opportunity for ALL.
This morning, my husband and I awoke to discover that our Obama for President signs
had been torn from our fence and destroyed. We had nailed the signs to the fence because the one we had stuck in the
ground had been trashed the day before. We live in a quiet McLean, VA neighborhood. Who would come on our property
and interfere with our freedom of speech in this way? This act has upset me terribly, fueling the passionate statement in
the preceding paragraph about who I am and what I believe in. It has forced me to see how my own anger could get in the
way of my engaging in meaningful dialogue with those who have a different perspective. I’m working hard to move through
my own outrage because deep down I know that throughout human history, when the world has become fearsome, human beings have
joined together. When we don’t have REAL conversations with each other, we stop acting intelligently.
This is why I believe it’s time for us to put aside the fears that keep us
separate. We, the electorate, must focus on the real issues—the substance of the debate— rather than be sidetracked by
divisive cultural issues. There is so much at stake…fixing the economy, solving the energy crisis, dealing with climate
change, restoring America’s position in the world. Do we have the will to apply our extraordinary knowledge and
technology to turn a potentially terminal human crisis into opportunity? Can we transform fear and hostility into
cooperation and creativity? I believe the answer is yes. I believe many of us are willing and able to do what it takes as
citizens of this great country AND as citizens of the world community. When we open our hearts and listen to each other,
we can meet the extraordinary challenges we face as Americans and as world citizens. Yes, I am an idealist—perhaps even a
dreamer!
We are the hope for the future. We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for! YES WE CAN!
I welcome your thoughts. bette@bettegeorge.com
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© 2008 Bette George & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
Feel free to forward this newsletter to others. Permission to reprint or reproduce in a
newsletter, publication, or by an electronic means is granted, provided that it includes this notice: “Copyright 2008 by
Bette George & Associates, Inc. From Conversations on Leadership and Life
, an e-newsletter by Bette George, website: www.bettegeorge.com email: bette@bettegeorge.com.”
Conversations on Leadership and Life is an e-newsletter written by Bette George of Bette George & Associates. In each issue, Bette offers best practice tips and resources, innovative ideas and inspiration to help you begin to create the change you want to see in yourself, your workplace, your community.
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