I was invited to dinner last night and what transpired, inspired this blog post. It is my hope that as a result of reading this, you will feel motivated to take some form of action. 

As with any conversation today, you will eventually reach the topic of politics, the economy, and the state of our nation. We do "live in interesting times." While chomping down on an amazing salad,  steak that had been Sous-Vide/grilled, and oven baked butternut squash, our conversation was intertwined with the topics mentioned previously, getting to know each other, and none other than my favorite topic Bitcoin. 

While I'd love to digress into Bitcoin, it was the earlier topics that I'd like to share with you. If you've been exposed to any of my writings you will know that I believe that individual responsibility can solve most of the challenges we face; our conversation affirmed that to me once again. 

Let me get right to my main point. I believe, "we the people," have allowed ourselves to lose sight of who we are. I find myself falling into this trap of looking toward the government to solve challenges that "we the people" could solve, if we had the intestinal fortitude to do so. It requires incredible courage to ask a simple question: How can I help. 

Yes, it is true. Many are frustrated beyond measure. However, what are we most frustrated by? A virus that has disrupted every aspect of our lives? By a presidential election where our choices is a binary decision in which we choose against and not for? A financial system on the brink of disaster due to an out of control central bank? Racial tension not seen since the civil rights movement? 

Yes, our challenges are great but I believe we have the ability to overcome them. How? By asking the question mentioned earlier in every conversation we have: How can "I" help. At my dinner last night the person I was speaking with, jokingly or not, implied that he wanted to run for Governor. His ideas were sound. He was a seasoned executive who worked for a global IT firm. From my interactions with his family, it appears that he has led a very successful home. There is zero doubt in my mind, if taken the opportunity, he could lead the great state of Virginia. 

Once I reached home, my mind was racing from the conversation or from the amazing Cabernet Sauvignon that we had to wash down the amazing dinner or the coffee afterwards, anyway I digress. Pondering the conversation, I begin to wonder, why he couldn't be instrumental at bringing about the ideas he discussed without running for Governor? Have we been conditioned to believe that change can only come if we are in government? 

There are 331M people in the United States. Those who lead (I use that very loosely) our federal government is but a fraction of that number; the last I checked, they are public servants.  They are suppose to work for "the people." Somewhere the script got flipped and "we the people" act as if they are rock stars. People tend to get gitty when elected officials enter the room.  We line up to hear them speak, want to take photos with them, and brag about how we met them in person; we are star struck. But why? IMHO, I believe we've given them too much power and now they are power hungry and will do whatever it takes to remain there. 

It saddens me to think that the "United" States of America could find itself on the brink of civil war if something isn't done -- SOON! We are anything but united. We've allowed politicians, media, and talking heads that monetize the challenges mentioned above, to sow discord that leads to division among the people for their own gain. They keep us off balance and divided because divided we fall. We Can Do Better - We Must Do Better.

"In complex situations, broad generalizations and categorizations are dangerous. Rarely is it 'all' or 'none' it's some." Listen, we all have our views of what we believe will "Make America Great Again" and we believe our way is the best/only way. However, when we exercise Dr. Covey's Habit #5: Emphatic Communication - Seek First to Understand before being Understood, then we are able to find synergy with each other that can put us on the path to resolution. 

The conversation last night also affirmed my belief that people who have differences of opinions can still have positive civil discourse and find common ground. I believe it's rooted having mutual respect for each other. While last night was the first time we had the opportunity to get to know each other better, I still believe over time we will always maintain civility. Why? I believe we are disciplined people who understand and possess the ability to lead ourselves well. While we have the ability to say anything we feel, we do understand how to communicate effectively to express our thoughts. 

I'd consider myself fiscally conservative and socially liberal. However these are broad terms that can create a misunderstanding of who I really am and what I truly stand for and until we are able to have a real discussion, it's easy for someone to pigeonhole me into a certain ideology. I believe they exploit this and encourage us to choose sides. But what if we refused to focus on what divides us and focus on what makes us better?  If we put our minds to it - we will find solutions to these challenges and it all starts with us individually. 

I'd like to encourage us all to reduce the amount of attention we give the Federal Government and more attention to finding ways to find solutions. Dr. Covey says to focus on our circle of influence until it expands beyond our circle of concern. In doing so we will find alternatives. We Can Do Better - We Must Do Better.

Lastly let me leave you with this - find a way to treat each other kindly. We get caught up in these political discussions and we treat each other as enemies when we don't even know each other. Instead of screaming and yelling, hitting, throwing rocks, tearing stuff up - get to know another person esp from a difficult culture and LISTEN more than you talk. You just might find out you have more in common than that which divides you.