On Dirty Politics

From my Father I learned that, "If you have to put someone else down to try to make yourself look good, you fail at both!" Of course my sisters and I heard this from him first I imagine when we were very young children attempting to make a parent believe that we are not as bad as the other sibling. Or make a teacher believe that Jimmy had thrown more stones than we did! As a teenager, I certainly recall my Father saying it when I was trying to court a certain girl and I was bad-mouthing the boy she had been dating. That time he took me for a walk and in his kind and gentle manner humbled me. Like the arrogant young Ben Franklin, I did a turn around and since then seldom criticize, complain or condemned another. Especially those I may be competing with. In the end, taking this high road has served me well.

Our politicians should hear my Father's words, "If you have to put someone else down to make yourself look good, you fail at both." They probably don't believe it. I hear all the time about how putting the other guy down works! So that's their excuse for doing it. What I think they fail to recognize is the part where we really do think less of those who participate in such degrading activity. Then they both or all seem bad. And we are left voting for the "lesser of all the evils."

Will