Obama or Hilary? Character or Experience?

February 5th is approaching fast. I’m glad I’m not a registered Democrat. So few choices this year. Either a noble young leader, or an angry middle-aged, oft’ scorned woman, with a Machiavellian taste for achievement and power. In the end, our destiny is always about how our character responds to experience.

Ironically, Obama and Hilary are separately rich in what the other lacks. Obama needs a resume of experience. Hilary needs the character and mindfulness for noble leadership. Could we lock them in a room for a few months until they become one?

Obama lacks experience. Since when do we hire people to do jobs – who are junior – to the biggest leadership role in America. Could we have co-presidents please?

However, I admire what I perceive to be an indication of noble character in Obama. He doesn’t lose his cool. Not even when Hilary, screams or gets her husband to scream at (or about) Obama. Jeez! Hilary & Bill! Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

It’s sad to watch candidates like Hilary (and her lackey, Bill) disgrace themselves.

Whether we’re talking about a family member or candidate for U.S. president – when people set out to destroy someone’s reputation in order to achieve personal gain – we’ve been warned. When we know how someone operates from their “shadow-side” it’s as if they’re transparent in the most useful way.

Seeing a person’s character is like seeing the blueprint of their operating system. Look at Hilary: overt anger about being more experienced than Obama; and covert action to obfuscate the noble character of her opponent.

It comes down to a bit of wisdom: “How you do anything is how you do everything.” If someone lies to destroy another’s reputation, what would they do to win a war?

Obama will need to surround himself with deep experience but that’s easy to find.

Hilary has been compensating for being “the scorned woman” far too long. Is it too late for Hilary to comprehend the power of humility, the grace that surrounds wise and noble leadership? Is it too late for Hilary to care?

Perfection aside, we humans are a fascinating species.

Why is it so hard to say it briefly?

 

_____“I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter.” Blaise Pascal, (1623-1662) Lettres provinciales._____

 

Lately I get up from the desk and realize I’ve been focused on a particular writing or communication ten times longer than I’d anticipated. I completely lose track of time! And in the end – if the length of my writing pieces – were weighed in the number of words per minute spent writing – I’d be a pauper. Ahhhh!

I’ve been writing cover letters, projects proposals, ideas for new projects, description of my experience – that qualifies me to manager or foster a project, introducing myself and why the reader should bother to read my words. I’ve been writing minutes of a recent board meeting, following up spontaneous colleague meetings or casual discussions. It takes me MUCH longer than my critical thinking mind anticipates it “should” – to finally push the “Send” or “Publish” or “Close” button on my computer.

What IS this about? Is there a better way? How come it takes so much time to efficiently say what I mean? I want to be a pithy speaker NOW! ; >)

Do you have an idea about why this is so? Any suggestions?

_______________Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.” Henry David Thoreau_______________