Some musings about the State of the Union.

“Decent, resilient, honorable.” These are some of the final words from Pres. Bush’s State of the Union address. A noble statement to be assured. What do they mean? These are words that describe our interaction with others. So to understand what they mean, we must understand how they are lived out. I believe that our personal legacy will be defined by how we have treated others.

Tom Brokaw on MSNBC said that “we as a nation are tired of idealogical battles, but are ready for some real action” (eg. pragmatism). On a personal level, I almost always agree. Ideaologies are important, if and only if they lead to some type of constructive action. Ideaology without practicality is not very useful, if at all.

It is interesting to see the applause by the Democrats and the Republicans. Does anyone else think it is intriguing that when they agree on something, you can’t tell which party a person belongs to? (They both stand and look alike in the dark suits and red ties!) You can only tell the party when Pres. Bush talks about an issue that is appealing to one side but not the other. Does it necessarily have to be that we are defined by what divides us? Why can’t we be more defined by what we agree upon? Can we move toward peace in our world, nation, community, families, and personal lives by building upon our differences? I believe not.

What I do love about the night is that we can hear over eight different TV stations dissecting, opining, and providing meaning and context for those of us who do not have the time to keep up with everything political. In my opinion, knowledge is empowering because it allows us to make informed decisions. I realize that there is some spin on everything we hear, but I like the fact that through TV, the internet, and print media, we as a people can be as empowered as we want to be.

Thank you and good night!