Commentary: Respect others in election year
The Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell Jr.
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A UMNS Commentary
By the Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell Jr.*
Oct. 10, 2008
TIMEOUT!
It's a word I learned from my wife, a public school teacher for many
years, used often with young children to bring order out of classroom
chaos.
In the political chaos of presidential election years in the United
States, particularly this year, all of us who love this nation might do
well to cry, "TIMEOUT."
Regardless of our presidential choice, we seem too often to set aside
reason, respect, rationality and responsibility. I wish all of us could
remember Aretha Franklin's classic song "R-E-S-P-E-C-T"—and then put
that verb into practice as we speak and write and campaign for our
presidential choice.
Unfortunately, we have mastered the "two Ds." We seem to have developed
the need to deify our candidate of choice, and to demonize the
opposition. We are equal-opportunity practitioners as we do
this—Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals and all those
in between or beyond.
The demonizing of both liberals and conservatives has forced me to my
dictionary. The first definition of liberal as an adjective is "not
restricted, giving freely, generous." The first definition of
conservative as an adjective is "conserving, tending to preserve
established traditions or institutions." I would say of myself that,
sometimes I am a conservative liberal and sometimes I am a liberal
conservative. Yet, the same emotions at work when people denounced "the
Communists" seem to exist today as some denounce liberals and
conservatives. What happened to the "One America" that is a magnificent
blend of the best of all traditions?”
Regardless of one's faith or no-faith tradition, there is wisdom in the
sacred texts of religion. The New Testament book of James says: "Be
quick to listen, slow to speak" (1:19) and "How great a forest is set
ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire." (3:5).
We condemn others for their inability to manage their anger. Yet, many
who deplore physical violence in our society seem to have no qualms
about engaging in verbal violence. In my lifetime, I have witnessed how
verbal violence is often the prelude to physical violence. We who know
that must demonstrate the ability to listen and develop the capacity to
be careful, thoughtful and respectful in how we speak and write.
Four years ago, I became a grandfather for the first time. Now, as I
speak and write, I am disciplined by the possibility that one day my
grown granddaughter will hear about something I have said or read
something I have written. If I am gone by then, I do not want her to ask
her parents, "Why was Papa Cane so mean in what he said and what he
wrote?"
As we look forward to Election Day on Nov. 4, we are called to be better
than we have been by respecting ourselves, others and this nation we
love.
* Caldwell of Asbury Park, N.J., is a retired clergy member of the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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