Presidents' Day: To Honor or To Not Honor?
Presidents' Day has become a very tricky day - historically, George Washington's birthday (Feb. 22nd, 1732), and now, a federal holiday to honor the highest office of the United States, and those who serve and served as presidents, beginning in 1879.
How, as a nation, do we honor the office and the person who presides over our nation, when some of us don't feel like it? Or when some of us disagree with the president's principles and action plan?
That is the Question, or more accurately, the pattern we have fallen into. When one party wins, the other is unhappy, and righteous about being unhappy for various reasons. And I understand. We all have our ideals.
We often discuss how divided we are as a nation, and in reality (the one we collectively created for ourselves), politics have replaced religion as a viable source for division and hate. Loving to hate has bonded us with others who feel the same as we do.
A few months ago I received an invitation from the International Relations department of Oxford to participate in a seminar that highlighted Frank Buchman’s work. Frank created the Oxford Group now renamed Initiatives of Change (I of C International).The work Frank Buchman has done to bring peace and reconciliation between groups and nations is breath taking beautiful.
The full week of classes was inspiring and fulfilling that deep part we all share in our DNA: Our great capacity to love, to give, to create, to extend compassion, use our intelligence for the good of all.
It is that essential part of us that is integral to our humanity - that unfolds, when allowed, to reveal our honorable, dignified, and noble personhood.
Is it possible to create this kind of peaceful existence? Is it possible to coexist and create the kind of future that all us will thrive in?
For many of us who work and research in the arenas of International Relations and Peace, the answer is a resounding Yes.
Yes - because it is imperative.
Hate and anger shut down our brain (too much cortisol), which means it is difficult to think clearly and arrive to creative solutions. It is also difficult to discuss matters with respect. I remind this to myself every day when I encounter challenges at work and life.
So back to love - and my reminder to you that I love you, honor you - no matter how you think and what you believe, and which side you take.
On this day of Presidents' Day, let us think of what future we do want for ourselves, and what can we do, in our way - small or large - to create that better future.
Yours as Always,
Dohrea Bardell, PhD
My Research: Peace and Democracy
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvVvTII6kvY
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Have not seen the short film on Frank Buckman's work? It is so worth it!