A Path by Colbert

Many paths exist for us laid down by previous generations, family, friends or neighbors. A path may be wooden, like above, to keep our feet dry, or worn, dense yet soft, moss through a forest. Paths wind with asphalt down old train track beds providing a smooth, even surface. Paths line gardens, cities, and farms - literally anywhere there are other humans. They consist of gravel, rock, shells, concrete, dirt or sand. We, humans, forge avenues to the sea shore and to the tops of mountains. We create ways to go about our business of life and freely use those grand gestures laid out before us if we are heading in that direction.

This country also holds many political, economic, and spiritual paths. A myriad of ways to do life exist for us: a religion is followed, as laid down by forebears or rejected; a parent's career is tracked, or discarded; a political affiliation is held proudly or shunned. Like physical paths, these roads provide a direction and possibly a goal, but we get to choose to walk them. That is where free choice comes into play. Obviously, parents and churches, communities and neighbors offer their own ideas and suggestions, often believing their trails provide the best alternative, but we must choose our own route.

This sense of individualism is the bedrock of all of the paths of this country. There is not one way to go - one type of food to eat, one church to enter, one political party to honor. We agreed to a common language to help understand one another, but other than that, all paths are theoretically open.

Yet the courage to follow one's path or speak one's truth has never been easy. The pull or sway of the crowd or group as accepted reality discourages freedom of thought, action and expression. We don't want ridicule, public criticism or humiliation, so we hide. Like a tethered slave, we follow the pull of public persuasion instead of walking freely and being noticed. It is easy to follow the paths of others even if it is mob rule or a congested, stalled highway. The challenge of life comes in following your own direction. The real measure of success comes in listening to your inner language and being true to your sense of purpose and integrity.

This weekend, a television personality, Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report on Comedy Central) spoke at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday night. He walked a new path; he forged a new opening. In front of the President and the press corps, he spoke of the issues of our day as a character who mimics the mob rule of our time. Wiretapping is natural and should be expected. Journalists' jobs are to take dictation and type. Then they can go home and write that piece of fiction they always longed to create: the story about a journalist who asks difficult questions and demands the truth. He let the viewing public know that Valerie Plame, the CIA operative who was outed by a possible (still under investigation) administration conspiracy was present with her husband, Joe Wilson, the man who had the temerity to go public with doubts about the administrations' claims about Iraq leading up to the war. He claimed the new press secretary, Tony Snow, has an FBI name of Snow Job. His irreverance was shielded by mock reverance. His truths sparkled through satire.

He walked a clear, clever new route that said, with humor, we know what you are doing. With astounding bravery, he reminded everyone present and anyone who chooses to watch or read (see first link) about it that we, the people, have wandered off course. For, no matter which individual path you walk, if you can't carry your personal truth, integrity and clarity you are lost. Finding a label that fits isn't nearly as important as fitting in your own skin. Walking the path commanded by others demeans every one of us.

Not adept at either humor or satire, I marvel at the quick-witted fluidity of someone like Stephen Colbert. Mostly, I am very grateful that he chose to step out and be seen. What kind of a country do we want to live in? What values do we really admire? Do we trust what we are told or our own experience? May we all gain courage from his performance and recognize this new path as an opportunity for exploration.

Misguided Superiority

My personal relationship to blogging has been confusing. As noted here, outrage is often misused, and yet it is the basis for much of the daily flurry in the blogosphere. Staying in contact with the latest developments and watching as our country, as we have known it, implodes, I marvel at how far from our idealisms we have fallen. News hits the internet, and within a day or two usually arrives on television or my local newspaper. Today, clear evidence suggests my country, or this federal administration, tortures, denies our Geneva Convention pledges, wiretaps its citizenry, fabricates justifications for war, and even currently considers an unbelievable, preemptive nuclear strike against Iran even though we are currently bogged down in two other military engagements (since we are not officially at war) with no end in sight and the aforementioned country has not attacked us. Sadly, we are not a governed country of tolerance, acceptance, integrity or freedom.

Yet, our idealism resounds every day out here in the blogging world underneath the outrage. We are breathing, thinking, acting human beings who anger when lied to, who believe in the basic goodness of life, and who expect our elected officials to behave with dignity. Frustration and disgust abound when gross inhumane acts are pursued in our name and paid for with the sweat of our labors. Today, for the first time in history the "little" people can be connected and bring the lies to the surface like scum on a polluted pond. In other words, while some media forces, as traditionally stationed, carry misleading opinions disguised as fact (like Iran already has nuclear weapons) which can be disputed by many sources, we clearly see how the public has misunderstood governments' acts for centuries. Until now, the television networks, public presses, or newspapers told us bits and pieces of what they thought we needed to know. Or they fed us half-truths and outright lies knowingly to further the agenda of some ruling party or faction. It is not new, but today more and more misdeeds are caught in real time rather than the history of a generation or two.

This is not a conspiracy theory. Students of history understand the abuses: military infractions abroad designed to create regime change; supporting various abusive, vicious dictators who danced to the strings of our governments' puppeteers; corporate welfare to win campaign financing, corrupt elections, and ongoing civil rights violations. We are not a perfect nation nor are we a perfect people. That is pure idealism. Yet, it is idealism that threads through the internet today.

And, like throughout history, the voice of the people is mocked. Today's Wall Street Journal takes a stab at bloggers and their uninhibited expressions. One of our most staid and traditional news outlets sniffs with an up-turned nose at the suspicious blogging world. The title of the piece is telling: Disinhibition Nation. Worse it links the murderous behavior of a blogger who killed a ten year-old neighbor to the "intense language" of progressive political blogs like Huffington Post and Daily Kos by claiming the masses use the avenue as a place to "unburden and unhinge" themselves. In fact, responses of commenters sprinkled with swear words, rather than the hosts blogs, were used to make the point, begging the question: Are web hosters responsible for the words of their readers? Or more to the point, since when did swearing or "intense language" determine character? Didn't our own Vice President publically hurl the "f" word at a Senator? Yet, he was praised for standing up for himself and not putting up with abuse.

Oddly, the author of the haughty piece ignored some right wing political pundits bizarre unburdened behavior like Ann Coulter who wrote in her syndicated column:

"I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East and sending liberals to Guantanamo."

Or how about the televised suggestion by a leading, religious media figure, Pat Robertson, who called for the assasination of the elected president of Venezuela?

Many more examples exist of traditional media figures swearing or declaring some group or individual deserving of death or imprisonment for what they think or believe. Is it any wonder that the lone riders, the individuals of the blogging world would emulate the behaviors of the "civilized pundits?" Also ignored in the article were opinions put forth in the conservative or right-leaning blogs which drip with condescension and superiority.

In truth, I am not going to justify the unleashing of anger or hostility in any forum. Neither will I respect the writings of another so heavily weighted with us-versus-them. Like the field of tulips, we are a nation of individuals. As we learn about electronic communication as a means to create positive change, the elite necessarily lose power. Our sea of colorful prose is one more step toward real democracy and the powers that be are uneasy. So be it. We have a right to be angry with our representatives that lie us into war, or sell their political powers to the highest bidder, disrespect our troops and the military, or manipulate elections. We have a right to become a bit unhinged by the lies that rise to the top of the pond scum. There is nothing to fear out here.

Change is upon us all. Criticism is easy; condemnation is the arrogance of elitism. Respect can and should reign in the interactive political world; becoming the mirror image of a group of people who abuse, demonize, and lie won't promote healthy policy. Neither will casting an entire population of bloggers as unhinged. We have unhinged people in all walks of life. Yet,we are each citizens of this great country; finding what ties us together instead of pitting one group against another is our ancient, awaiting path.