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| The Mystical Swamp Thing Thinking beyond the bog. |
However.....what is the long term objective and perhaps focusing on that may make a difference. Thomas Paine the Founding Father of the United States once said "It is the direction and not the magnitude which is to be taken into consideration". Thomas was a philosopher who wrote Common Sense which advocated for common purpose, strong government, freedom (leading to the Bill of Rights and Constitution), and ruling for the people and by the people.
Thomas Paine hoped people wouldn't get derailed by being bogged down into the swamp of political abstraction, "The Almighty hath implanted in us these unextinguishable feelings for good and wise purposes,” he continues... “They are the guardians of his image in our hearts.” In other words, we must check in with ourselves and say, "Am I voting my conscious?" As long as our politicians can vote their conscious with a national vision/purpose in mind they will resolve major national issues wisely through Collective Intelligence. Yet that is a choice..... (See Biggest US Threats).
Sometimes I think its important to keep our eye on the big picture and focus on where we want to be as a nation in a couple of decades. I have my vision and I suspect others have their visions (i.e. digital era and economic-social leadership.) Our choices we make today will likely impact our opportunities tomorrow (Notice I didn't say which choices...while I have my preferences our law makers are making a collective choice based upon their preferences as well.).
The Harvard Blog posted an article 'Understanding Different Negotiation Styles' by Katie Shonk that discusses how Cooperators Styles are more likely to create value for both sides (Shonk, 2021, para 4):
- Individualists seek to maximize their own outcomes with little regard for their counterparts’ outcomes. About half of U.S. negotiators have an individualistic negotiating style, according to Weingart.
- Cooperators, about 25% to 35% of U.S. negotiators, strive to maximize both their own and other parties’ outcomes and to see that resources are divided fairly.
- Competitives, comprising about 5% to 10% of U.S. negotiators, seek to get a better deal than their “opponent.” They behave in a self-serving manner and often lack the trust needed to solve problems jointly.
- Altruists, who are quite rare, put their counterpart’s needs and wants above their own.
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| "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." --Andrew Carnegie |
You can also read the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Reconciliation Bill in their full. I have a longer sort of discussion on Infrastructure and Reconciliation Bill (Government and Budgeting) There is an impression that some lawmakers might support the bi-partisan infrastructure bills but that they are concerned about the amount of allocation in the bill to actual infrastructure (This is sometimes why the design of the bill and "add ons" can help or hinder certain bills. This isn't against these bills necessary because almost all the legislation sort of combines different elements. I wonder if writing bills more succinct and focused would lead to higher decision making/focused effort among both parties? Its kind of like these are the things we need to get done and these are the things that we can discuss as a strategic course. i.e. for example if your house has a broken window you know you have to get it fixed asap while we might be able to discuss further the color of the carpet or how we want to remodel the bathroom. I know stupid example...it might only make sense to me but that is the first thing I can think of while drinking coffee.⛾ 😞)
Side note: I'm watching how things get done in Washington (I suspect a lot of people are watching.). I'm a conservative by nature and support robust discussion and understanding of different sides through divergent thinking (Convergent and Divergent Thinking) that with collective action leads to a more strategic choice. Developing my critical thinking skills to get a well rounded picture of the political landscape. (Notice I didn't say I was a critical thinker but I suspect its relative to everyone else in our subjective reality...nerd...🤓.🤷). The Foundation for Critical Thinking states, "Critical thinking...the awakening of the intellect to the study of itself."
To solve problems like this we must continuously question with a positive purpose and be open to the possibility of new ways to do things to find solutions as a whole bodied entity (Democrat, Republican and the majority of society that are not involved in politics and don't really have a say but are still the ultimate stakeholders.). Our ability to work together and solve problems is the banner that will rally around our core principles to spearhead positive change. We may use something like the Socratic Method to help in examining phenomenon like political actions in what looks like a major cultural shift into an era of rapid change and a possible American Renaissance (and with luck not a decline....but again depends on choices.)......
"I went to the artisans, for I was conscious that I knew nothing at all, as I may say, and I was sure that they knew many fine things of which I was ignorant, and in this they certainly were wiser than I was. But I observed that even the good artisans fell into the same error as the poets; because they were good workmen they thought they knew all sorts of high matters, and this defect in them overshadowed their wisdom." Socrates
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