The Village Square

My Purple post: Noisy wisdom

December 4th, 2009

(My weekly blog post for our friends at Purple State of Mind. Why not go right on over and read it on their site, and visit a minute or two while you’re there.)

I have a new hero. (Sorry John & Craig, you’ll have to share.)

The most I could say before 2 days ago about former Republican Congressman from Iowa Jim Leach is that I had heard of him.

Leach served for 30 years in Congress and is currently the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He’s launching a 50 state civility tour. Need I say more?

I’ve spent an eyeball-rolling hour deciding how to deftly convey his wisdom at the same time as I woo you with my cleverness. But, you know, sometimes you’ve got to know when it’s time to just get the heck out of the way and let someone else’s brilliance shine. So here goes. Jim Leach making it abundantly clear why my new motto is “Jim Leach, Jim Leach, Jim Leach…”

Jim Leach on what he calls “Reality 101:” “9/11 has taught that thinking must change not simply because of the destructive power of the big bomb, but because of the implosive nature of small acts. Violence and social division are rooted in hate. Since such thought begins in the hearts and minds of individuals, it is in each of our hearts and minds that hate must be checked and our way of thinking changed.”

Leach on “Sports 101:” “The temper and integrity of the political dialogue are more important for the cohesiveness of society than the outcome of any election. The problem in politics is that there are so few rules and no referees. The public must be on perpetual guard and prepared to throw flags when politicians overstep the bounds of fairness and decency.”

Leach on why Congress sucks (my words): “Approximately 380 of 435 House seats are designed or gerrymandered in such a way as to be safe for one of the parties… Institutional polarization is the inevitable result.”

Leach on why Congress sucks, part 2 (again, my hero is too classy to say “sucks” but I’m not): “On the left, the problem is frequently evidenced by those who assume that increasing social spending for almost any compassionate cause is the only moral choice; and on the right, by those who assume that the moral values of one or another group should be written into law to bind society as a whole.”

Leach on why Congress sucks, part 3 (so much material here): “…What is so confounding about today’s politics is the break with a central aspect of the American political tradition. Historically, legislative decision-making has been based on what might be described as a Hegelian give-and-take between the parties—the thesis being one party’s perspective, the antithesis, the other’s, and the synthesis being legislation that accommodates concerns of each… a trend has developed where legislative compromises are being made almost exclusively within whichever party controls Congress… Far better it would be for all legislators to consider themselves responsible for governing and for both sides to recognize that the other has something to say and contribute. “

Leach on why he is my new hero: “Unlike natural physics where Sir Isaac Newton pointed out that action equals reaction, in social chemistry reaction can be greater than action. Name calling in the kindergarten of life can lead to a hardening of attitudes and sometimes physical responses. Hence civil discourse is about more than good manners. To label someone a “communist” may spark unspeakable acts; to call a country “evil” may cause a surprisingly dangerous counter-reaction.”

Best ever Jim Leach-isms:

1. “Vacuous citizenship”
2. “Citizenship is hard.”
3. “Civilization requires civility.”
4. “A civility crisis at home and a civilization crisis abroad.”
5. “Wisdom that isn’t shared is noiseless thought in the forest of humankind.”

I’ll be damned if Jim Leach’s wisdom is left noiseless.

Entry Filed under: Purple State of Mind