D, R, or Not Important
I recently received an interesting first-time e-mail from a blog reader: "I've been reading your blog religiously for more than 2 years now and I still can't tell your politics. I feel like I know your values but you never tip your hand about politics. Is that intentional?"
I think this is a very insightful observation, and yes, it's intentional. We live in a culture that defines people by the letters "D" and "R." Many people define themselves with these designations. It almost becomes people's entire identity and personality. It's interesting to me that for many Americans, the letter they attach to themselves has more bearing on their life than their chosen faith.
Therefore, I'm quite pleased that this blog reader has been reading my content for years, but still cannot paint me into a political box. Here's my favorite part of her e-mail, though. She feels like she knows my values. Yes!!! My values. Values matter so much more than letters, candidates, and bumper stickers. Every day, I seek to communicate my values, ideas, and perspectives. That's one of the reasons why so many people come back again and again. I DON'T jam politics down people's throats. Now, some people might ascertain my leanings based on certain shared perspectives, but it's not a concrete correlation.
Why? Why don't I share my political leanings more openly? In our culture, we decide whether we fully agree or fully disagree with what someone says the moment we know the letter in front of their name. Even if it's the best idea ever, we despise it if the person has the wrong letter. And even if it's the worst idea ever, we love it if the person has the right letter. Therefore, I opt out of that stupid game and instead allow people to judge my values, ideas, and perspectives on their own merits.
I propose we chop up the letters. Nobody needs to know what letter sits before each of our names. D or R? More like not important. I don't care what letter you wear. I care about the ideas you bring to the table. If you bring good ideas, I'm in. If you bring dumb ideas, well, probably not. Politics shouldn't need to play a factor.
I'm so glad my new blog reader friend shared her observation with me. I'm grateful she noticed, and I hope others do, too. You are more than your politics, far more! In fact, I'd argue that almost everything about you is more important than your politics. Please remember that, and let's create a world where people know more about our values, ideas, and perspectives than the letter we wear.
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