OPINION: Explore, Listen, Speak Up

Magdalena Potluck
By Margaret Wiltshire

First you have freedom of speech. Lucky? You live in a culture that doesn’t want to listen. We don’t want to hear different ideas. Understandably, we don’t want someone else telling us what to think. However, listening is learning.
Often in our United States culture, we listen long enough to know if we are on the “same page” and that often means the same team. If not, we just don’t want to hear it.
One of the few things that can put us all on the same page is our compassion and empathy. I’m not surprised that the people of the United States will or have matched what our government has pledged to Haiti. It’s nothing however in terms of what we spend on war and big business.
Our culture, our nation is built on love of the individual and a love of teams. We love competition. We respect and value the power of teamwork. Yet we are most famous for our generosity and compassion. We are a complex people.
Don and I are pleased when people tell us they enjoy our column.
We don’t write to tell people what to think. We always hope our expression of thought will be a take off point for the reader’s own thoughts.
We’re not a “should be” kind of couple. We even have trouble with “should do”! We do have one “should” we share. We would like to see more exploration of concepts and traditions.
Don has been so frustrated in theater. After University he explored big time theater and that meant unions. Unions were not for him. Staying with non-union stage work, he found himself doing “comfortable” and “acceptable” plays. He loves theater that wakes you up, rips with truth and emotion and challenges the brain. Friends and mentors who would do courageous theater left the country to work elsewhere. He did not.
Right now he would like to give Magdalena “Mother Courage”. Theater is a team effort. Finding courageous players and doers is as difficult as finding a courageous audience.
I’m the 11th generation of U.S. politics and New England mores (culture). Maybe it is because I am a Gemini, or the family fifth wheel but I found playing “devil’s advocate” came easily.
I fully intended to be a member of the family team and started early to study what that meant.
What I found everywhere were contradictions. Often I felt like a ping pong ball bouncing back and forth when ideas and actions invalidated each other.
Mostly I found that exploration takes courage. It’s been well worth the effort.
I have “authority figure” problems. We are “taught” that this means anger problems, in other words, someone society needs to discipline or at least “watch out” for.
Once upon a time we had enough of these people to start a nation. The bigotry or assumption is that people with “authority problems” come from the bottom of the pile. Our history proves that is not always true.
Anger, frustration, disappointment may be the beginning but it does not have to be the end. I doubt one can cure their “authority figure problems” once they’ve seen it’s truth. Courageous exploration does allow a person to find other truths as well.
I still have authority figure problems but I have found care, love, good company and many people to respect and cooperate with. Continuing to check out authorities is zesty fun.
What do you think of this?
Chaos takes organized effort, it is not natural. Life tends to fall into workable systems. It’s the nature of nature, it’s human nature too. People without good government find the best way for them to live on their own. It tends to be orderly. I’ve seen it in Central America, in Haiti and in rural and the historic United States.
Good leadership offers the “means” of team effort. Setting team against team (outside of sports) gets in the way of getting good things done.
We are respecting your courage for exploration, thinking and speaking your mind.

Write Wshireoldadobe @ yahoo.com. Wilshire’s views do not necessarily represent those of the Mountain Mail.

OPINION: Explore, Listen, Speak Up