Saturday, October 24, 2015

Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

My husband and I saw the movie "Bridge of Spies" a few days ago, and both of us felt it exceeded our expectations.  There is a message embedded in the essence of the film that talking can work wonders, and deescalate tensions that might harm the many.  Diplomacy was at it's height then.  No one wanted another world war, and all sides wished to avoid violence.  The viewer gets the feeling that our current Congressional impass is because this art, and it is an art, is devalued.  Now people want dramatic statements and acts that draw the attention of the media.  Secrecy, and conversations involving negotiations are devalued.  The public has the right to know.  But it has turned out that the public is in the line of fire for judgment, hatred and sensationalism.  Witness the Bengahzi hearings.  There is much posturing and no information.  Like Bernie Sanders, we are fatigued with this public display.  Not everything can be reality TV.

We have a counter example of the old fashioned diplomacy in Pope Francis encouraging Cuba and the U.S. to loosen up their ancient stances and come to agreement on reasonable relations.  So the old way is not dead.  And there is every indication that John Kerry is working tirelessly behind the scenes to make tensions in the Middle East ease a bit.  But this understanding of diplomacy takes thought and a belief that this is a skill not everyone possesses.  Therefore we have to leave diplomats to the necessary privacy of their calling.  Yes, they are ultimately responsible to us.  But they are not required to entertain us and expose every step of their decision making.  We have a representative government, not a circus.

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