I am reading a book called Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. If you are looking for a good read this is a great one. In it he refers to a story while Ronald Reagan was President and was shot. On the way in for surgery he commented to the doctor that he hoped he was Republican. The doctor replied, “We’re all Republicans today, Mr. President.” This said by a man who was an outspoken Democrat.
Why was it okay on that day for him to not worry about political differences? Simple, because it was about saving a life. I would venture to say this was regardless of him being the president. The times I have been to the hospital I have never been asked what our political officiation is.
On a much lighter note, it is Cow Appreciation Day! A day that our family has decided it is very much worth it to dress up in cow spots with ears and tails for free food. In this case it really is free food. You can go all three meals dressed up and in some cases even win additional prizes.
It truly is an amazing day. I would add to this that no matter what your feelings about Chick-Fil-A as a company, it is a day you may well feel obliged to put those differences aside and go get your free food. One of the only times of the year the old adage “Something for nothing” really is true.
So why and when are people willing to do things like this? To drop the arguments, to forget their stance on “issues” and take a moment to let life just be.
I want to suggest a couple of things here and would love to hear your input as well.
I believe the reason times like this are important is because too often we take life too seriously. The point in the story about Reagan was as much about his ability to joke as it was about his hope that the doctor would save his life. All to often we believe that what we are promoting or fighting for is what will change the world. History says differently. What we are fighting for now has at some point in history been fought for before. We would fair better to look back and realize what the underlying issues were rather than just complaining about the symptom on the surface.
Additionally, our ability to step back from the issues should give us some insight into what issues are really worth holding onto. Some are good to try to convince others to join us on (this is the smallest group), some are just our opinion or perception, some are big global issues effecting the whole human race. We need to be able to tell the difference. Maybe this can be a post for another time. The problem is I have to be able to step back from the issues and focus on how we deal with what is going on in life.
I trust if you are still reading that you are willing to consider that the issues you ware holding onto may or may not be worth it. That there is a bigger picture here and that stepping back and acknowledging that for the benefit you and others will receive, is worth it.