Keep your friends close and your enemies closer...
President Lincoln had a ridiculous assortment of personal tragedies in his life and many thought he had significant psychological demons: depression, introversion, etc. It is a wonder he could govern. But, one thing he mastered that no politician even attempts (to the same degree) today is that he incorporated his rivals in his government. And not just in ceremonial positions - in his inner circle, his cabinet. There is a great book, Team of Rivals by Doris Goodwin, that details how Lincoln assembled people whose world views conflicted heavily with his and with his other appointments. (The tome is nearly 800 pp plus another 200 pp of footnotes and index, so not a quick read!) It was his deliberate and calculated abandonment of partisan comforts that allowed him to see, understand and thoughtfully weigh options in a time of significant turmoil. He rejected the comforts of agreement and agreeable people in favor of better solutions. I believe partisanship is one of the great mental and ethical diseases of our time. Is it even worse than relativism?
I have heard that saying a million times and never took the time to see why it was used or who created the statement.
Yes both of these theories seem to self handicap the believer from ever seeing outside of the narrow lane of vision they hold. If you believe that no matter wha the situation is you should hold to your beliefs you midest well believe that you will never understand anyone elses view.
Hi Gwendolyn,
I am sure who made that saying up, and it is only paritally applicable here. What Lincon did, which we need more of today (IMHO), was to genuinely esteem the ideas and opinions of his rivals. This made him a more effective leader. When we reject ideas simply because of who they came from, we diminish our own capacity to reach the best solutions.
Todd