Under the Microscope, but Inspired by Hope

Two sets of events are the topic for this current blog. The first is our tendency to place national and international leaders under the microscope of scrutiny. With that scrutiny seems to be an underlying desire to show these leaders as having “clay feet” by catching them in a misstatement or a moment where they are not as polished as they might otherwise seem. I don’t know what it is about our current society that we need to debunk in order to feel okay about ourselves and our condition, but that seems like what we want or at least what the media thinks we want. I, for one, can’t imagine having to live every moment under a watchful eye of such scrutiny and think such close examination is hurtful to otherwise successful leaders. It is also hurtful to us, because many capable, competent, and compassionate people shy away from the laser light of such scrutiny. I have watched televised political conversations over the past few weeks, and been disappointed with the emphasis on attack and the negative, trying to find a “chink in the armor” of one’s opponent, or raising one’s self up by beating another down. That’s not what inspires me or helps me make a decision. I really don’t think that behavior reflects who we are as human beings either.

Second, I just got back from Washington, D.C., and hearing the pope speak to college presidents and superintendents of Catholic dioceses. His message was one of hope, reconciliation, and a call to live a life grounded in the authentic freedom that a commitment to faith affords. I found his message uplifting and encouraging. He was inviting us to live the lives we are intended to live, to serve a greater calling, and to act through faith in service to others.

I was left with the deep sense that given the choice of debunking or uplifting, I’d choose uplifting every time. What about you?