Happy Birthday, Glenn Beck!

Today is Glenn Beck's 47th birthday. Happy Birthday, Glenn! I would like to join with many other Americans in sincerely wishing for you an enjoyable and relaxing year ahead.

Anyone who reads this blog (DOES anyone read this blog??) knows that I have frequently commented on Glenn Beck, usually not in the most glowing of terms. Today is different. I will not criticize Glenn Beck today. Instead, with a recognition that entertainers like Glenn Beck exist in various forms and with different agendas in the American political arena, I would like to use this occasion as an opportunity to make a call for action that applies to all. I call upon myself first, and any others who would care to follow, to make changes in the way we educate ourselves and conduct our discourse. I know that I remain too arrogant and self-righteous to completely succeed in this effort, but I want to try, and I hope you will too.

I note in passing that our political environment is changing. Republicans now control the House of Representatives, many state legislatures and state houses. Some of the rhetoric that preceded the last election has subsided, but other forms have stepped up. President Obama's ratings are climbing. Keith Olbermann was fired by MSNBC despite having the highest rated program on the network. Glenn Beck has lost more than a third of his viewers in the past year, and his radio show has been canceled in New York and Philadelphia. It seems that Americans are taking a new and fresh look at who and what they want to see and hear.

With all of this in mind, may I suggest my own fresh look at how we could improve ourselves and our country? Here are 12 ideas; gifts, as it were, that we could offer to Glenn for his birthday:

• Let's be more civil. A recent tragedy in Arizona was used by people on both ends of the political spectrum to promote their agenda. This is wrong. But that doesn't mean we can't use the incident as an opportunity to re-examine our approach to politics. The truth is, we threaten too much. We attack people, not ideas. Our rhetoric is often filled with hatred and references to violence. We can do better. We can show more respect for people without abandoning principles. In fact, showing more respect for people will strengthen our principles.
• Let's avoid name-calling. This is an approach that belongs on the grade school playground, not in serious political discussion. I have called people hypocrites, liars, stupid, ugly, and lots of other naughty names, and all it produced was defensiveness and anger. It is not productive to call anyone who disagrees with you a Nazi. It is not fair to the accused, nor to the Nazis, and especially not to those who suffered at the hands of Nazis. The same is true of many other labels used by people from all parts of the political spectrum.
• Let's speak more softly. We can be calmer, less emotional, less strident, and still make our point. I have learned from the scriptures and from my own personal experience that people often listen more carefully to a still, small voice than to a screamer.
• Let's stick to the facts. Arguments often take place when participants are tied to a position without regard to what the facts really show. Instead of assuming we know what the truth is, let's investigate it, examine it, and then form our positions based on fact rather than perception. We still might not agree, but much more productive discussions will ensue.
• Let's avoid stereotypes. All conservatives are not this, and all liberals are not that. Every person has his or her own views and motivations. We should follow the Stephen Covey principle of seeking first to understand, then to be understood.
• Let's value education. Learning can come from taking classes, obtaining degrees, reading good books, surrounding ourselves with smart people, or simply from experiences that teach us valuable lessons. Education in all its forms enriches our lives and makes us more understanding and tolerant. There is too much ignorance in our society, too much distrust of the well-educated, and too much willingness to rely on uneducated views. Far too many of our political commentators lack the kind of formal or informal education that would qualify them to influence serious thought.
• Let's distinguish between entertainment and news. Television and radio succeed by making money. They make money by attracting viewers and listeners. They attract viewers and listeners primarily by entertaining, not informing. There once was a clear distinction between news and entertainment shows on television. That time is no more. The boundary has been breached, and it now falls to the viewer to distinguish fact from opinion, truth from persuasion. We often don't do that very well, and the purveyors don't do much to help us.
• Let's study history. There is no reason to repeat past mistakes, and while we may disagree on what lessons history teaches us, we can't learn any lessons from history without studying it.
• Let's be skeptical of conspiracy theories. I don't know if Oswald really acted alone, but I know there are some people out there who see a conspiracy in everything that happens. A healthy dose of skepticism is worthwhile. Communists and Muslims are very unlikely to work together to destroy the US government, and I strongly doubt that President Obama's mother and grandparents conspired when he was born to falsify his birth record so he could become president 40-some years later. Even though some of these ideas may support our political views, accepting them at face value weakens our society and the quality of our political discourse. That's not to say the theories can't be true, just that we should be very careful before we accept them, and equally careful before we believe someone who sees a conspiracy under every rock. 
• Let's be citizens of the world. I'm not talking about world government, but greater international understanding. The United States is a great nation, and we are a great people, but we do not have a corner on the goodness market. There is much we can teach other nations, but there is much we can learn from them as well. Our nation and our values would be more accepted and respected if we showed greater respect and acceptance of others. We would also enjoy greater prosperity and peace.
• Let's try to agree more. We can accomplish much more if we look for areas of common interest, instead of obstinately clinging to ideas that divide us all the time. Even on very divisive issues like abortion or gun control, there are many things that all but the most extreme among us can agree upon. Why not pursue those common values, and seek change that most could agree upon, instead of focusing all our attention on the things that divide us. Seeking unity where it is possible will strengthen us as a people.
• Let's be happier. With all that is going on in our nation, it's easy to get discouraged. We blame each other for causing problems, and dread what the other side will do next to make things worse. I don't know about you, but I need to remind myself more often of the good things in my own life and in our country. God is good, and through his grace we can make it through all our personal and national challenges.

This list is admittedly exhausting, but hardly exhaustive. There is much more we could do, but I think this is a start. I welcome your comments.