"Winning isn't Everything; it's the ONLY thing."

 

Wearing a tie makes me feel like a man who's wearing a tie. 

The party system often cited as a cornerstone of democracy is showing itself to be doing to human relationships (politics) what denominationalism has done to Christianity, to Islam, Judaism and practically every religion ever invented. The pre-election campaigning in the USA and the current “throw the bastards out” rhetoric in Canada are shameful reminders that we prefer our citizen-to-citizen relationships to echo our combative sports. Winners and losers, zero sum games, diplomacy and negotiation are for wimps, we won, we won, we won. Take that, suckers!

Have we resigned ourselves to the conviction that we’re not capable of better? I gave Christian denominationalism as an example that defies one of Jesus Christ’s primary admonitions, namely that his followers remain united. 

To abandon unity in favour of a new party to compete with the old has resulted in magnificent, but empty, cathedrals and loss of interest by many in the gospel unless it can deliver a message of unearned, eternal bliss wrapped in unconditional positive regard and flashy entertainment. Some would say, unless it can be shown to be right while others are wrong.

Are we born with an inclination to be competitive (because it’s exciting, maybe) and not cooperative (because it’s boring, maybe), or do we teach and learn the choosing of competing party systems over unity? 

Schools have competitive sports programs: team uniforms, victory celebrations and the rest. I’ve occasionally debated with other teachers what it is we’re teaching via sports. Among the defenses—including physical fitness, camaraderie, team spirit—my assertion that we’re also training them in adopting a winner/loser outlook to their place in the world was sometimes shrugged off.

But we didn’t separate into pro-hockey and anti-hockey parties; we talked about better and best Physical Education programming. Disunity in a school staff is suicidal. Less obviously in religions and politics, but certainly more evident when, for instance, an anti-gay faction leaves to start a new anti-gay church, or any modern democracy mounts an election.

Rosthern is holding a municipal election this coming week. Being a small town, I know some candidates casually and little or nothing about others. I have no idea whether any have a provincial or federal party affiliation. I do know enough to vote confidently for a few whose integrity is not in doubt. 

To apply a non-partisan election to provincial or federal politics would take substantial rethinking, considerable abandoning of old habits, but it would be worth a try, wouldn’t it? And, it might remove one reason to despise our neighbours?

If you disagree, email me at gg.epp41@gmail.com and we can start up a partisan quarrel … which I’d hope to win! I'm only human, after all.