Sources of Wisdom
Sources of Wisdom
Didja ever play Monopoly? Serious, intense, competitive Monopoly? Let’s say you’re playing with Don, Al, and Weave. If the four of you just roll the dice and hope to land on properties you want to buy and avoid opponents’ properties, you’ll each win about a quarter of the time. That’s how luck works. But if you want to win more often, you’ll have to make deals. You and Don hold the Orange and Green sets between you - neither has a complete set. You want the Orange set because it is landed on most frequently and you try to convince Don that the higher rents on the Greens make that the better set. Don’s gotten smarter and holds out for Orange. You agree to the trade if you get 3 free landings on the Oranges. Don agrees.
You turn quickly to Weave. You and he own the Reds and Purple between you. You obviously want the Reds but he won’t budge. You agree to giving him the Reds for the Purples, but you insist he include his last $400 in the deal. He agrees. Weave has no money to build, you have money to pile houses onto the Greens, and your 3 free hits might get you through the game without ever paying on the Oranges. Oh - and Al is in big trouble - he’s got nothing. The moral of Monopoly: you don’t have to make the best deals - you have to make the most. Talking about all the deals you’re going to do once you get into office - the wars that will end, the prices that will decline, the jobs that will be created - accomplishes nothing. You actually have to close deals. Monopoly taught me that.
Recently, a New York Times opinion piece entitled “My Problem with Superman” declared that The Man of Steel “loved a country I’d never seen.” From the author’s perspective, America is not worthy of Superman’s unabashed patriotism. The author also resents the free ride the man in tights received despite being an undocumented alien. Superboy’s easy assimilation into Smallville society, his perfect, loving parents - Ma and Pa Kent - his young love with Lana Lang and even Superdog Krypto made Kal-el’s immigrant experience ridiculously easy - even without superpowers.
It’s easy to criticize America’s failure to live up to its ideals. All too frequently, we come up short. “All men are created equal” has been observed more in breach than in reality throughout our history, but America – like any human endeavor – is great because of the ideals we strive to live up to. Setting our expectations spectacularly high may lead to bouts of disappointment and frustration, but it is also the only way to achieve greatness. Superman exemplifies that.
Why did we declare our independence from Britain? Our Declaration of Independence says it was all about the abuses of the King. “He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws…He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone…He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States, for that purpose obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners…He has…sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people…He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to Civil power…For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world…He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.” This is the language of the greatest document on the relationship between a government and its people ever written. It is presciently pertinent today.
Whether you rely on Monopoly, Superman, or The Declaration of Independence as your basis for judging where we are as a nation, you must conclude we are a nation in trouble. The solution won’t come from a few seats changing hands in the mid-term elections. It won’t come from a Presidential election choice between J.D. Vance and Pete Buttigieg (or some other desperately ambitious Party faithful) in 2028. It will have to come from outside the two parties. It has to be a truly independent voice – someone who generates excitement and demonstrates competence and wisdom and - most of all - is capable of earning our trust. It has to be someone who doesn’t want the job, who isn’t desperate for it and willing to sacrifice any and all principles to get it. It has to be someone who views the presidency as an act of sacrifice; a duty owed to a deserving country.
In this internet age, the truly deserving leader can go viral, can discard the trap of party loyalty, and can bring millions of disgusted Americans back to the polls. That’s my Midsummer Night’s dream.