The Enemies Game
“The only way to win, is not to play.”
By Kurt Griffith,
Art Director & Producer, All of Us, Inc.
“A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.” – Henry Ward Beecher
As the new year, and a new Presidential Administration got under way in the USA, we’ve gone a little outside of our usual box to share something fun with you that we chanced upon that might help your heads wrap around the social and political trends we find ourselves awash in.
John Cleese is an award-winning actor and comic who came to prominence in the groundbreaking British comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus. He is also one of the funniest men alive on this planet, and in this short bit, he takes on ... extremism. The clip is 16 years old, grainy, fuzzy, quite a bit British – and absolutely bloody brilliant. We have some things to say about that.
If you’re not living under a rock, you may have noticed a certain relevance to the present moment most us us living in the United States have find ourselves embedded. This period of profound social and political division has escalated to what may be the most extreme it has been since the Civil War. Actual civil discussion of issues has nearly utterly vanished out of the political dialogue. Divisiveness has set neighbor against neighbor, broken friendships, stressed workplaces, and fractured families. We increasingly no longer look at our political opposition as fellow citizens with differing opinions and preferences of governance. We’re looking at them as enemies.
I don't believe in the “enemies game.” The imperative of our political and social landscape, especially on social media, is really invested in, as Sir John expresses, enemies. Essentially a list of the people it is okay to hate. I, and the 12 Habits 4 All of Us movement, categorically reject this. This attitude is contrary to a society that is healthy, functional, and capable of solving the many many challenges facing humanity on earth.
I reside in a conservative area of the United States. President Trump overwhelmingly won this region. The Democratic party in our state is barely functional. But the overwhelming majority of my neighbors and local acquaintances are, of course, perfectly ordinary, absolutely decent people, trying to make their way as best they can in this challenging world. These people are regular people, they are not my enemies, no matter how they voted. As my great-grandmother once very sternly admonished me, “People are jus’ folks, son.”
Looking at Lend a Hand, when people are having a hard time, when they need a hand, a favor, a service. I don't ask them how they voted. It’s not relevant. I rather care more about whether or not you are decent human being. We help, because it is the right thing to do, and try to leave bias and judgement out of it.
And I think embracing the 12 Habits helps all of us, a little at a time, incrementally, with so little investment, make ourselves better. We become more compassionate, more emphatic, more functional, and just better humans. And by doing so, we encourage the people around us to do so as well. Setting a good example is far more impactful than lecturing people.
And one more thought on this, a sense of humor is mandatory. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by all the serious out there. The ability to laugh at ourselves helps us to get through, appreciate the absurd, and maybe even enjoy the trip. That’s why John’s work as an actor, comic, and humanitarian is so welcome and inspiring.
We also have a few exciting things getting underway “backstage” that we’ll be sharing with you when they’re ready. More to come! So stay plugged in!
“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.” – Reba McEntire
If you’ve attended several of our circles, and enjoyed them but have been “so so” about your commitment to show up, or you have been meaning to forward our emails to your email friends and social media but just haven’t – NOW is the time.
If you’ve never participated - each month, we share together and focus on one of 12 habit-formation peace values that uplift and empower ourselves while we send our focused consciousness outward. We look at the previous months habit and meditate on the month to come. It’s interactive, uplifting, and fun. Together we can shift global consciousness from division to peace so please join us. We need you and you’ll so enjoy the experience.
We need people who can make a commitment to embrace the 12 Habits and help grow this community of unifiers by attending and encouraging others to attend our Masterminding Peace in Action Circles throughout the year.
Our Masterminding Peace in Action Circles are on the first Monday of each month at 4:00pm PT / 7:00pm ET.