First Posted: 10/1/2011
What’s your motivation each day?Do you wake up, hoping to make a life better somewhere? Maybe it’s a commitment to whatever you do for a job, helping your customers get as good of a widget as possible. Or maybe it’s something entirely more selfish, like wanting your own life and that of your family to be better.Or is your motivation to win at all costs?My guess is most people will choose the first option. It’s a little pie in the sky to say you want to make a better world, but most people keep that seed alive deep inside.Our politicians, unfortunately, don’t share that goal. The goal seems to be winning, no matter what.The issue reared its ugly head at the state level this week, as Democrats reacted to congressional redistricting in Ohio. There’s no doubt about this: It’s a weird-looking map. It doesn’t make any sense. Jim Jordan’s district reaches from Toledo all the way south into Clark County. My congressional district, represented by Bob Latta, is the only one on the map that makes any sense, as it’s almost square.The system used to design this map, though, is completely legal and constitutional. It was designed under the rules both sides know existed. It’s the way the game’s played, even if the map looks goofy.The Democrats sued. They want to put a referendum on the ballot to get rid of the new maps. They want the Ohio Supreme Court to intervene.What they want is to win. They want to be right.I’ve been married just long enough to know being right isn’t enough. Pushing toward a better future is more important.They could be spending their time and money toward building a better system. Instead of kicking and screaming like children that they don’t like it, they could be offering an alternative to the politicized system that created it. They could be pushing for a nonpartisan system that builds maps based on population centers, with no regard for political affiliation.The Democrats aren’t alone in their desire to win instead of succeed. You don’t have to look any farther than the consistent stalemate between Congress and the president to see similar stubbornness. The Republicans are holding up President Barack Obama’s job proposal, which includes a number of proposals Republicans originally suggested.Since it’s not their plan, the Republicans fight it. They have to be right.There’s a fine line between being right and doing what’s right. There’s a place to yell about how things ought to be, but it’s not Washington. This fight plays out on a daily basis, between the Republicans and Democrats, between the liberals and the conservatives, between the right and the left.The reality is most of us are somewhere in the middle. We see a little bit of truth on each side and recognize the importance of compromise.Every day, we have opportunities to react to things around us. We can choose to fight to be right and work hard to place blame at the other side’s feet. Or we can work to fix what’s wrong and move on with our lives, using the wisdom of each side.I’m not the only one thinking this, apparently. A Gallup poll released Monday showed a majority of Americans surveyed said it’s more important for leaders to compromise to get things done than to stick squarely to their beliefs. Three times in the last 10 months, when Gallup asked this question, the majority tilted toward compromise.That same poll showed people who identified themselves as conservatives were more likely to demand people stand firm. Moderates and liberals were more likely to be willing to compromise.Don’t get me wrong. I have an uncompromising view of how the world should be, and it’s a long way from where we are today. But I’m also realistic to know that changes happen gradually, over time, and a series of smaller compromises get you where you want to go a lot faster than dragging your feet while demanding an unachievable goal.If we as a nation ever want to win, we as individuals have to be willing to compromise.
