The Content of Their Character
First, there is the race to the bottom. This election cycle has partisans trying to show both candidates as doddering idiots who are foaming at the mouth, tripping and stuttering…It’s insulting and debasing and a race to the bottom. And since I am a caregiver for a 98-year-old, it’s insulting to all older people. Yes, older people are not as fleet of foot and they may be forgetful. They may not understand the intricacies of the internet or modern language and culture. But they are not ‘out of it’ or fools because they are old.
It’s called Age-ism and it’s a prejudice against the elderly. And it’s on full display. Part of the hate-filled rhetoric comes from the man himself. Trump is filled with hate and vindicative language and hate-filled rants. It should translate that a large swath of his followers may have to take a look back and ask not: What’s the matter with Biden? Or for that matter: What’s the matter with Trump? It should be: What’s the matter with YOU? And what is the matter with me that I can laugh and follow someone so full of anger and rage and hate?
Remember how much effort is spent, just one time per year, when people are fond of quoting the late Dr Martin Luther King. His “I Have a Dream’ speech culminated in the fulfillment of the dream being a day when his own young black children were judged not by the color of their skin, but instead by the content of their character. The content of the character is what counts. What if…we judged our candidates on the content of their character? How would that work out?
Let’s put aside the convictions on sexual assault and the many counts in a court of law against this person. Let’s instead focus solely on the contents of the two men’s characters. One is a church going family man and the other is a liar and someone who has little regard for women. One is someone who privately made fun of his Vice-President because he was overtly religious. The other is a fully practicing Catholic believer in faith who also believes in the separation of church & state.
One believes in the sanctity of the Constitution and the other does not. One tried to overturn an election that didn’t go his way and charged a group of followers to storm the Capitol and halt the legal counting of votes. One has a group of followers who privately, behind his back, snicker and bemoan his existence and his dictatorial rants, and yet are afraid of his followers and the power of their party.
One has tried to do the right thing. He admits he is human and is not perfect, but tries to help the American people. The other has publicly admitted he doesn’t care about anything connected with the well-being of the Public Good-except whether or not you vote for him. He asked rich billionaires to pay him One Billion dollars in order to win an election and in return, promised to overturn any regulation that might be considered environmentally friendly.
The list is endless and goes on for a long time. One is a human who is full of compassion and empathy. The other is the opposite. His character is much like the Portrait of Dorian Gray painting, full of dark and evil and menacing cracks and ghoulish outlines that promise to terrorize.
Character matters. One has a character that quotes Irish poets that insist that history will rhyme and America’s best days are ahead. He promises to fight for the heart and the soul of America. The other debases all attempts at living a life of service where the thought is for the Public Good and is greater than himself.
I am reminded of the old quote which tells us we should be planting trees under which we shall never enjoy the shade. The one person is into planting trees of promise for future generations. The other is into only cutting down anything in his way and could never understand what the purpose could be of planting a tree under which he himself would not enjoy all of the shade and benefit! The content of the character matters today more than ever before.
Dr King was so right…we should judge a man not for how he judges other people’s skin color, but rather because of the content of their character. And in retrospect, that should reflect upon the content of our character, our Future American story and the character of our people
