Accountability

“Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

–     John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States

It’s as if he could see 50 years in the future, huh?  Maybe it was like this in the 60’s and maybe it’s been like this in every decade forever, but it seems to me as if everyone wants to blast (and maybe even form) their opinion without the accountability of having had to think about it.

Fiscal cliff.

Guns.

Entitlements.

Spending.

Taxes.

Fairness.  (Whatever the heck that’s supposed to be!)

It’s one thing to know what we think.  It’s another matter completely to know and to understand why we think it.  And therein lies the only means we have of ever knowing if and / or when we should change our mind.

Debate — (the constructive kind of discourse upon which every great institution is built) — is steeped in knowing and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your position, and being willing to listen to and consider other points of view.  Arguments — defiance, stubbornness and arrogance — have their roots in not caring enough to know, or not knowing enough to care.

Accountability for what we think and say — it’s a good place to start.