Sunday, June 26, 2011
Treatise on Open Government
It is the duty of any government to provide the means to its inhabitants an ability to follow and understand what the government is doing. In our nation, the system of checks and balances keep either the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches from attaining to much authority. The people, however, are the final check on a government. They give the consent to govern. It is from them that the government gets its authority and legitimacy. As a result, the government has an obligation to do what the people wish and make it evident that they are doing so. The government must always be held accountable to the people, so the government should provide as much information as necessary to let the people know what is going on.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Admitting One is Wrong: A Necessary Evil
There has been many a time, especially recently, where another politician stands at a podium, denying that they had any part in unsuitable behavior. They nearly always turn out to be lying. It seems to us, as it may seem to many people, that if we all just admitted we were wrong at first, then there would be far fewer problems.
Except people have a lot of trouble admitting they were wrong, stupid, or unreasonable in their actions. They will maintain, if only publicly, that they were always in the right, and twist their story into knots in order to portray themselves as the sane, rational, glorious beings that they most definitely are not.
The truth is, we all make mistakes. We're human. Some of us make dumber mistakes than others. No matter. What really matters is how we cope with mistakes. As wise people once said or wrote, there are no mistakes, only lessons. And a lesson is repeated until it is learned.
We must all learn our lessons, and in order to do so it is better to admit wrongdoing rather than lie to our friends, colleagues, constituents, family, and ourselves. People who tell the truth and can admit they were wrong and attempt with all their effort to make things right gain the support of those around them far more than those who go along as if they were right all the time.
If we are to truly do the right thing for our reputations, work, country, family, and ourselves, we should tell the truth, and not be afraid to say, well, we were wrong.
Except people have a lot of trouble admitting they were wrong, stupid, or unreasonable in their actions. They will maintain, if only publicly, that they were always in the right, and twist their story into knots in order to portray themselves as the sane, rational, glorious beings that they most definitely are not.
The truth is, we all make mistakes. We're human. Some of us make dumber mistakes than others. No matter. What really matters is how we cope with mistakes. As wise people once said or wrote, there are no mistakes, only lessons. And a lesson is repeated until it is learned.
We must all learn our lessons, and in order to do so it is better to admit wrongdoing rather than lie to our friends, colleagues, constituents, family, and ourselves. People who tell the truth and can admit they were wrong and attempt with all their effort to make things right gain the support of those around them far more than those who go along as if they were right all the time.
If we are to truly do the right thing for our reputations, work, country, family, and ourselves, we should tell the truth, and not be afraid to say, well, we were wrong.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)