|
| |
|
August 2, 2008
"We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For"
Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona has accused people of being
"narcissistic" when they appreciate the sentiment
expressed by the saying, "We are the ones we have been waiting for."
He did this recently on MSNBC, and
David Gregory ― like a script-bound student ― did not challenge him.
Indeed, I have heard a number of McCain
supporters similarly express disdain for this saying, often referring to it
as if it is the mantra of mindless cult-members. Each time, dull-eyed,
slack-jawed members of the media listened dutifully, drooled, and continued
the conversation to another subject.
The saying itself is innocent enough and
espouses a simple position: We, you and I, should not waste time waiting
around for someone, whether a political or religious leader, a savior or
messiah, to come by and help us; rather, it is up to us, you and me, to roll
up our sleeves and work together to attain the changes that we desire.
I think that the reason that the McCainites
cry and complain about this saying is basic. It is their job to
complain about anything Obama-related that may sound strange or unusual to
Ma & Pa Middle America. McCainites, remember: if it is even mildly
different, do not mention that you understand it and do nothing to clarify;
instead, point your finger, yell and tremble with outrage!
I first heard this
saying spoken by
Maria
Shriver when she announced her endorsement of Barack Obama. She said it was
from an old Hopi prayer. That seemed
plausible. The saying itself was just awkward enough to incite some
consideration on my part, but, soon enough, its meaning seemed self-evident.
It brings to mind a common story, which I first saw in a chain email, but
which is available in many forms. One such is
this:
|
A small
village in Rural Russia was beset by drought one year and all the
crops failed. The village rabbi prayed to the heavens, "Why don't you
do something about this dreadful drought?" But the heavens remained
silent. So the rabbi organized a charity food drive with the
neighboring villages to feed his people.
When the
rains came, they came in heavy and the local river flooded, killing
all the livestock. The rabbi again prayed, "Heavenly Father, my people
are suffering so much, save us from this flood!" But, again, no help
from God seemed forthcoming. So the rabbi lobbied the government
authorities to provide financial assistance to replenish the herds
lost in the deluge.
Finally,
in the wake of the flood, infection and disease ran through the
inhabitants of the village. The rabbi prayed once more, "Now surely
God you will help us!" But the diseases ran their course. So the rabbi
marshaled and organized the able bodied in the village to care for the
sick.
Months
later reflecting on the tragedies of the past year, the rabbi turned
to God and accused Him, "Why did you not answer the prayers of my poor
villagers? Why did you not send help to them when we were beset by
drought, floods and pestilence?"
After many
hours of anguished entreaty, a quiet voice answered the rabbi in the
depths of his heart, "Of course I sent help; I sent you!" |
The point seems simple enough. We should look to
ourselves first as the agents of changes we desire. Rather than a statement of
narcissism, this is more a call to self-reliance, independence and personal
responsibility.
Perhaps Senator Jon Kyl considers as
narcissistic and self-centered anyone who would dare to solve their own
problems rather than depend on his fellow senator from Arizona?
If so, then John
Sidney McCain has a lot of "We are the ones" fires to stamp out. A
simple Google search (which, I hear, is the kind of new, cutting-edge
technology that John Sidney has recently been exploring) brings up numerous
references, among which are:
 |
An October, 2006,
article by an associate professor of postsecondary education who cites
the saying while teaching leadership to her students
|
|
The 1980 June
Jordan "Poem for
South African Women"
|
|
A
July, 2002, article by a Midwesterner anxious to keep Kansas River water
clean who claims that we, being polluters, are part of the problem and are
therefore can be part of the solution, from which he reasons that, if we are
waiting for someone else to come by and take care of the environment, then
we are the ones we . . . yada yada yada
|
|
A Buddhist
reproduction of the
Hopi prayer cited by Maria Shriver
|
And stamp out these fires John Sidney
McCain must!
We must be made to understand that we are not the ones we
have been waiting for. We must be made to understand that Big Daddy
John McCain is the one we have been waiting for.
We must be made to understand that we, on our own, can do
nothing. We must be made to understand that we are miserable worms who
can accomplish things only under the generous, paternal guidance of John
McCain.
We must be made to understand that Barack Obama is
self-centered when he says, "Yes, we can." We must be made to
understand that John McCain is not a self-centered, conceited,
self-congratulating, pompous, arrogant, self-aggrandizing, smug, stuffy,
angry, small and petty man who twists the truth only on those rare occasions
that he remembers it.
|
|
