By Sid Roberts / Herald Forum
I grew up in southwestern Kansas near the windy and dusty Oklahoma panhandle. This area is the historic epicenter of the nearly century-old Dust Bowl drought.
There are very few days of the year that the gusty wind doesn’t blow there, and one never gets used to it. It will wear you down, move your lawn furniture to your neighbor’s yard and literally humble you.
In fact, as a boy, I planned my bike trips around the wind. When it was at your back, you felt like you were in a rocket ship. However, when you had to ride against the wind, it was a debilitating and tough slog. Sometimes one had to get off their bike and walk it home and make sure you didn’t get hit by a tumbleweed.
In life, leadership is easy when the metaphorical wind is at your back. Everything you do is simpler when you have the inertia and momentum. However, true leadership and skill is often crafted when the going is tough. What you learn when the going is hard, what you do when things are difficult, is the key to surviving and prospering in life. There simply isn’t any victory without perseverance.
Literally, the best artwork is often created when there is trouble or when something important to you is in jeopardy or at risk. The best poetry seems to be written, not so much during inspiration, but as for therapy in the middle of a hard time. The best political influence and policy is also sometimes formulated when the crowd is going the other political way.
The political headwinds are howling in our country right now and the cold and biting north winds are blowing. But take heart, dear reader, this nasty cold wind will eventually abate and if you persevere, you will do some good things.
In our political landscape, there is always ying and yang. Without political tension, there is no democracy. While political compromise is important and civility is crucial, disagreement is also imperative to formulate a democratic solution that fits with all at the table. However, sometimes, when things are going south, it would be easy to throw in the towel and give up.
Right now, much of what is being done to our democracy is disconcerting to me. It feels like the dusty Kansas wind is blowing in our faces. However, the best thing one can do during this headwind is get involved in the process. The wind will return to your sail sometime.
We need leaders now, more than ever, who will stand up. We need truth tellers in a world of fake news. We need moderate thought leaders to step up and lead during these hard times.
The missing middle isn’t only about housing but also about political leadership. Standing up for something important and right, even when you face opposition, will keep you from falling for something sinister.
A few years ago, Kara Lawson, the women’s basketball coach at Duke University gave a short speech to her players, and it went viral. It became known as “Handle Hard Better.” “It doesn’t get easier,” Lawson said. “What happen is you become someone who handles hard stuff better.”
It is true, we need to handle hard better and buck the headwinds. New leadership needs to come forward, those with new ideas need to be brought to the table, and we need to also work with the cards that are in our hand.
The phrase you learned in typing class in high school could not now be more apropos, “now is the time for good men (and women) to come to the aid of their country.” This country, these towns, this state, needs your leadership. Registration week to run for political office is weeks away, May 4-9. While you probably always thought that was for someone else, your integrity is needed right now while the winds are still blowing in the wrong direction.
Sid Roberts is Mayor of Stanwood.
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