Compromise

Compromise has become a dirty word. Republican presidential candidates are knocking each other over to proclaim their determined opposition to it. Pledges not to give an inch on issues like taxation are all the rage. Where I live, school board members criticize each other for being too willing to engage with the enemy (unions). Compromise is a sign of weakness, vacillation, lack of commitment, and maybe even un-Americaness. Of course, this is stupid. Seldom in life are problems solved without compromise. How often is a successful marriage built on unilateral pronouncements and an unwillingness to give an inch? What would your spouse do if you walked up to them and said, “We shouldn’t spend money on clothes this year and that is that, I refuse to budge or compromise. I need the money for my new boat. I’m not taking no for an answer. If I have to, I’ll get my Jackboots on.” What about at work? If you disagree with your partner on the direction do you put your “Jackboots” on? No? Then why should the president of a school board? The bottom line is that you can’t solve difficult problems, whether in a marriage or related to a country’s budget, without being willing to compromise with others who have differing views of the problem and how to solve it. If you aren’t willing to compromise, than you don’t have the best interests of the marriage/school district/country in mind. If you are trying to be an elected representative and you aren’t willing to compromise … you shouldn’t be elected. You are too focused on your own interests or the interests of your political party or other group and not focused enough on the interests of the country. You aren’t willing to get serious about solving problems … and if that is the case, I’m not interested in you. Compromise isn’t easy. When you compromise you aren’t getting everything you want and neither is anyone else. When you compromise you are implicitly recognizing that your way isn’t 100% right and theirs isn’t 100% wrong. While it is almost always the truth, it is a hard thing to recognize. It can suck. It is, however, the only way serious folks solve serious problems. It is past time for serious folks to take back over the leadership of this country. We have plenty of serious problems to solve.