I have some friends – facebook friends, real friends, family members, too, actually, who seem to gain power from criticizing leaders whose ideology does not match theirs.

As far as political leaders goes, there is a solid core of these dem-bashers… Doesn’t matter who it is, they disagree. There is name calling, ranting, overall criticism…

You know what struck me that all these have in common? It is nothing but negativity in these comments, blogs, articles and columns they produce and/or replicate. It can be OK to occasionally post some negative comment about a topic, but all the time?

If you want to make a difference, do you do so by creating further polarization? By poisoning the environment? By being (or coming across as) bitter? I do think we can usually agree that a certain issue is not the way it should be… So how much do you think you are contributing by only offering criticism of the other party’s proposed solutions? Do you have a better idea? Why don’t you convert all that bitterness, anger and vitriol into a positive contribution to the problem at hand?

So maybe your idealistic partners have a completely different proposal than the one that seems to be winning favor? What do you think will have more success: ranting and raving against the winning solution, or finding ways to improve the winning solution in order to make it less objectionable? Yes, it will require you agreeing to compromise (the horror!), working together and establishing relationships with your opponents.

Is that giving up on your ideals? NO! It is applying your ideals to reality. Reality… You know – the place where we all live! We cannot control the world around us – so the best we can do is to try and contribute to it in a positive manner… Not sit on the sidelines and complain – although it may make you feel superior!

Tags: political, positive, rant, reality check