"November Diogenes"

Have you ever lost something, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t find it again? Over the course of our lives we all have had that frustrating quest of “looking everywhere” for an item that you were sure you knew where it was, yet it wasn’t there.

There have been times I have been working on the car, or some household repair and I put down a tool, look away for a few seconds, and that tool “magically” vanishes into thin air! My poor wife has heard my grumblings and complaints on numerous occasions as I ranted over this type of situation. She wisely never comments as she knows what an idiot I can be when I’m frustrated. Sooner or later, I usually find the tool only a few inches from its original location, hidden by a shadow, or another tool. I quietly continue with my repairs, embarrassed by my quick temper and obvious “dumbness”.

Let’s travel back in time to Greece, to the year 320 B.C.; way back then, Greece was the epicenter of the world’s intelligentsia. Great philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle were the great minds of the society, Hippocrates was the father of medicine and Greek art was the “measuring stick” of the known world. All the Greek Philosophers were searching for the answers to life. One of these philosophers was a fellow named Diogenes of Sinope, a very interesting guy. It was said Diogenes lived in a tub instead of a house, and he would spend his days roaming the streets of Athens with a lighted lamp, in search of “an honest man”; this was a most noble task. I found most of my lost tools; unfortunately Diogenes is still looking for that “honest man”.

Every four years in America, we have a Presidential Election. It is preceded by months of primary campaigns and debates, news stories and television commercials about every man or woman seeking this high office. Many things are uncovered during this massive bombardment of information. We find things out that we had no clue of only weeks before about people of politics and business whose lives were part of the public forum long before they sought the Office of President. We find out about what they did in high school, college and in their private lives; at times, it may become a little embarrassing and even unnerving to the people involved.

What I truly find amazing about this new “fount of information” is how some of these things remained “secret” for so long from the general public. How do people remain in public life for several years and keep these things from our “impartial media”. When there are people who held this knowledge for many years, why did they wait so long to be “responsible citizens”? I know there must be some folks out there that do these things for the good of America, yet I still wonder “when the book is coming out”; we love a good scandal and are willing to pay for it!

I sometimes feel like old Diogenes when our election process starts. Where do I look for “that guy”, you know, the man or woman who doesn’t have horrible stories in their lives, who wants this office because they want to serve the people of America out of pure patriotic love and nothing more?

This coming November, America must choose a President; we must all be like Diogenes, walking the streets of America, carrying a lighted lamp 24 hours a day, looking for an honest person, someone with ethics and humility, who will lead America for the next four years. Hold your lamps high my fellow Americans, look into every corner and choose wisely. In the end, this is all up to us, not news stations or poll takers. Look for integrity, not politics!