Separating people from institutions

I know that in my last few posts I have been hard on politicians, and the problem is that we have been talking about the political institution and at times the line between human and institution gets blurred.

This is an unfortunate logical fallacy (fallacy of division) that haunts many people but especially politicians.

It is important to point out (as I was reminded by one reader) that just because our political system is broken does not mean that the people who inhabit that system are broken.

Most politicians entered politics because they wanted to make a difference in the world, and many of them are still trying to make that difference.

I have spent the last number of posts talking about making change in the world, and the reality is that in most cases, change requires partnerships with people in power.

While we may not accept the validity of the system, that does not mean we cannot assume the best of those who are within the system.

I use the political system because I am most familiar with it – I worked in it and I know many people who work hard every day in that system to make a positive change – but this is true of many institutions, that the people in the system do not reflect the brokenness of the system they inhabit.

Should politicians be held accountable?

Absolutely.

But the fact remains that we can’t afford more division within our society.

There is no “us” and “them”.

There is only “us”.

Quite frankly, if we ever want to create a world worth inhabiting, there can only ever be an “us” – we are all in this together.

For my next post, in honour of the Super Bowl, I will be exploring competitive nature and the “us versus them” phenomenon.