The Berserker

A friend of mine, who I think finds my equanimity and (relatively) even temper equal parts admirable and frustrating, sometimes calls me Switzerland.

He calls me Switzerland because in most conflicts, I am "neutral." I tend to be the "voice of reason" when tempers flare, and even when I'm heated I tend to maintain my composure and apply reason to the situation. I consider and honor every side and argue on the basis of good sense and empathy.

Those perhaps-admirable qualities are not unalloyed blessings. Some see me as lacking conviction. Others find my even-keeled ways boring. Still others think me a coward, always avoiding confrontation.

I do tend to avoid confrontation, and I recently remembered (again) why.

I am of Norwegian descent, and among my ancestors are berserkers. Berserkers are reported to have fought in a nearly-uncontrollable, trance-like fury. Fury...

There is in me a berserker spirit. Deep inside me, carefully chained and muzzled, a raging fury resides. It is a dark, violent, powerful thing, uncivilized and dangerous. There is no place in the here and now for such a Juggernaut. That part of me does not work or play well with others; it has no more place in public than a rabid dog.

So I avoid confrontation. I am afraid; afraid that confrontation will loosen the bonds that restrain the berserker inside. I don't want that to happen. I fear what it would mean if that part of me got free.

I remember vividly a time when the berserker almost got loose. I was in the Navy, aboard the U.S.S. England, in my berthing compartment, when a fellow crewman (who'd been taking advantage of my easygoing nature to put me down) said one slur too many when my guard was down.

I turned to this ordinary crewmate, who unknowing had conjured the demon, and I took him by the throat, and I pushed him up against a locker until his feet were off the ground, and I growled.

It scared him. It scared me. I was like a spectator; a passenger in my own body. The berserker that was suddenly in charge of my body wanted nothing more than to squeeze.

Somehow, I will never understand how, I wrested control away from the demon, and returned it to its restraints. I was shaking. My almost-victim was shaking. I think I threw up. And never since then have I allowed my guard to drop; I never want to commit an act of violence motivated by nothing other than rage.

Call me Switzerland.

The Land of Reason

Once upon a time there was a Land ruled by Reason.

In the Land of Reason, people were very much like people are here, except for one tiny difference; in the Land of Reason, people argued on the basis of ideas, rather than emotions. Everyone had such confidence in their own ideas and ideals that no one felt it necessary to push opponents' emotional buttons to win the day. Anyone whose arguments failed to persuade an opponent didn't look for someone to bear the blame, but instead took their arguments back to the drawing board and shop. Sometimes people were even persuaded by sound argument and good ideas to switch sides.

No one in the Land of Reason could even imagine arguing on any other basis. Appeals to fear or greed or vanity or any other emotion were considered the tactics of someone who lacked confidence in their ideas, and no one wanted to be thought so weak in their convictions.

It wasn't that the Reasonables (to give the inhabitants of the Land of Reason a name) were unfeeling. On the contrary, they were passionate advocates of their chosen points of view, and that passion drove them. What it didn't do was drive them to 'cheat,' when the only honorable way to win the day was to present a superior argument for a superior idea.

Reasonable voters did their very best to understand the ideas presented on the ballot, and to vote according to that understanding. Reasonable politicians knew that the only way to win the support of their constituents was to articulate a Good Idea persuasively and rationally. Reasonable judges were swayed by evidence and logic only. No Reasonable leader stooped to name-calling or inflammatory rhetoric or "talking points." Every Reasonable leader answered the questions put to them, as accurately and honestly as they could, for they knew that Reasonable voters wouldn't support a leader who was evasive or spiteful or unReasonable.

The Land of Reason had its problems; despite everyone's best efforts, sometimes they tried ideas that in the end just didn't work. But its problems were mostly amenable to Reason, and so the troubles the Reasonables faced tended to be resolved pretty painlessly.

Once upon a time there was a Land ruled by Reason...

Dear 112th Congress

Congratulations. You are the new edition of the legislative branch of the U.S. government. And good luck; you're going to need it.

Many of you are new to the Congress; others of you are seasoned. Some of you more seasoned members are stepping into new roles as committee chairs or other leadership positions. Whether you are green as grass or green with verdigris, you owe your constituents your very best. You have been elected to be leaders, and leaders serve those they lead, not themselves. Since you were elected by and serve adults, please do not presume that you serve en loco parentis, knowing better than we do what is best for us.

Your predecessors, and in some cases you yourselves (I'm looking at you, "seasoned members"), have betrayed the trust invested in you by voters for so long that few of us have high hopes. If you have ever asked yourselves, "How will this vote affect my election/reelection bid," you've already betrayed that trust.

The pundits and many of you yourselves have said that the mid-term elections do not provide a mandate to conservatives, the Republican Party, the Tea Party, or you-name-it. You got that right; as some of you have said, they instead reflect a profound dissatisfaction with the status quo, and you should not be surprised if the electorate kicks many more of you to the curb in coming elections. "Business as usual" is not acceptable to many of us, and you would do well to hear that as a warning. If you like your position in the halls of power, you need to pay close attention to your constituents'; they are paying close attention to your actions and the effects those actions have on their lives.

Ideologies are all well and good. Values are crucial. But partisan politics dressed up as "values" or hidden behind party ideologies are not acceptable. We sent you to the Capitol to roll up your sleeves and get things done, NOT pontificate and posture and impede progress because you want to be perceived as a person of principle. If you can't "Get 'er done," we'll send you to the showers and try someone else.

Already some of you are talking about what you plan to do, and so far most of what I've heard is negative--undoing what the previous Congress(es) have done--and maybe that's needful. Maybe... But I'm waiting to hear what constructive plans you have; what you're going to build (you've made amply clear what you aim to destroy).

Congress, the nation is still in crisis. Unemployment is still through the roof. Health care costs are still climbing like a rocket. The economy is still a shambles (a slaughterhouse). Education funding is still a disgrace. You were elected to improve the lot of Americans. That's your job.

Not many of us voters hold out much hope. We don't really expect you to do anything but serve yourself and your financial supporters. We doubt your will to serve your constituents. We doubt your commitment to anything other than your next election bid or your personal profit. We are skeptics, and with ample cause.

Dear 112th Congress, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I'll cede you a basic and minimal amount of respect due your position until your actions give me cause to respect you more (or, more likely, less).

You have your chance, 112th Congress. I doubt you'll take my advice, but I'll give it to you anyway: don't blow it.