Dissing God
IN his latest diatribe, the president has arrived at a new low. He has already dissed institutions, world leaders as well as the Pope so who else is left to diss? I suppose you can’t get any higher than God.
The president has called God, stupid. And the president’s supporters have leapt to his defense to say that he is entitled to freely express his opinion. I must agree. No freedom, however, is absolute— not even freedom of expression.
This is why we teach our children to speak their minds but at the same time, we also teach them to be kind— to speak the truth but not to be rude. It’s a delicate balance but it is possible to be candid but not crude.
While we may enjoy many freedoms in a democracy, we cannot live without parameters and continue to preserve peace, order and harmony.
It’s what we teach our children every day— to set boundaries. Yet, in one kiss, the president decimates all our efforts. The president seems bent on proving to all that unfettered expression earns you admiration, accolades, even the presidency.
And sadly, he is right.
After all, he was elected to office because the people loved his macho swagger and foul mouth. Well, I didn’t love it but I was overpowered by 16 million people.
It is ludicrous to say that the president does not need to be a role model. It is inherent in his position as the nation’s leader.
There is a time for off-the-cuff remarks and there is a time for carefully-thought-out statements. The man now occupies the highest seat of the land— he should endeavor to scale down his unbridled spontaneity and learn to calibrate his statements.
It’s called propriety.
He has won the privilege of leading the nation. Every opinion he expresses now influences all of us. His opinions can inform, educate, deceive, decimate, unite or divide us, as a nation. And this is why he should think carefully before expressing an opinionI.t’s called prudence.
By virtue of his position, the president can no longer speak only for himself. Now, every time he opens his mouth, his words represent us all— to the entire world. So should he wish to express an obnoxious or potentially offensive opinion, he would do well to express it privately and not in a public platform, damning us all, coll ect i vel y.
And let’s stop saying that we should give the president a free pass because he has done so much for the country. Should we give the guy who donated community centers around the country a free pass for raping someone because of all the good he has done for humanity?
The good you do does not cancel out the bad you do.
No one gets a free pass for not being a decent, human being. And you probably can’t go lower than targeting God in the dissing department.
May God save the President for all his words and actions represent us. Sadly.