Dept. of Rare Sightings
Can this be the return of manners?
THE NOW former Secretary of Veterans Affairs has accepted being fired with a display of decorum remarkable in these ill-tempered Trumpian times. David Shulkin politely declined to follow his old boss’ bad, sad example by firing furious tweets in all directions as he took his leave. Instead he had only praise for his designated successor, the president’s personal physician, Ronny Jackson, M.D.
Mr. Shulkin added that
“I have comfort because I know Dr. Jackson. Dr. Jackson is a very honorable man who wants to do the right thing.” Wow. This display of decorum in the midst of all the infighting that usually characterizes Washington may take some getting used to.
Yes, David Shulkin originally blamed his having to go on less-than-fair “political forces” in the White House, but once he cooled down, he said and did the statesmanlike thing. Distance, it seems, still lends enchantment and inspires hope. Good for Mr. Shulkin. May his tribe increase in Washington and at every level of American politics. It’s been too long since We the People have seen his like. Who knew there were still gentlemen in politics? It was like setting out to be shown a Joe McCarthy in these raucous times and turning up an Adlai Stevenson instead. Will miracles never cease? Let’s hope and trust not.
Meanwhile, despite his too freely expressed opinions in all directions, our tweeter-in-chief and incidentally president of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, is letting nominations to his Cabinet continue to pile up in the U.S. Senate, where by now they’re forming quite a logjam. So the acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs could enjoy an extended tenure thanks to his boss’ style of offering lots of talk but all too little action. It’s not polite to keep people waiting—including the people of the United States. A little display of manners would go a long way just now but, what, the Donald worry? He seems to be too busy to sweat the small stuff, like actually governing the country.
While the administration is away, now would be a good time for all those addicted to social media to drop their electronic accounts and get a real life. They could renew old friendships face to face, or find out how satisfying it is to forge new ties of the real, enduring kind. Addictions aren’t easy to break. Many users quit one form only to find themselves hooked on another, sometimes one owned by the same company. To quote one poor soul who boycotts Facebook but still uses its subsidiary platform Instagram because she can’t find her friends on Snapchat or Twitter: “Where am I supposed to go? I wish there was something else.”
There is something else: the real world, full of fallible human beings. Remember them? They are fascinating creatures, and need to be revived. Some of us miss them and, for that matter, miss ourselves as we walk down the streets with our eyes glued to glowing rectangles. Oh, the things we might see hiding in plain sight if only we would look up and admire God’s world instead of being entranced by the phony universe of electronic gizmos.
Maybe the place to start is just to remember our good manners. They can be mighty useful, educational and enlightening all on their own.