What if...?

As we approach the next Presidential election, I am pleased that I've cancelled my landline. I know I won't miss the political commercials and surveys. I wish I could say the same for what the media will present to us. What can we do to make the pre-election period palatable? What if each candidate speaks only of the qualities of the other. Now, to date, they have done so with derision and the populace at large either shuts down in disgust, or rallies in shallow or thoughtless adoration like prebuscents awash in adoration of the latest pop group. What if the candidates actually waxed eloquently of the other in sincerity without derision? We would see their generous nature, how well they could address adversaries around the world, how selfless their service to this country could be, and dare we hope, how they could rise above partisan politics and create a unified approach in a country whose name begins with the word united. The better they would speak of the other, the more we would admire their oratorial skills and character in a twist of reverse psychology that would be as fresh and welcoming as a daffodil in the snow. What if one started? It would be lopsided at first, of course. The candidate receiving all the accolades would be delighted, scratching his head perhaps, but carryingn on as usual. Any derisive slam toward the other would not be returned with anything other than complimentary reflections of the good the other has done in some part of his past. The media would begin searching for complimentary stories of "the other" in order to present a balanced approach to their reporting. Eventually, the second candidate and his staff would be asked what they could say about "the other" since he was saying such gracious things about him. If they say nothing, they seem ungracious by comparison. If they say small things, they will appear stingy and self-centered (shock of shocks!). If they begin to play the game, if they begin to return gracious words for gracious words, we would have a titanic shift that could finally sink the atrocious politics we the people suffer every four years. What if half the money raised by either candidate for his or her election would go to pay down the country's debt? Wouldn't the people be most grateful for the candidate who raised the most money then? Wouldn't both candidates end up being winners in one way or another? What if angry words spoken by either candidate or their staff were viewed as evil? What if we forced our enemies to say one nice thing about the other side the way we tell our children to say something nice about the sibling they can't stand at the moment, knowing they will probably grow up to like each other? What if we truly understood our interconnectedness? Our global consciousness? The effect each of us has on the other? Our oneness through, in, and with the one God, by whatever name you call Him or Her? What if...?