A longtime friend is currently running for office. Tonight on Facebook I left a comment to him. It was worth making a post all its own, since this is such a political season. If you ever wondered where I am coming from politically, this passage from the man who was the grandfather figure in my life puts it more succinctly than anything I could come up with on my own. So I think it’s well worth sharing here too.
From chapter 12 of my book Keeping the Tryst:
At last Eagle was within sight. For my project I chose to build receptacles for the trash cans at Camp Saurakee, a place for people with severe mental disabilities. The receptacles would keep the cans stationary, without being a safety hazard if they were knocked around in bad weather. I made the receptacles, and we delivered them to the camp two weeks before my Eagle Scout board of review.
That took place on the night before my eighteenth birthday. There were five men who conducted the review. Among them was Doc Lewis. For about an hour I was queried about my time in the Boy Scouts, what I had learned, what the path to Eagle had come to mean to me. I answered as heartfelt and sincerely as I could, despite my nervousness. This is it, I had told myself all day. This is what it comes down to.
The review went well. It was agreed by the board that I had passed with flying colors. And then Doc told me something that I have never forgotten…
“Chris, people tell me that you have an interest in politics. They tell me that you could have a brilliant future in that.”
“That’s what some people have told me,” I confirmed.
“I believe they are right. I’ve known you for many years, and you are an amazing young man. If you want a future in politics, you could have that. But don’t be a politician! A politician is someone who serves their own interests. A politician puts himself before others. And that’s not what you are meant to be. I challenge you to be something greater than a politician. Be a STATESMAN! A statesman is someone who puts the needs of others above his own needs and desires. A statesman is a true servant of the people. There are much too many politicians, Chris. But there are very few statesmen. You can be a statesman. That is your true calling.”
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