Putting Duty First

The choice to be a statesman is the choice to put your civic duties above your own personal feelings and religious persuasions. There is an admirable element to the story of the man or woman who fights with all their might to make their nation live more virtuous lives, courageously refusing to bend on anything. Mostly, though, this is a foolish and unworthy way to serve.

In order to run smoothly a country needs its officers to be doing what they have agreed to do. Everybody is assigned a job, and is expected to do their best to fulfill it. Just as a family must have parents and children doing their jobs to run effectively, a government must have all different levels fulfilling their assigned responsibilities. Everybody pulling different directions based merely on their own definitions of morality will tear apart an organization and result in basic functions being left undone.

Compromise is key to all discussions, especially on a large, governmental scale. If every person feels justified in being rigid in their personal beliefs compromise is impossible. The great innovations that could have been realized never come into existence. When people are blinded by their need to justify their own position they are not looking for improvements that could be made in the system.

Statesmanship is (most of the time) a choice. If the duties you receive as a formal leader violate your own religious convictions, you need to resign and let somebody else take on your capacity. This year the United States federal government legalized same-sex marriage. This decision, regardless of personal opinions, needs to be upheld by officers all over the nation. However, recently Kim Davis, a county clerk in Kentucky, refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples despite the official legality. She could have just resigned, but chose to utterly defy her duties and responsibilities instead. This action should be condemned.

On a personal, individual level each human on this earth should hold tightly to their beliefs. Nothing is more admirable than an ethical, courageous individual who refuses to let go of their religious convictions. But to be a statesman is to be something more. It is to be a moral person who also has the strength to sacrifice pushing his will on others for the good of the nation.