Need something that is historical, communicative, artistic, symbolic, social, ceremonial and participatory? The first question to ask may be “Where are my dancing shoes?
DANCER
We are out of step. Our foxtrot, waltz and rhumba have no rhythm. The music plays on cue, but we only tread on our partner’s toes. When our dance misses the beat we lose touch with the forms and conventions that govern our day to day. We might take the floor, but get off on the wrong foot so that the music plays to a nation of wallflowers.
If the cause is amnesia, it’s far from complete. On a recent road trip to attend a funeral, I was amazed as we sped along through six lanes of traffic. The vast majority managed to stay in their lane, yield when necessary and even merge without incident. No, we aren’t perfect, but our road dance cruises along while our politics stumble. We don’t have to be divided, contentious and self-defeating, when it matters. Our problem seems to be in deciding what really matters.
The dance marathons of the Great Depression were, at least in part, motivated by the need for money. Ironically, today it seems that the craving of money and power is depressing the normal function of our political dance. However, there are abundant examples of fruitful collaboration. Our success on the highways is mirrored in the private sector and even in our local politics and yet, as a nation, we fail to harmonize and can only agree to disagree.
We bicker over the pieces of the pie while forgetting what it takes to build a fire and it’s no wonder our politics are half baked. The work of governance is in the building of the wood pile; the cutting and splitting and stacking that makes a house warm for the winter. And, in a democracy, that wood is the people. All of us, The People, must be dedicated to the principles of our Constitution more than to the winning of a game.
We can do this, if enough people believe it really matters. So everyone, go to a party, ask a partner to dance and, if the floor is made of good wood, we can all have a piece of pie for dessert.