Libya, Obama, The Daily Show, & Leadership

Don’t worry. I’ll keep out of a lot of the politics currently taking place over the complexity of the situation in Libya. I have my own personal viewpoints, but I won’t use today’s blog to post them.

Rather, I wanted to address an interesting point made in the March 29th episode of The Daily Show. The first segment focused primarily on President Obama’s televised address about the US involvement in Libya. Jon Stewart poked fun at the delayed address (10 days after the bombing began), the initial tone, and the vague generalities in it. Then Stewart went a bit further. You can watch this second part here:

Yes, Jon Stewart jokes about Obama’s lack of poetry, but then he praises him for his rather honest (although incredibly unpopular) answer about what America will do. Stewart then shows clips of Presidents, both Republican & Democrat, stating how America will defend freedom, but then points out how each of them didn’t in a glaring way.

In other words, their actions didn’t match their words.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen something like this. At the close of Sundance 2009, I watched the film EARTH DAYS with my brother. The opening moments of the film showed a montage of Presidents all the way back to Kennedy, describing how they would enact initiatives to preserve the planet (most of which haven’t happened). Even a few minutes ago, I watched another montage of past Presidents describing how they would reduce America’s reliance on foreign oil. Obama’s recent remarks are almost identical to those of Carter.

In defense of these Presidents, they are not kings. While they may have an initial idea, they still need Congress to pass legislation. Major events especially the economy can derail certain projects. Still, it is sad to see our lack of change–at least in these three areas–over five decades.

Long story short–it hurts when our actions do not align with our words. We feel let down.

I still believe in our government. I will still engage in it.

But I need my personal life and my personal actions to be more efficient than our government.

As I type that last sentence, I know there are a few things in my own life where I am saying the same thing “I need to do…” that I needed to do 3-4 years ago. It’s time for action.

Yes, Obama’s speech was incredibly pragmatic. I don’t want to debate it here.

My bigger question: Are we living personal lives that are simply pragmatic or are we living a life filled with passionate purpose? Are we challenging ourselves and stretching ourselves? Are our lives poetic?

Let’s make it so.