More Importantly

Yesterday the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, came out and directly commented on the ridiculous, hateful and dangerous ideas we are all seeing spewed from Donald Trump these days. He said, “This is not conservatism. What was proposed yesterday is not what this party stands for, and more importantly, not what this country stands for.”

Did you catch that? It’s tucked away, but it’s there. He said “more importantly.” He said it is more important that what Trump is talking about completely violates the set of values that the entire country upholds. Ryan said there is a set of values, principles, a way of seeing the world that is more important than what his party stands for.

Can you imagine?

Can you imagine what our political conversations would look like if we let go of the infallibility of our positions. If we acknowledged we’re all just working this out as we go?

What if political leaders had the humility to admit that their particular ideology was simply their best attempt at understanding a way forward?

Ideological humility. An evolving understanding of what is best. This takes real strength and we need more of it from our top leaders.