Isn’t it time we go high?

FERDIE FERREIRA

RONALD REAGAN said, “It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.”

I have just completed reading Michelle Obama’s The Light We Carry. A few years ago, after reading The Hubris Syndrome by David Owen, former UK cabinet minister under prime minister James Callaghan, I successfully got Ron Harford, CEO of Republic Bank, to donate 41 copies of this precious book to the 41 elected members of the House of Representatives under Prime Minister Rowley.

This book is all about the effects of the intoxication of power and the behaviour of politicians in and out of power universally.

Today as a patriot now in my 91st year, I respectfully call on one of our good corporate citizens to make a similar donation to our parliamentarians of The Light We Carry, an outstanding book which I am sure most of them, if not all, have not read. It is a revealing, informative and instructive experience of the challenges politicians and their families encounter and respond to.

Coming out of eight years as not only the first lady, but as the first black woman to occupy that position in the most powerful country in the world, her quote “when they go low, we go high” captured the attention of the world and made her one of the most respected first ladies in the history of the US.

She was calm and displayed an unprecedented level of discipline, tolerance, morality and, above all, class. She and Barack Obama set a benchmark for politicians on how to conduct themselves in public office. Her now famous quote was first made at the convention of the Democratic Party in 2016.

In chapter 10 of her book, she explains and analyses in detail what she means by going high. She explains how under intense and bitter persecution she and the president were able to practise exactly what they preached and to maintain standards of morality, dignity, self-respect and rigid discipline that earned them the respect and admiration of the world.

What an achievement in a country, a world characterised by lawlessness, abuse of power, corruption, authoritarianism and disregard for one’s legacy, the hallmark of one’s life on this planet.

A few quotes from her include “no matter how calm I stayed and how diligently I worked as First Lady the impression of me as abrasive and angry and therefore unworthy of respect felt at times almost impossible to undo...could I get pissed off about being seen as forever pissed off? I surely could but what would that serve? How powerful would I ever become then? Instead, I had to go high.”

What does it mean to really go high? “Going high was a way to describe a choice we were trying to make to always try harder and think more. It was a simplification of our ideals…Tell the truth, do your best by others, keep perspective, stay tough. Going high is always a test, as I see it.”

In response to her own question about whether they should still go high, she responded affirmatively. She explained that when she made that statement at the convention she “was pretty agitated" and “had been thoroughly provoked.” This was the result of witnessing “nearly eight years of seeing my husband’s work undermined and his character denigrated.”

For her, the choice to go high “is about resisting the temptation to participate in shallow fury and corrosive contempt and instead figuring out how to respond with a clear voice to whatever is shallow and corrosive around you.”

Further, that in any given situation we should consider whether we are reacting or responding. “It’s a question I ask myself before I post anything on social media or make any sort of public comment.” She emphasised that while going high is not a particularly glamorous choice, it is a commitment "to keep moving forward. It only works when we do the work”

She also wrote that Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson stated that as a child her parents gave her the greatest gift, "a form of toughness, a headstrong type of confidence...she learned to build a mental wall between herself and the judgment of others, remaining doggedly focused on her larger goals."

Thus, in Michelle Obama’s opinion, “being on the outside is difficult. Fighting for equity and justice from a place on the outside it’s harder still. Which is why I believe you should choose your fights.”

These are just a few quotations and opinions from this magnificent publication which I thought I should share with our local political gladiators who continue to engage in confrontation and personal warfare.

They abuse each other with their inappropriate and intemperate utterances at the expense of our major national issues, the truth and the building of the nation. Such behaviour is not only questionable, but leaves a lot to be desired.

The current political atmosphere is neither constructive nor productive, more distractive than attractive, most of the time sending the wrong signals. It displays examples of behaviour consistent with the current levels of indiscipline and lawlessness in the society. One is now tempted to ask: is this the light we carry? If so, isn’t it time to go high?