The past few days the Democrats have had their national convention to formally nominate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to run for President and Vice President. As I watched the DNC last night I realized very quickly they entire production was put together for one reason, to check all the boxes. In our lives we often spend way to much time checking the boxes because we are concerned with how we look to others, even if it mean we are not being true to ourselves.
At work we ensure the boxes are checked. We show up on time and on most days early, we see the boss coming and "look busy", we eat lunch at our desks or don't eat at all, and we are willing to stay late or volunteer for things to make a good impression. So why do we do all of it at work if we were hired for specific things? We do it to check the box off the list. At work we are taught to do these things if we want to get ahead. Many of us have seen less than impressive workers getting promoted and those hard workers consistently getting passed over. The reason they get the job is simple, they are willing to check the boxes and buddy up with the bosses to make sure the check marks are noticed while you, a hard worker, are busy doing the job and ensuring it is done right.
When it comes to our faiths we do the same thing. I was raised Lutheran and watched every week as people passed the collection plate. This tradition leads to people giving more than they might otherwise because we can't let the Johnsons give more than us. Your worth in the congregation was tied directly to your participation in the services, plays, and other tenants of the faith. As I got older I found my way into the LDS faith. The structure was much better and the tithe system very private and not meant to force more than you can give. But there were still check boxes that have to be filled in. Go to church, read the scriptures, have family home evenings, help people move as needed, and be involved as much as possible. The sad thing with faith is it should be personal between you and God. Other people should not make you feel unwelcomed if you can't make service every Sunday or be the star pupil in Sunday school.
So watching the DNC I began to see the check boxes that they were filling in. While their actions have shown they are ok with not saying the Pledge of Allegiance, prayer, or unity their words came across hollow. The check boxes they needed to hit were race, social class, under privileged, and gender. They had speakers from every category and most of them seemed quite ingenuine. They pulled out a 13 year old kid with a stutter and exploited him to prove Joe Biden cared. The whole night was spent calling Trump a bad man and telling us Joe Biden was a great and caring Grandfather. The problem I had with the whole thing was at the end of the night I still have no idea what his position is on the issues. They did not lay out any plans for anything of substance. It was a completely obvious attempt to make the minority groups feel like he cares. Next week the Republicans will have their national convention and hopefully we see some discussion about actual issues. Do I think it will happen, probably not.
When it comes to checking boxes my opinion is this, don't check boxes for anyone but yourself! If you have a list of things you want to achieve then by all means create a checklist and stick to it. If you are simply checking boxes to make yourself seem like someone you are not then don't do it. Don't give in to what other people think. Be yourself. If you want to vote for Trump, do it. If you prefer Biden, do that. Don't feel that if you don't like Trump then you must vote for Biden, you don't have to! If you are true to yourself you will find you will never have anything to have regrets about.
Thoughts?
👏👏👏
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