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Oct. 6th, 2004 09:24 pmI almost missed my post for today. I've just been so busy taking care of things that I procrastinated on. That's a habit that I need to kick myself off of.
In other news, I managed to squeak out an article for my college newspaper. Many thanks to the Magic dinosaur, the sagely boneirici. I basically plagiarized from his comment on my second article. Okay, I didn't say it word for word but I did borrow heavily from his ideas. I need some external inspiration from time to time.
If you can comment before 9:30am tomorrow with any suggestions, that would be super (my deadline is noon on Thursdays). You can go ahead and comment if you don't make it in time though ;).
A leader’s faith
by Daniel Tu
According to Confucius, the ruler of a nation must have faith to properly lead a nation. Without faith to guide him, a ruler has no sense of direction. Inevitably, the nation will lose its identity and crumble into ruin. Conversely, a ruler with a strong faith will lead his nation into prosperity. The nation knows itself and shines in its glory. In the presidential debates, each candidate claims to have more faith than the other.
On President George W. Bush’s website, the Bush campaign emphasizes strong family based values. On Senator John Kerry’s website, the Kerry campaign also emphasizes strong family based values. It’s safe to conclude that a man of faith knows how to raise a family. Otherwise, neither the Republicans nor the Democrats would be stressing the importance of raising children according to good old American family values.
Since a man who cannot raise a family cannot lead nation, America will not elect a President who has not raised a family. In any given election campaign, a candidate always puts a picture of his family into his election materials. Whether they’re running for county corporation commissioner or U.S. President, candidates must reinforce the idea that they have faith in American values. Most candidates going through a divorce or some other family problem will be defeated.
Not only must a ruler have faith in his family but he also must have faith in his nation. For American politicians, they must put a positive spin on every trouble that America encounters. A setback in war must be seen as temporary, and a nation who refuses to trade with America merely misunderstands American business. Politicians necessarily put on a show of patriotic pride. To this end, political candidates often position photo shoots with an American flag in the background.
Another important aspect of faith is faith in one’s self, one’s abilities. During the presidential debates, Kerry gained on Bush on this matter. Bush appeared to be on the defensive while Kerry appeared to be confident in what he was saying. Bush looked like a man sheltered by his political staff. On the other hand, Kerry was a bit too smug to be genuine.
Strangely enough, liberals have had to define their religious values more clearly than their conservative counterparts. The media paints President Bush as a strong Protestant conservative and Senator Kerry as a weak Catholic liberal. This perception has led to the popular belief that Bush naturally has former governor of Texas has more faith than the current senator from Massachusetts. Realistically, Kerry isn’t any more blasphemous than Bush is religious.
In the end, a presidential candidate must always proclaim his belief in God or he will lose the election. Of course, many politicians merely give lip service to the idea of faith in God. Yet, America would sooner vote for a Jew, Muslim, or Buddhist than an atheist. Voters prefer a candidate who believes in something greater than themselves, but an atheist cannot offer a faith in God to them.
In other news, I managed to squeak out an article for my college newspaper. Many thanks to the Magic dinosaur, the sagely boneirici. I basically plagiarized from his comment on my second article. Okay, I didn't say it word for word but I did borrow heavily from his ideas. I need some external inspiration from time to time.
If you can comment before 9:30am tomorrow with any suggestions, that would be super (my deadline is noon on Thursdays). You can go ahead and comment if you don't make it in time though ;).
A leader’s faith
by Daniel Tu
According to Confucius, the ruler of a nation must have faith to properly lead a nation. Without faith to guide him, a ruler has no sense of direction. Inevitably, the nation will lose its identity and crumble into ruin. Conversely, a ruler with a strong faith will lead his nation into prosperity. The nation knows itself and shines in its glory. In the presidential debates, each candidate claims to have more faith than the other.
On President George W. Bush’s website, the Bush campaign emphasizes strong family based values. On Senator John Kerry’s website, the Kerry campaign also emphasizes strong family based values. It’s safe to conclude that a man of faith knows how to raise a family. Otherwise, neither the Republicans nor the Democrats would be stressing the importance of raising children according to good old American family values.
Since a man who cannot raise a family cannot lead nation, America will not elect a President who has not raised a family. In any given election campaign, a candidate always puts a picture of his family into his election materials. Whether they’re running for county corporation commissioner or U.S. President, candidates must reinforce the idea that they have faith in American values. Most candidates going through a divorce or some other family problem will be defeated.
Not only must a ruler have faith in his family but he also must have faith in his nation. For American politicians, they must put a positive spin on every trouble that America encounters. A setback in war must be seen as temporary, and a nation who refuses to trade with America merely misunderstands American business. Politicians necessarily put on a show of patriotic pride. To this end, political candidates often position photo shoots with an American flag in the background.
Another important aspect of faith is faith in one’s self, one’s abilities. During the presidential debates, Kerry gained on Bush on this matter. Bush appeared to be on the defensive while Kerry appeared to be confident in what he was saying. Bush looked like a man sheltered by his political staff. On the other hand, Kerry was a bit too smug to be genuine.
Strangely enough, liberals have had to define their religious values more clearly than their conservative counterparts. The media paints President Bush as a strong Protestant conservative and Senator Kerry as a weak Catholic liberal. This perception has led to the popular belief that Bush naturally has former governor of Texas has more faith than the current senator from Massachusetts. Realistically, Kerry isn’t any more blasphemous than Bush is religious.
In the end, a presidential candidate must always proclaim his belief in God or he will lose the election. Of course, many politicians merely give lip service to the idea of faith in God. Yet, America would sooner vote for a Jew, Muslim, or Buddhist than an atheist. Voters prefer a candidate who believes in something greater than themselves, but an atheist cannot offer a faith in God to them.
