The parents came out for the weekend. Good times had by all.
Friday night I went to the Americans for Prosperity dinner where George Will and D'Souza spoke. Will was my favorite. He pandered to my latest hobby of looking for wasteful government departments to get rid of. Two on my list are Depts of Education and Agriculture. Downscale man, that's what efficient government should be.
My parents met me after the dinner and we went to a cool pub in Chinatown.
Saturday we met up with some of my parents' friends and had pancakes at Eastern Market. They were friends of theirs from the Lost Valley Ranch days. It was good getting input from them about LVR because I've been thinking about applying there after graduation.
The rest of the day was showing them where I work, Georgetown, the Native American Indian museum and Old Ebbitt Grill (very good restaurant).
On Sunday, their short visit ended. It was great having them. My family is kind of like a dock in the midst of any type of storm. Definitely a beautiful gift. Don't let me take them for granted!
Now for a thought I had today:
Lately I have been thinking about the intensity of political discussions here, especially about social issues. I realized part of the reason discussions with people in DC are so militant is because most everyone is here investing their lives in a cause or worldview they believe to be true. It's difficult to have a peaceful conversation between the government worker in some department and the libertarian policy worker who is advocating its abolition. Ideas have legs and to admit someone with an opposing view is correct here often would mean a job/friend circle change. It seems you don't come here to seek truth, you come here because you already know what's true.
3 comments:
Interesting thought, especially the part about not coming to seek truth. I am right there with you about getting ride of wasteful departments. Do you know of any departments that have been done away with, say in the last 50 years? The problem is that when/if people try to get ride of them, they come out with pity commercials about how people will loose their jobs and stuff like that.
Insightful thought. Do you get the sense that this sentiment bleeds over into other aspects of conversation/life outside of the realms of politics for people in DC?
My dad and I were watching the John Adams mini-series and this post came to mind. Reading McCullough has taught me nothing if not that America is hardly more selfish than it was 235 years ago. There’s nothing like watching someone get tarred and feathered to make you appreciate a worldview rooted in love and wisdom.
All this to say, I cannot tell you how much I admire your open-minded, compassionate, and realistic perspective of our nation and her political system. Thanks for the reminder that a little godly humility works wonders on a hard heart like mine.
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