When the gunman in Arizona took lives and attacked Gabby Giffords, it was inevitable that the political arguments would ensue. Imagine if a union member had shot an elected Tea Party official; the right would likely have blamed the left.
We all know what the argument is now, with use of cross hairs and the atmosphere of contempt being questioned, and individual blamelessness being declared.
No matter the issue these days, when a wrong happens, blame and denial are the popular postures of the pundits. It makes for good media theatre, to plug into a constant stream of the anger at others. Some is righteous and based on justice. Some is scapegoating and escaping our own responsibility. We have to each decide for ourselves which is which.
I work with a lot of CEOs. I like the ones who, when they see a problem in the company, e.g. a weakness in a system that negatively impacts customers, start their analysis and investigation with a question: “How have I contributed to this situation.”
The blame and denial cycles start and end on the outside of you: “It is your fault. It is not my fault.”
But asking, “How have I contributed?” starts on the inside first. Only after starting on the inside is it time to look to the outside of oneself.
Will we learn enough to really address our problems and take responsibility? Or will we continue looking wholly to the outside of ourselves?
Image above Some rights reserved by justindc