Rush Limbaugh doesn’t act like a grown-up. I guess that is not news. He is, as the Republican Party Chairman said, an entertainer. Entertainers don’t usually act like grown-ups.
Grown-ups, of which we have very few in our world, don’t want people to suffer. People suffering kicks in their empathy. They suffer with people who are suffering.
This does not mean that they view suffering as an outright evil, though. Suffering because you don’t get candy at the grocery store is good suffering. We’re talking about serious, long-term damage suffering, like losing your house, your job, your health, your life. Grown-ups have empathy and it hurts to see people lose these things, even if they deserve it, even if it teaches them a lesson. It’s hard to watch.
Grown-ups have won some things they didn’t deserve (and know it). They have also escaped some punishments they did deserve, without volunteering for punishment. When was the last time you wrote yourself a speeding ticket? Grown-ups know that life is not fair, and people are thorougly imperfect, and this enhances their empathy.
In 2003, I listened and read, and ultimately believed that invading Iraq was wrong. I wrote letters, went to protests. The U.S. invaded Iraq anyway.
I hoped like crazy that my judgment was faulty. I hoped that the peace demonstrators would be proven wrong. I hoped that the people being mentally, physically, and emotionally scarred would be balanced by a clear purpose and the larger good that would come out of the war. I hoped Bush was right and I was wrong. I wanted Bush’s war to succeed. I’d rather be wrong than have people suffer.
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor is a grown up. “I don’t think anyone wants anything to fail right now,” the Grown-up says. Thank you, Eric Cantor. Just because you think the Democrats’ plan won’t work doesn’t mean you want it to fail. Reference again here, I didn’t think the Iraq plan would work, but I desperately want it to succeed.
I am, and will remain, deeply opinionated; however, my opinions aren’t intended to be used for worship or as weapons. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. Being wrong helps you learn, and it keeps you humble.
Mr. Limbaugh, on the other hand, must personify his opinions to entertain people, rather than being a grown-up. At least, he thinks that he must. I wonder if a person with an open mind exploring ideas would be entertaining. I guess that’s why we have “60 Minutes.”
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