Our Political Calling

Occasionally, I plan to make a few of my speeches / publications available on this site that are not readily accessible or well-known. This speech - "Irrigating in a Desert - Stewarding our Political Opportunities for Social Flourishing" -- was delivered in January at the "Living at the Crossroads" conference held at Redeemer College, celebrating the release of a book by that same title.

In the speech, I focussed on the "how" of day to day politics from a citizen, not neccesarily an activist, perspective. Realizing that many find politics unpleasant and distasteful, I tried to provide a positive perspective on what might be accomplished as well as a realistic description of the limits of politics. I used the metaphor of watering plants in a desert to make six basic points.

So what I have for you today is not a messianic “Yes we can!”, but a more basic “love we must”. It doesn’t reduce to 15 point action plan or a pithy sound bite; rather it’s simply some elementary political gardening advice.
So, prepare for the reality of the desert.
Learn to see the beauty in the cactus, including its prickles.
Keep watering, even when it seems insignificant.
Keep your eyes open, and water those plants on your path that are most in need.
Observe the big picture – look at the sun and sky and keep the shrubs in proper perspective.
Refresh yourself with the good water that is in your bucket.
And keep focused on the other side. Beyond the desert is a garden.

You can read / download the entire speech (or at least a cleaned-up version of my speaking notes) here.