We were in Edinburgh the day Scotland voted on whether to claim its independence from England. Even though we had absolutely nothing at stake, it was really exciting for my wife and me to just skirt the fringes of this once-in-a-generation event. I’d bought a book of Scottish history to read while we were traveling and it made for fascinating, although grim, reading. It covered over a thousand years of blood, betrayals, and disappointments. Scotland, England, Ireland, and Wales were uneasy neighbors for most of recorded history. Picture the carnage and hard feelings that resulted after five years of our Civil War. Now imagine if that war had lasted five hundred years, with all the participants pausing to switch sides every hundred years or so. Remember the movie “Braveheart” where Mel Gibson spent two hours smeared with blue paint and blood? Well, they toned down the violence to make the movie; an accurate story would have been shocking beyond all measure. So, even though Scotland and England have been the United Kingdom for longer than we’ve been the United States, I’m confident that the vast majority of Scots have at least a slight yearning for independence in their heart of hearts. We live in a “heart” kind of world. We tell kids to follow their hearts, to find jobs that they are passionate about. I’m not sure that’s always good advice – there’s a reason it’s called “work.” Not many jobs retain their fascination forever and even the best jobs aren’t always fun. Being a writer is barely like having a real job. I get to spout off like the crank in a coffee shop and people pay me for it. Still, I’m working on this column at 11:00 at night in a hotel room in Mitchell, SD, because I have a Tuesday morning deadline. I’d rather be doing other things tonight, but over the years I remember many times when there were rocks to pick, manure to haul, dishes to wash, and tax forms to be filled out. None of those tasks were my heart’s desire, but my head knew they had to be done. In our world, we see fragmentation into smaller and smaller units as tribes, clans, and ethnic groups seek to claim their own land and heritage. In our own country Democrat and Republican isn’t good enough. We have the Tea Party, the Green Party, and a dozen other divisions, and if you’re not in complete agreement with your team, you’re completely wrong. And what’s goofy about that is if history teaches us anything, it shows us that more often than not what brings about success is bringing people together, extending a welcoming hand instead of a cold shoulder. Listening only to your heart, indulging your passions and your prejudices is fun, and freeing, and exciting. But that doesn’t mean it’s always the right thing to do. There was every logical reason for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom and a glorious, emotional yearning to vote for independence. A clear majority of people in Scotland voted with their heads instead of their hearts. I think it was a brilliant example for the rest of us. Copyright
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 11:33:12 +0000