What if...

the Republicans had said, at the very beginning of Barack Obama's presidency, that they were going to do everything they could to be his greatest supporters, and what if they'd meant it? What if...upon meeting together to discuss the things they didn't see eye to eye on, each side spoke no words of distrust, and gave no support for the unfortunate misrepresentations by others?

What if...

the President had strolled up to Capital Hill, where he used to work himself, and brought with him a bottle of the best scotch (if there is such a thing) at least once every two or three weeks, to meet with the leaders of the other party, to chat about the real 'state of the union' and how they could, together, find ways to fix whatever was ailing us. What if he'd looked on these men and women as friends and tender foes to draft good intentions together? Together.

What if...

like in the very best marriages, the desire of everyone involved was to champion the other, knowing full well that no one ever gets everything they want, and that the missteps and shortcomings and failures and differences of opinion or even ideology are checked against what is best for everyone in the room (i.e. the nation)? What if, occasionally, Democrats said, 'You know, they're right about some of this and we need to listen up!' And, of course, the Republicans did the same.

What if...

when wrong-minded things were said of the President or the Speaker of the House or the Majority or Minority Leaders, the respectable folks on the 'other side of the aisle' chimed in, "Hey wait a minute...that's my friend you're talking about. What you're saying is unkind, uncalled for, and more often than not, completely untrue." What if they 'liked' each other. What if they believed that more would get accomplished and more of both points of view would be heard and meted out in grand compromise if they all behaved in some forgotten form of brotherhood (and, of course, sisterhood...though we'd probably all be better off if the girls were running the whole shebang anyway)?

What if...

those who live by their faith, who live by their religious or spiritual spine, chose never to slip into the foul pool of gossip and disrespectfulness? What if they read the words that they assume to live by, but read them with a new and fresh kindness and grace, a desire for bringing hope to an often hopeless world, salt to a tasteless thread of fearfulness, light to the dark places? What if they followed the one they name themselves for, and found him not to be nearly as damning to those who've yet to travel their own 'road to Damascus,' as they seem to be? What if none of us saw so many enemies around us?

What if...

we all cared less about being right? Arrogance is never so transparent than when men stand to tell everyone in the room that they know for certain that their way is right and the other persons' way is absolutely wrong...for everyone. Darkness is usually where you find most men shouting. Light makes its' way by seeping in through the cracks. 

What if...

all the labels were dropped? What if we never ever again called someone a Conservative or a Liberal or the slew of other names and labels we use to mostly set ourselves apart or band ourselves together, as though any of us ever, ever think exactly the same on every issue facing a broken, dying world? What if we did more lifting up of others? What if we did more stooping down to see that no matter what we have, we probably have too much? What if every single one of us said 'to Hell with it' and gave away half of everything we have, so that in an ideal world, everyone would have enough and no one would have too much? What if we all agreed on what an 'ideal world' would look like?
 
God, I suspect, frequents the saloons of the slums of the dirtiest places on the darkest side of Earth, while we who linger under marble domes and blue skies debate how clearly we are 'in His will.' And because He is God, He hears every cry, every moan, every name slurred and every lie perpetuated on the airwaves of disinformation, and He turns away from whatever is not distinguished as being His own good work. 

I don't know. I'm just asking. What if?