I refused to watch the Republican National Convention last week, and I'm refusing to watch the Democratic National Convention as well. For the most part I've tried to stay away from politics, although that's not as easy to do as it sounds since I do come at things from a liberal, albeit not radical, position. I don't catch everything in the newspapers or through online news sources, but I hear things here and there.

United Hands
Rita M. via Compfight

The one thing that's been inescapable over probably the last 7 years is that our politicians have forgotten how to compromise. On both sides it's become more about "me", what I want in totality instead of each side getting a little, giving a little, and ending up with something that's not perfect, but a working document that can be worked on over time.

That's how government has almost always worked. Sure, we haven't always been happy with how things have come out. Personally I'm not happy that I lost the ability to play online poker for free and win free stuff when the internet gambling bill was included in a bill to protect the shores of this country but I took it, knowing that there would be forces working to get it overturned later on, and that's continuing.

But in general, compromise has become a forgotten word, and not just in politics. How many labor issues have their been in professional sports over the last 10 years? How many companies have had their workers go out on strike, or have decided to send workers overseas or just close the doors, take their money and go home?

How many companies keep suing each other over patent and copyright issues? How many companies are hauling regular people into court because they downloaded a song off the internet that they might not have known was an illegal act?

It's become an "all or nothing" world, which of course comes back to "me". People feel justified in wanting everything their way. Goodness, I feel that way often, although I don't expect to get my way all the time. Talk about a mental shift for an only child. lol

I have to admit that as an adult I've gotten my way often. However, it wasn't because I brow beat anyone to get it. Instead, I always opened up the lines of communication, and if no one offered anything then we did it my way. If someone offered up something that was better than my suggestion, we went that way. And if we could find a way to integrate different points of view, then we did that.

It's supposed to be about finding the best way, not just one way. It's supposed to be about everyone, not just a special few.

As we head into Labor Day tomorrow here in the United States and in Canada I hope everyone first honors the relationship between working employees and management. I also hope that everyone remembers that compromise isn't a dirty word; it's way more than 4 letters and often it's the best way to go to get things done.