How Do You Pick A President?

By Timothy J. Bond

How do they think? Are they wise? Are they prudent and patient in most cases and urgent when necessary?

Do they lead in a purposed direction?

Do they think in legalistic terms where rules are elevated over any sense of right and wrong?

Do you like the way they think? Does it make sense to you even when you don’t come to the same conclusions? Can you feel comfortable with their decisions even when you don’t agree with them, without having to compromise your own views on what’s best?

Can you respect and trust them to change their views like most people do, in order to learn, grow and move on? Or must that always be pandering and fake? Can you flawlessly tell the difference without knowing them personally?

Where do they get their values? Do they tell us and can they defend the source of the values they hold dear as worthy, with a smile of confidence and little need to say a lot? Do they care enough to defend it when necessary, or is it sort of coincidental and they just feel it’s right because it seems to make sense at the time, and other sources are well, [just fine too]?

Do they truly believe in anything above them? Do they believe they will be accountable somewhere for the things they say, don’t say, do and don’t do in life? I mean accountable in any way to anyone. Does this belief show itself in their conduct: how they treat others and how they live?

Can you detect that they consider themselves a servant instead of someone others should serve? Independent of what they say, do you see it in how they behave? Can they yield to what is better especially when they are wrong?

Can you forgive them their sins and debts against others, yet still trust them to serve? Must you know their sins and debts against others? Should they matter to you? Should we know yours? Are you seeking a personal helpmate or partner, or something larger and different?

Do you need to be excited or inspired, or should you have that covered? Do you need them to appeal to your desire to smile and laugh, or feel anything good at all? Can it feel bad and even hurt to do the right thing? Would you vote for ‘boring’ if you could get everything else on your list of issues?

Do you need someone to stand up for what you care about, or someone ready to SERVE and support the things you already care about because you’re already standing up?

Do you need a savior here, or is someone else taking care of that?

A President is only a person. Believing in people has proven disastrous throughout human history, but believing in something higher is the best way to discern people, and the temptation to believe in people won’t persist. Think about what makes a person good and right for a job. Think about the things you are entrusting them to do and to take care of. Know the job description and the applicant before you commit to supporting them.

“A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, But a fool’s heart at his left.” Ecclesiastes 10:2

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Timothy J. Bond is a firefighter living in Thousand Oaks

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