Every time Pres. Trump calls “fight”, I wince a little. (Just as I wince at “President Trump” but that’s another story.) And every time Harris or Walz calls “fight”, I am filled with regret. We shout “fight” too readily, too eagerly, altogether too often. Teddy Roosevelt coached us to speak softly but carry a big stick. Instead, we shout “fight” at every opportunity, whether wielding a big stick or no.
I know: that sounds really preachy. But my God, wouldn’t you
agree that our society has become steeped in conflict, in violence? Teens would
rather strike out than talk; adults trash talk to the point of assault; violence
in our neighborhoods doesn’t alarm us; the daily morning papers’ reports of last
night’s homicides no longer shock us. We simply shrug , shake our heads, say OMG,
and peruse on. Fight is a worldwide affliction – in Gaza and the West Bank, in
Ukraine, in Beirut, in Abuja and Asmara, in Karachi and Maungdaw and Manipur,
and on and on.
From both Democrats and Republicans: “next time, we must fight
harder”. “when we fight, we win”, “worth fighting for”, “you won’t have a
country unless you fight for it”. . . fight, fight, fight. Our sports teams
fight. Television is full of fight: Mixed Martial Arts and the Ultimate Fighting
Championship and tonight's 58 year-old Mike Tyson's return to the ring: brutal, gladiatorial violence in full view from your
couch. You don’t have to go to the Coliseum to see the blood ooze and sometimes
spurt.
Churchill, or was it Harold Macmillan, said “jaw, jaw is
better than war, war.” And wasn’t Churchill as warlike as could be? But he knew
when to war and when to talk. Perhaps we need more willingness to war in Crimea
and Donetsk, and more willingness to talk in Taipei and Teheran. And better
yet, perhaps less jaw, jawing and more listen, listening.
If each of us were to abjure “fight”, to banish it from our
vocabulary, might we not move the needle a little? It wouldn’t hurt to try.