Fighting

"I will fight for you in Washington."

This columnist, while hailing from a religious tradition not especially amenable to gambling, would nonetheless like to take bets on which presidential candidate will first utter this column's introductory aphorism as the latest quest for the White House comes into full flower in a few months.

"Fight" seems to be a verb in every hopeful's lexicon.

All will use it: Democrat, Republican, independent, et al.

It strikes me as odd that behavior usually regarded as repugnant is embraced in the political world.

Outside of politics and professional pugilism, we reject fighting in all of its forms without hesitation, e.g., the anti-bullying initiatives seen in all educational institutions.

If a husband or father is imaged as a fighter, we are immediately on our guard.

If we are summoned by a school principal because Johnny or Susie was seen fighting in class or in the playground, never is such conduct regarded as a point of pride.

In races for elective office, however, we expect to hear candidate X declare himself or herself to be a fighter.

It's not enough for a political hopeful to suggest advocacy for a position or to promise to be "a voice" for others.

Not strong enough language, apparently.

Frankly, due to the experiences of my life, if candidates suggest they'll "fight" for me, it's very hard for me to darken their ovals on Election Day.

You can't win consensus, necessary to pass legislation, for example, by behaving as a fighter.

Yes, you can sow division, you can become famous -- or infamous, depending on your point of view -- through being seen as a puncher rather than as a voice of reason, as a reconciler.

I mentioned the experiences of my life.

In my youth, I got into scrapes on a handful of occasions and in my recollection of those events, never have they brought a smile to my face nor a sense of pride -- even when I was the so-called "victor" in those encounters.

Since this is a religion column and I self-identify as Christian, Jesus necessarily comes to mind.

Perhaps my version of the New Testament is different than that of others but I see nothing in the Gospels where Jesus claimed to be a fighter or to advocate violence in any form by his followers.

Just the opposite.

The quotable instances are numerous but let's cite just two.

When Peter becomes a fighter by cutting of part of an ear of a member of the arresting party in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus' reaction is to condemn the disciple's actions.

"Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" (John 18:11)

When a woman accused of adultery was dragged before Jesus -- and the crowd expected the Nazarene to advocate for the penalty of death called for in the Mosaic law -- the Lord instead said, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." (John 8:7)

Rhetoric

Campaigns are about words and the ones politicians who seek the public's vote use should be held accountable for them.

I'll be listening during the coming presidential campaign season to hear which of the hopefuls sounds more like Jesus, the advocate of reconciliation rather than violence, the backer of consensus rather than fighting.

Personally, I imagine those candidates will be few and far between in 2024 because "fighting" is so expected in contemporary political rhetoric.

I am naive, I suppose, but one can hope.