{"id":72,"date":"2012-07-02T16:39:02","date_gmt":"2012-07-02T16:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/?p=72"},"modified":"2012-07-02T16:39:02","modified_gmt":"2012-07-02T16:39:02","slug":"this-july-4th-we-need-a-declaration-of-interdependence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/2012\/07\/this-july-4th-we-need-a-declaration-of-interdependence.html","title":{"rendered":"This July 4th, We Need a “Declaration of Interdependence”"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Viet Nam Moratorium Day in 1969, UCLA professor Warren H. Schmidt sat down to his morning writing. What flowed onto paper was a parable he titled “Is It Always Right to Be Right?” In it he examined the divisiveness that was tearing our country apart in the ’60s: Counterculture versus Establishment, women’s liberation movement, civil rights movement, and of course, the war in Viet Nam. Dr. Schmidt’s parable was published on the front page of the Sunday “Opinion” section of The Los Angeles Times<\/em> on November 9, 1969. It was then adapted into a short film that won an Academy Award in 1971.<\/a><\/p>\n

Today our country is once again roiling with divisiveness … it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Dr. Schmidt and I have collaborated to edit his timeless classic about the hazards of being right. This Independence Day seems like the perfect time to ask ourselves again: “Is it always right to be right?”<\/p>\n

IS IT ALWAYS RIGHT TO BE RIGHT?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There once was a land where people were always right. They knew they were right and they were proud of it. It was a land where people stated with confidence, “I am right and you are wrong.” These were words of conviction, courage, strength, and moral certainty.<\/p>\n

No one was ever heard to say: “I might be wrong,” “Perhaps I’ve misjudged,” or “Maybe you have a point there.” For these were words of weakness, doubt, cowardice, and moral ambiguity<\/p>\n

When differences arose between the people of this land, instead of looking for the Truth, they looked for evidence to support their positions.<\/p>\n

When differences arose between the states, those in the Red States would say: “We are the ones who’ve made this land great. Our success is built on hard work, family values, and love of flag and country. We don’t understand you people in the Blue States — your ways seem so strange, so un-patriotic.”<\/p>\n

These Red State people were right, of course, and they were determined to save the land they loved.<\/em><\/p>\n

But the people in the Blue States would respond: “We look around and see a land where corporate greed is the order of the day. Looking good is more important than being good or doing good. You wrap yourself in the flag to hide your hypocrisy. You are the ones who created this mess we’re in today!”<\/p>\n

These Blue State people were right, of course, and they were determined to save the land they loved.<\/em><\/p>\n

And the gaps between the Red States and the Blue States grew wider and deeper.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When differences arose between people of different colors, those of one color would say: “We have worked for many years to create a land of equality for all our citizens and we have come a long way. We even have a black President! Why can’t you people stop fighting a battle you have already won and appreciate all we have given you? Ours is truly the Promised Land.”<\/p>\n

These people were right, of course, and they knew it.<\/em><\/p>\n

But those of other colors would reply: “The playing field is still not level and we are too often treated as second-class citizens. You vow that you value diversity, but hollow tokenism is all that we see. Your ‘Promised Land’ is really the Compromised Land! How can we be happy, with so far still to go?”<\/p>\n

These people were right, of course, and they knew it.<\/em><\/p>\n

And the gaps between people of different colors grew wider and deeper.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And so it went in this “Land of Rights.” Group after group defined what was right, and took a stand against those who were wrong.<\/p>\n

It happened between those who believed the health care system was broken, and those who believed that the health care system was the best in the world.<\/p>\n

It happened between those who believed the globe was warming, and those who believed that the climate was just fine.<\/p>\n

It happened between those who wanted to liberate the world for democracy, and those who warned that democracy at home was in danger.<\/p>\n

It happened between those who believed that money makes the world go around, and those who had to go around with no money.<\/p>\n

Everyone was right, of course, and they knew it.<\/em><\/p>\n

The many gaps grew wider and deeper – until finally one day, all activity ground to a halt. Each group stood firm in their righteousness, glaring with proud eyes at those too blind to see the Truth.<\/p>\n

People were frightened and angry. Hysterical demonstrations erupted here and there as people grew more frustrated. Violence was a real concern … and the land grew grim and gray.<\/p>\n

Then one day, a strange new sound was heard in the land: “Uh, maybe I was mistaken,” someone said softly.<\/p>\n

A collective gasp of disbelief was heard in the land. Who could be saying such a crazy thing?<\/p>\n

“Perhaps you were right, after all,” someone else said quietly.<\/p>\n

The people looked around to see who could be uttering such nonsense.<\/p>\n

But the two voices persisted … and after a while, some of the people began to listen. They listened with uncertainty at first – but they listened.<\/p>\n

And as they listened anew, they began to see anew – seeing fellow human beings where they once had seen only enemies.<\/p>\n

Here and there, people joined together to act upon their common interests. With each new joint effort, people’s trust in one another grew. They found a new faith in their ability to shape their own destiny … together.<\/p>\n

They stated their new beliefs in a “Declaration of Interdependence” …<\/strong><\/p>\n

All people are created equal …
\nbut each develops into a unique individual.
\nAll people are endowed with certain inalienable rights …
\nbut each must assume corresponding responsibilities.
\nFor the happiness of all depends on the commitment of each
\nto support equality and individuality, rights and responsibilities.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this land, people had learned how two rights can make a terrible wrong.<\/p>\n

They saw how little courage it takes to point the finger of blame …\u00a0and how much courage it takes to extend the hand of partnership.<\/p>\n

And they realized how little wisdom there is in defending a narrow right … and how much wisdom there is in seeking a broader understanding.<\/p>\n

Most important of all, the people of this land had learned that the quest for Truth is never over … and the challenge is always the same:<\/strong><\/p>\n

To stop fighting long enough to listen and learn from others who differ; <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0to try new approaches and build new relationships; <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 and to keep working at a process that never ends.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

BJ Gallagher and Dr. Warren Schmidt are co-authors of the international best-seller, “A Peacock in the Land of Penguins: A Fable About Creativity and Courage” (Berrett-Koehler), now published in 23 languages.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Viet Nam Moratorium Day in 1969, UCLA professor Warren H. Schmidt sat down to his morning writing. What flowed onto paper was a parable he titled “Is It Always Right to Be Right?” In it he examined the divisiveness that was tearing our country apart in the ’60s: Counterculture versus Establishment, women’s liberation movement,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":434,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[83,85,87,86,84,88],"class_list":["post-72","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-declaration-of-independence","tag-fourth-of-july","tag-freedom","tag-independence-day","tag-july-4th","tag-liberty"],"yoast_head":"\nThis July 4th, We Need a "Declaration of Interdependence" - The Power of Positive Doing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This July 4th, We Need a "Declaration of Interdependence" - The Power of Positive Doing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On Viet Nam Moratorium Day in 1969, UCLA professor Warren H. Schmidt sat down to his morning writing. What flowed onto paper was a parable he titled “Is It Always Right to Be Right?” In it he examined the divisiveness that was tearing our country apart in the ’60s: Counterculture versus Establishment, women’s liberation movement,…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/2012\/07\/this-july-4th-we-need-a-declaration-of-interdependence.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Power of Positive Doing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"www.facebook.com\/bjgallagher.9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-07-02T16:39:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"BJ Gallagher\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BJ_Gallagher\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"This July 4th, We Need a \"Declaration of Interdependence\" - The Power of Positive Doing","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"nofollow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"This July 4th, We Need a \"Declaration of Interdependence\" - The Power of Positive Doing","og_description":"On Viet Nam Moratorium Day in 1969, UCLA professor Warren H. Schmidt sat down to his morning writing. What flowed onto paper was a parable he titled “Is It Always Right to Be Right?” In it he examined the divisiveness that was tearing our country apart in the ’60s: Counterculture versus Establishment, women’s liberation movement,…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/2012\/07\/this-july-4th-we-need-a-declaration-of-interdependence.html","og_site_name":"The Power of Positive Doing","article_author":"www.facebook.com\/bjgallagher.9","article_published_time":"2012-07-02T16:39:02+00:00","author":"BJ Gallagher","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@BJ_Gallagher","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/2012\/07\/this-july-4th-we-need-a-declaration-of-interdependence.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/2012\/07\/this-july-4th-we-need-a-declaration-of-interdependence.html","name":"This July 4th, We Need a \"Declaration of Interdependence\" - The Power of Positive Doing","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-07-02T16:39:02+00:00","dateModified":"2012-07-02T16:39:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/#\/schema\/person\/292eb60ddcbaff3a3f8e410708bd9b10"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/2012\/07\/this-july-4th-we-need-a-declaration-of-interdependence.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/2012\/07\/this-july-4th-we-need-a-declaration-of-interdependence.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/2012\/07\/this-july-4th-we-need-a-declaration-of-interdependence.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"This July 4th, We Need a “Declaration of Interdependence”"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/","name":"The Power of Positive Doing","description":"Beliefnet Voices - BJ Gallagher","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/#\/schema\/person\/292eb60ddcbaff3a3f8e410708bd9b10","name":"BJ Gallagher","description":"BJ Gallagher is an inspirational author and speaker. She writes business books that educate and empower, women\u2019s books that enlighten and entertain, and gift books that inspire and inform. Whether her audience is corporate executives, working women, or a group of college student, her message is powerful, positive, as well as practical. She motivates and teaches with empathy, understanding, and more than a little humor. BJ\u2019s international best-seller, \"A Peacock in the Land of Penguins\" (Berrett-Koehler; third edition 2001), is now in 23 languages and has sold over 400,000 copies. Her recent books include: \"The Power of Positive DOING\" (Simple Truths) and \"If God Is Your Co-Pilot, Switch Seats\" (Hampton Roads). Her new book, \"Your Life Is Your Prayer\" (Mango Publishing) will be out in April 2019. BJ and her books have been featured on CBS Evening News, the Today show, Fox News, PBS, CNN, and other television and radio programs. She is quoted almost weekly in various newspapers, women\u2019s magazines, and websites including O the Oprah magazine, Redbook, Woman\u2019s World, Ladies Home Journal, First for Women, Time, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Hartford Courant, Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, Orlando Sentinel, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and MSNBC.com, among others. BJ also conducts seminars and workshops. Her clients include: IBM, Chevron, Nissan, John Deere Credit Canada, Volkswagen, Farm Credit Services of America, Raytheon, Marathon Realty (Canada), U.S. Department of Interior, Veterans Administration, among others. BJ is the former manager of training and development for the Los Angeles Times, where she was responsible for management development, sales training, customer service seminars, diversity training, specialized programs for women, and the development of high potential managers.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.bjgallagher.com","www.facebook.com\/bjgallagher.9","www.instagram.com\/bj_gallagher","www.linkedin.com\/BJ Gallagher","https:\/\/x.com\/BJ_Gallagher"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/author\/bgallagher"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/434"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72\/revisions\/77"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thepowerofpositivedoing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}