There is an old saying; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The same then must be true of lesser human qualities such as, say…treason.

Trea-son (tre’-zen) n. 1- Betrayal, treachery, or breach of allegiance toward a sovereign or government. 2- A breach of faith; treachery.

How is it, we have become so divided in our view of one man? How does one brother defend so passionately the very person who has become so offensive to the other…even to the point one would take up arms against the other? Perhaps it is in our language…perhaps it is merely how we talk to one another. Have we not been here before?

“A drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gal. So with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey which catches his heart, which, say what he will, is the highroad to his reason.”- Abraham Lincoln  

Before I can become your friend, I must first understand in my heart that the thorn to me is the rose to you…and then I must accept it! Because, to force my vision onto you would only bury the thorn deeper into my flesh…while enhancing the bloom and fragrance to your every sense! And yet our present course is leading us farther and farther from one another. But how do we preserve both friend and principle? Can our values be compromised? Rather than a full exchange of freedom for security, is it possible to negotiate a measure of freedom for an equal measure of security? But haven’t we already done this? Isn’t that how Medicaid and Social Security came to be? And who looks after these measures of power and control?

Aren’t these dilemmas the very building blocks of our Republic? Isn’t this exactly why we were formed as a nation of laws rather than a nation of men? What I fear is lost on most of us over time, is the miraculous quality of our Founders. That they were possessed of the worldly knowledge and intellect to A) fathom the dangers of power and control in the hands of men, and B) deny it for themselves!

…Which leads us to the most amazing quality of all…to my mind. They did not even take the credit themselves as the grantors of our rights; rather, they acknowledged a higher power…above man, as the source of our inalienable rights! This is the very essence of our American Exceptionalism!

So with my friend who looks on this man and sees beauty, can I not first look to find these qualities myself? Can I not find them in the love of his family and his extraordinary accomplishments…and agree in part? And then of my friend, is it not easier for me to ask that he understand how in part, the fundamental transformation from the principles described above leading to a shift in power and control would constitute treason in our eyes?