What Would You Stand In Line For?

Disclaimer: This post is not a political post, just happens to stem from political gatherings. This post does not endorse any candidate, nor is the candidate necessarily a reflection of my political views.

Now that I have that out of the way...

The Background:

I was recently able to meet three presidential candidates over the last few months. Living in Iowa during an election year presents that type of opportunity, and I have enjoyed taking hold of the opportunities that have came up. First, Marco Rubio, then Ben Carson, and then the most recent one. The candidate: Donald Trump. The temperature outside waiting for Trump: Very Cold. Time spent waiting outside in the cold to (maybe) see Trump: Just shy of 2 hours. Total Trump time on a Saturday: 5 hours.

The Summarized Story:

Standing in line outside in the cold was not the most enjoyable experience, especially for my wife who did not quite dress well enough for the cold temperature. When doors open at 12:30 and we get there shortly after that, the line should be moving right along, right? Well 1 1/2 hours later we were still in the line, still outside, and still cold. The line was now being diverted to overflow seating to watch a live video feed in another building. This was a bummer, but we still were going to stick around and get educated. The day was about to include a bit of excitement, and to summarize, here is what happened....a staff person came up to us and 4 other people around us to lead us not to the overflow seating to watch the video feed, but instead to the building we originally were headed to. Evidently there were open seats left in the auditorium so we were going to get them. Needless to say, the seats ended up being in the very front row! One of those "right place at the right time" moments, and it was a great experience to be a part of. Trump had his speech, came to the front to shake hands, and even had time to scribble his autograph on a sign for us.

The After:

I can definitely say the rally was quite the experience. The excitement around Trump was easily felt, and it was great to see first-hand one of the top polling candidates. When we came back home, I had a feeling of excitement from the day and of uncertainty. I just met Donald Trump, sat in the front row, got his autograph, and my wife shook his hand! I also just spent nearly 2 hours standing outside in the cold, windy weather, and the last 5+ hours devoting my time to a candidate who I do not necessarily agree with.

Did I just waste my time?

I could have done numerous other things on a Saturday. There is always work to be done at school, always pages to read in books, things to do around the house, or projects to make. I really flip-flopped in my mind over the next several days, and even as I write this, if the time I spent that day was truly worth my time. I keep bringing up the same questions in my mind: "What things would I stand in line for for nearly 2 hours, just to have a possibility at seeing my intended goal?" "What does standing in line for Donald Trump for 2 hours show about who I am?" "Who or what else would I do the same thing for?"

The only other types of events I have stood in line for, to the best of my knowledge, for that amount of time would be a Minnesota Twins game, on a few occasions. I have never done any Black Friday shopping, nor have I waited in line to watch the release of any blockbuster movie that is having its opening night. So I guess the things I will wait in line for are the Minnesota Twins and Donald Trump.

Neither of those things are inherently bad things to stand in line for, but I think it is important to know the purpose of standing in line. I love referring many decisions back to the phrase of "form follows function." What functions was I trying to fulfill? In these two standing-in-line cases, I am enjoying a time with friends or my wife, and also trying to get educated on the presidential race. Therefore, my form was to go and experience something that would support those functions. I did not go to praise or idolize a baseball player or candidate. In those cases, standing in line would have been a waste of time.

I wonder what other things I will be standing in line for throughout my life for 2 hours. I highly doubt these two instances will be the only ones. When I do stand in line again, I hope I can have a reputable function for that form, so I do not waste the time freezing my fingers off for no good reason.

What would you stand in line for?

Conversations: What is your purpose?

There are two sides to every coin.

You can't have lemonade without lemon and water.

There's more than meets the eye.

Dig deeper.

However one may want to phrase it, it is reality that ideas should not be looked at from just one person's perspective, or just the surface level There is more to a story than one's own opinion. Humans were given the ability to think and reason, to live in community, and engage in dialogue. We grow by having conversations, we do not grow by forcing our ideas on others.

A teaching practice used to help students understand meanings of words is to have them give a non-example of the word. If a student can give an example of what the word is not, the student likely has a very good understanding of what the original word means. There is a bigger picture to the word when seen in a different light.

The same can be said with opinions, other people, and conversations that are had. Crucial Conversations points out some great skills when engaging in dialogue with other people, especially when topics may be sensitive. One of the skills promoted is to encourage testing:

The test of whether your motive is to win a debate or engage in real dialogue is the degree to which you encourage testing.

Seek to view the other side. It may confirm your original thinking even more, and not change your viewpoint. It might change your outlook and now could include both sides in some sort of a hybrid view, or it might shed light on a totally new perspective you. Whichever way it leads, there is growth. 

Below is a TED Talk highlighting the dangers of listening to a single story. Watch it, and reflect on other single stories that may be masking themselves as truth in your life.

The Danger of a Single Story