I have been a lifelong lover of the game of baseball. At one point in our nation’s history, baseball was affectionately referred to as our national pastime. Tragically, there is another game that has replaced baseball as our national pastime. It is called “The Blame Game”. How is this game played? It is rather simple. It is played by individuals, or groups, who assign blame to other individuals, or groups, for the problems that exist in their relationships or in the world. Those who excel in this game have perfected the art of finger-pointing, excuse-making, and of course, blame-shifting. “The Blame Game” is a game of scapegoats. It is a game that is filled with participants who refuse to assume personal responsibility for their lives, where lies and half-truths are spoken, and baseless character assassinations are commonplace. The most bizarre and disturbing feature of “The Blame Game” is that in the end no one actually wins! As a matter of fact, in the end, everybody seems to lose. What a futile, foolish, and incredibly stupid game this is to play. Why would anyone ever choose to play “The Blame Game” when the consequences are so negative? The answer is obvious. It will always be easier to play “The Blame Game” than it is to look at ourselves and assume personal responsibility for the changes we may need to make.
Our country is in the process of imploding before our eyes. Terrorism is no longer our biggest threat. We have become our own worst enemy. The choices and decisions that are being made in our country to play “The Blame Game” are slowly contributing to this country’s ultimate demise. In the world of construction there is a process that is called implosion. Old buildings that have become unsafe often need to be demolished. The implosion process positions hundreds of dynamite charges that are attached to the skeletal structure of a building, and sets them off in sequence so the building falls in upon itself. This is what is happening in our country at the moment politically, morally and racially. We are imploding at a dangerously rapid rate.
Blame is fueled by anger that is the direct result of human beings failing to listen to one another. “The Blame Game” blinds human beings to their own failures and shortcomings, while magnifying the failures and shortcomings of others. Blame creates an ugly tribal mentality that limits our capacity to be empathic with others, while feeding an irrational spirit of superiority with others that produces ignorant and narrow-minded thinking. The most dangerous, and potentially lethal element of “The Blame Game” is that it fosters an “us” versus “them” mentality. This mentality polarizes human beings, and prevents us from working together to solve our problems.
Please don’t interpret this article as a political statement. I am equally disgusted with the attitudes and behaviors of both Republicans and Democrats, and the 24/7 news outlets that seek to defend their inept leadership on a daily basis. This article is written to challenge leaders to lead more effectively. People respect and follow leaders who assume personal responsibility for their attitudes, words, choices, decisions and behaviors. As leaders, we need to model what it means to assume personal responsibility for our lives, while helping those we lead to follow our example. “The Blame Game” needs to stop in many of our lives, organizations, homes, and most especially in our country. Here’s hoping that baseball, not “The Blame Game”, will become our national pastime once again!
