The Governor Sanford mess...

It isn't so much the affair that bothers me..."Let he who is without sin..." It is the lying that gets to me...and for some reason the lying of his staff bothers me even more

and the fact that so many folks in SC are struggling...while this farce is unfolding...A FB friend pointed out that our unemployment rate is 12%!

I am not saying I have not messed up in my long life...

and I am not saying that Democrats are immune from hypocrisy (Spitzer, for one)

But this campaign really focused me on the need to assume personal responsibility in one's life

That is one of the greatest things Obama gave to me...He emphasizes responsibility

Not to say that he is perfect either. But I believe that he is striving to be very responsible in office at this critical time in our history

Of all the character traits right now, responsibility is at the top of the list, in terms of importance, even more so than creativity, perhaps...and I am a huge creativity enthusiast...

Iran has been a train wreck, the Sanford debacle is another kind of train wreck; then the DC train wreck is a third, but this time actual and very deadly train wreck.

Thus, we can see that lives can be wrecked in a variety of ways, in these instances, by lying or deception, by the imposition of power and control through violence or verbal aggression, and by possible neglect (We know now that the trains that crashed should have been replaced a very long time ago).

There are lessons to be learned from these tragedies that we can apply to our own lives. Let us strive hard to never deceive or outright lie. Let us avoid at all cost seeking to impose our wills through aggression. And finally, let us be ever mindful of the effect of blind carelessness on others. 

We need to "act as if everything we do matters." (Williams James). And we need "mindfulness," in both the Eastern and Western sense of the term. 

I am not speaking from a holier than thou perspective. I have messed up in each area at some point in my life. In some instances, I have messed up within the past twenty-four hours.

As Obama said about smoking, I too, have had my slips. The importance thing is to acknowledge imperfection and seek help.

Far be it from me to psychoanalyze Governor Sanford, but before this story broke I expressed concern that he seemed so tightly wound, seemingly inaccessible, on the personal level. Perhaps that was a part of his problem.

Having caused a few train wrecks of my own in the past, I am striving hard to be a responsible person, in my personal and business relationships...and to open up...