Thinking Out Loud, Volume DXX

Imagine this scenario: You applied for a job, and you have been called in for an interview. Since you've done this before, you have a good idea what to expect, and what kind of questions you'll be asked. When you walk in to the waiting room to await your appointment, you see other applicants for the same position also awaiting their turns, so you make a quick assessment as to just what your competition looks like. Since there's still a little time before you will be summoned, you step outside to call a friend, and you tell him who your competitors are going to be. Then you give him his instructions, "See what kind of dirt you can dig up on each one of them and get back to me ASAP." When your name is called for your interview, you go back loaded for bear. You're ready for that inevitable question when it's asked, "Tell us a little bit about yourself. Why should we hire YOU for this job?" This is how you respond: "Well, I'm not like all those other candidates you are interviewing. Melissa Wescott, the one you just interviewed, was known to have experimented with marijuana when she first started college. The guy coming in after me, Skip Flintman, is too religious for this job and will likely let his beliefs affect the decisions he makes. And Cal Evans, the one who just left about an hour ago, would rather climb a tree to tell a lie when he could stand on the ground and tell the truth." Can you imagine how likely you would be to get the job when you tried to build yourself up by tearing everyone else down? Actually, I had something like that happen to me a few years ago. I told a "friend" about a job I was going after, so he went and applied for the same job, and told them what a mistake it would be to hire me. I was the one who got the job. All my life I've been taught that it shows a lack of character when a person tries to make himself look good by making everyone else look bad. It leads me to believe there must not be all that much good he can say about himself. Who would hire someone who did that in his interview? Actually, I know a couple people who would: You and me, because every single candidate seeking the job of President of the United States is doing just that, and we have to decide on one of them. To be honest, all the mudslinging and false accusations are not new to politics....I've heard it all my life, but it seems to me we've reached a new low, and it's not just the candidates. It's also many of the supporters of each of these candidates. Have we as a nation reached the point to where we only feed off of negativity and hate? I wonder what Jesus would do if he was walking the streets of America today. Would he be involved in all the character assassination that we are hearing every single day? Would he give up on his call for us to "love our neighbors as ourselves?" What if he was running for office? Could he get elected? I'm not here to push for any particular candidate. When Election Day comes around, I will vote and I urge you to do the same. I guess it doesn't hurt to dream, though, about a day when the people decide to reject all the name calling and slander, and instead will support candidates because of their character, ability, and honesty. I would love to see that day, but I'm not sure if I will. I'm getting kinda old. Preston