| ||||||||||
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
 
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Commentary: Seeing with Both Eyes What Emerson -- and a Mule at a Gate -- Can Teach Us About the Government Shutdown By David Goguen Two old farmers were leaning on a fence one afternoon, watching a mule stare at a closed gate. One of them said, "That mule's too stubborn to push it open." The other spat, shook his head, and said, "Nah, he's not stubborn--he's just thinkin' about the meaning of the gate." They both laughed, and then went quiet for a bit, just watching that mule stand there in the sun. Funny thing is, both of them might have been right. One saw a problem that needed fixing. The other saw something to think about. That story says a lot about how people see the world. The writer Ralph Waldo Emerson once said there are two kinds of thinkers. The Materialist, who focuses on facts, numbers, and results--the world that can be measured. And, the Idealist, who looks inward, trusting imagination, conscience, and the unseen truths that guide us. You can see both types on both sides right now in Washington, D.C., during the government shutdown. Both sides have their practical thinkers, counting dollars and deadlines, arguing over policies and spreadsheets, and both sides have their idealists, standing firm on principles and long-term visions. Both believe they're doing what's right. But when each side digs in too deep, the whole system locks up--just like that mule and his gate. Maybe what's needed isn't more stubbornness, but more balance. The Materialist's logic keeps us grounded; the Idealist's imagination keeps us human. The best leaders--and the best citizens--learn to use both ways of thinking. Emerson's advice still rings true: see with both eyes--one on what's real, the other on what's possible. That's how we start moving forward again, together. This story was posted on 2025-11-10 11:26:24
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Letters and Reader Feedback:
Letter: Anyone know of a source for Columbia Monopoly? Letter: Would not consume that mushroom Letter: Trabue-Russell House Fall Lunch Letter: Clock tower vandalism Letter: Visiting graves of ancestors in Adair Co. Hay located for Pumpkin Trail Letter: Bearwallow Cemetery maintenance Letter: Downtown Days Photography Contest Letter: The retirement question Commentary: Opportunity for change for Adair Co. View even more articles in topic Letters and Reader Feedback |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
 
  
 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
