Like most of you, I sit amazed at the downfall of South Carolina's governor, Mark Sanford. I have mixed emotions. Sure, he committed a sin. But this is between him and God to sort out. Not me and you to judge him.
A part of me feels bad for him. Since the revelation, I have spoken several prayers for him and his family. It is sad in so many ways. But life moves on hopefully in a good way for him and his family.
Governor Sanford heard a voice. We all hear the voice. The words entice us to do something we know is wrong. At times, the voice comes at us in an incessant whisper. Often, it screams at us and seems to push and pull in an effort to get us to listen.
The essence of life is how we respond to this voice. In short, without a solid relationship with God, we will never be able to ignore the voice. Even with God, the voice will nip at us. It will never quit. Jesus himself was often tempted by the voice but he never gave in to the voice.
There are two concepts in process improvement that come to my mind as I collect my thoughts on this issue. Both involve the management of variation.
First, there is a statistical control chart. Control charts are great tools for controlling a process and are often implemented in the control phase of a six sigma project. From a control chart, we see multiple sources of variation. We see the variation WITHIN a subgroup and the variation BETWEEN a subgroup. For the chart to be effective, the variation WITHIN must be minimal in order to detect variation BETWEEN groups of collected data.
Second, analysis of variance (ANOVA)is a tool often used in the analyze phase of a six sigma project. ANOVA compares the means of two or more populations. It does this by comparing the variation WITHIN each population to the variation BETWEEN the populations. One of the assumptions in ANOVA is the variation WITHIN is the same for each population. For example, say we have five machines in our department and each machine produces the same part. It would be good to know if the machines produce similar output. ANOVA will compare the output WITHIN each machine to the output BETWEEN machines. If the variation WITHIN is larger that the variation BETWEEN machines, the machines may be seen as the same even if there are noticeable differences between the machines.
So by now, hopefully you have picked on the concept of variation WITHIN something and the variation BETWEEN somethings. Let's make it personal. We all have variation within ourselves. Part of this variation is the voice that I mention above. To be good professionals, parents, and spouses, we must work to minimize this variation. If you drink too much, stop! If you never exercise, start!
One of God's commandments is that we love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Well, we can't love others (analogous to variation between) if we don't love ourselves. (analogous to the variation within). This is why I am so passionate about personal and professional development. If we don't reduce the variation within our lives, it is silly to think we can positively influence the lives of others.
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I understand your viewpoint and I agree. However, is it wrong of me to expect that our elected officials stay true to their oath?
Gov. Sanford took an oath, not only to his wife, but to the citizens of South Carolina. I don't think that is "passing judgement." I think it is logical for us to expect our Governor to serve with integrity.
Is it too much to ask that someone who takes an oath to serve do so faithfully? I don't expect perfection...but I do expect integrity.
What gets me frustrated is how some people and the media are making excuses for bad behaviour! (The "well, at least he told the truth" excuse. Yeah, he sang like a bird AFTER he was busted!)
The whole thing is very complicated because it is VERY public.
Sanford took this oath: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I am duly qualified, according to the Constitution of this State, to exercise the duties of the office to which I have been elected, (or appointed), and that I will, to the best of my ability, discharge the duties thereof, and preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of this State and of the United States. So help me God."
How can our Governor fulfil his duties when he is busy "hiding secrets" to be able to spend time with his "new soul mate?"
Now that he has publicly disgraced the Office, how can he effectively continue to govern?
Ya know what? I have an animal care blog where I tell people the truth: If you cannot make a lifetime commitment to your pet...THEN DON'T ADOPT ONE! Some folks think that is cruel to say - I think it is cruel NOT to make that plain.
That means if you cannot spend time with, play with, care for, provide for Vet bills, and have an emergency fund...you really should not even BE a Pet Owner.
That's a very simplistic analogy to compare to the responsibility of taking office, but it works for me.
When you take an oath to serve the people, campaign for it, convince people to trust you with their best interest...then you should commit to keeping your "willie" in your pants until you are out of office, OR DON'T RUN FOR OFFICE!!!
Once you are out of office, THEN if gross immorality comes between you and your wounded spouse, it should stay there. When you are a public official we have the right to demand truth, integrity, and full transparency. That's just my personal opinion.
I agree very much that this latest scandal is very sad. Perhaps your wise advice will help others: "If we don't reduce the variation within our lives, it is silly to think we can positively influence the lives of others." Well spoken!
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