Sometimes, political tradition points the way toward wise personal practice. Okay, maybe not that often, but when it works, as it did this week, it really works!
Did you know that there’s a ‘designated survivor’ during the State of the Union address? No, it’s not somebody assigned to stay awake when the whole thing gets so boring that everyone else in the room dozes off – although I smiled when my 13-year-old daughter thought so, after she heard me use the term.
The ‘designated survivor’ is a single government official, typically a cabinet member, who is sheltered, safe and secure, in a separate location when pretty much every important federal official is sitting in Congress, watching our President deliver the State of the Union address.
Who would you ask to continue your work and rebuild, if you were suddenly unable to carry on?
The tradition goes back to the Cold War years when the country was gripped by anxiety about the imminent possibility of a Russian nuclear attack wiping out the U.S. government. In this era of mass terror committed by those sworn to destroy America, especially since the 9/11 attacks, the tradition makes some real sense.
On Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx was chosen as ‘designated survivor.’ Had the worst occurred, the 44-year-old former mayor of Charlotte, NC, would have become President, with the task of rebuilding our entire federal government, not to mention leading us all through the greatest catastrophe in our nation’s history. Happily, the worst did not happen!
But it leaves me with a real question that we could all consider: Who would be your ‘designated survivor’? This isn’t asked out of some macabre fascination with death, or even fear of it – nor because I think it’s always necessary to “be prepared” (though I was Boy Scout). I ask because each of our answers may really provide some clarity about the purpose we attribute to our lives, and who can be relied upon to help us.
Who would be your Anthony Foxx? Like the Transportation Secretary, the individual you choose needn’t be the person closest to you, or the one others would assume you’d select. It would be a person you’d ask to continue your work and rebuild, if you were suddenly unable to carry on.
Now here’s the really interesting part, especially as we hope this candidate will never be called upon. Why did you choose the person you chose? What is it about them, their values or personality? What important things would you trust they could get done, if you were not here to do them yourself?
The answers to these questions are not only about the future. (Or, if you prefer, they are about the future, and the future is now.) Not, I hope, because any of us face an imminent tragedy, but because the future we hope to build is ours to build today.
So take a few moments today to think about whom you’d name as your “designated survivor,” and more importantly, why you’d appoint that person to take care of your future. It will tell you quite a lot about how to create a great present.
Image credit: Duc Den Thui/Shutterstock.com
Listed for many years in Newsweek as one of America’s “50 Most Influential Rabbis” and recognized as one of our nation’s leading “Preachers and Teachers,” by Beliefnet.com, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield serves as the President of Clal–The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a training institute, think tank, and resource center nurturing religious and intellectual pluralism within the Jewish community, and the wider world, preparing people to meet the biggest challenges we face in our increasingly polarized world.
An ordained Orthodox rabbi who studied for his PhD and taught at The Jewish Theological Seminary, he has also taught the University of Pennsylvania, where he directs an ongoing seminar, and American Jewish University. Rabbi Brad regularly teaches and consults for the US Army and United States Department of Defense, religious organizations — Jewish and Christian — including United Seminary (Methodist), Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (Modern Orthodox) Luther Seminary (Lutheran), and The Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative) — civic organizations including No Labels, Odyssey Impact, and The Aspen Institute, numerous Jewish Federations, and a variety of communal and family foundations.
Hirschfield is the author and editor of numerous books, including You Don’t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism, writes a column for Religion News Service, and appears regularly on TV and radio in outlets ranging from The Washington Post to Fox News Channel. He is also the founder of the Stand and See Fellowship, which brings hundreds of Christian religious leaders to Israel, preparing them to address the increasing polarization around Middle East issues — and really all currently polarizing issues at home and abroad — with six words, “It’s more complicated than we know.”