Who is your watcher?

One of my favorite quotes comes from the ancient Roman poet, Juvenal, around the turn of the second century.  One of his Satires had the famous line, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”.  Translated from Latin, the question means “Who will guard the guards themselves?”  This line is appropriate in today’s world where corruption at the highest levels of governments have been rampant since the dawn of time.  Today, the United States’ government has two major scandals plaguing it (The IRS investigating certain groups of citizens and the DOJ snooping on news reporters), and who knows how many more scandals loom under the surface.  It appears no one is able to act as the leaders of this nation’s conscious to prevent politicians (both Republican and Democratic) from making major miscalculations.  The people in charge over the last 40 years have thought they can do no wrong.  They are mistaken.

Now, you might think you can avoid the trap of corruption and that you would never put yourself into a situation where your can be corrupted because of your views.  But ask yourself a question:  “Who is your watcher?”  I’m not necessarily talking about your spouse or a parent; I’m talking about someone whom you trust and who is not afraid to be a political critic about everything that goes on.  They may be right on certain things, wrong on a few things, and occasionally off-base on others.  But you can always count on them to keep you honest.

My watcher goes back many years, and though I don’t often agree with his views, I respect the fact that he is not afraid to speak his mind.  He is an intellectual equal who took a different path than I did.  He sees the world in an idealistic perspective, and that is a good thing.  This South Gwinnett alum will criticize liberal and conservative alike when they are violating the rights of the people.  To challenge him in a debate is difficult under the best of circumstances, and impossible if you have no knowledge of the debate subject.  He is the reason I have developed a counterexample strategy in debates.  If I don’t see reasonable counterexamples in a potential debate, then I don’t challenge someone to their views. 

I may not always agree with my watcher, but I always hear his views.  And as someone who believes in freedom, I believe all views should be heard, even if it is not the popular view.  (Some of my Valparaiso friends would be well-advised to take that piece of advice to heart.)  It is what makes this country great.  It does mean, however, that when you believe your views are absolute, you better be ready for a challenge if I sense your views are off-base.  I have learned from the best. 

Because of what I do, I realize I walk a fine line, and I need people on both the left and right to keep me from going off the reservation.  My watcher and other South Gwinnett friends have kept me honest through the years, and I am grateful for them, even when I don’t always agree with them.

So… Who watches you?