T E X A R K A N A M A G A Z I N E
this line of work. What matters is that you buckle down, listen and help. Politics is not about you. It is about the people you impact. Help them at all costs. Never stop learning. Ever! Last summer, I somehow managed to join the ranks of college students (known as “hill-terns”) interning on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. In the office of Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, I met seven other students who I now consider dear friends. We worked from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm every day, taking calls and running around the Capitol Building with memos and letters for members of Congress. The most consistent part of our week was our online learning, which Senator Cotton had made part of our duties in his office. Each week we were educated on something specific, whether it was Congress, the Constitution, the problems of the American political system today or the occasional lecture on how our American government came to be what it is. The message from Senator Cotton was clear; learning is more than just the experience of office running. Our minds need to be sharpened daily with ideas, arguments and discussions. The pursuit of knowledge is crucial in the development of humankind and something we must never stop pursuing. Within the political realm, politicians and their staff can become so caught up in ideology and politics that they forget to serve the critical public interests.
Reading, learning and understanding everything possible keeps us from falling into that habit. While we can still be partisan, if we continue to embrace learning and expand our knowledge, we can improve the situations we are in. That includes reading opposing mindsets, understanding them and hearing their perspectives. Public service comes before ambition. The last lesson is the one I believe is most important. Not just because it is sound advice, but because I firmly believe it would help the political divisions we see today. American politics is fractured, and many of those leading it have completely forgotten what they are there to do. They shout about how they care for the public and accuse their opposition of hating the nation. The truth is their ambitions have blinded them to public service. Ambition, like many characteristics, is good in moderation. In excess, it can be intoxicating and poisonous not just to the person but to the entire system. Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, other members of Congress and American politics as a whole could use a sobering dose of humility. It would make our country better. To anyone hoping to enter the political arena, I have one request. Look beyond yourself before starting that campaign or taking that job. Consider whether you are pursuing a position for yourself or whether you want that position to serve others. Let’s try to get right what many of our current leaders get wrong.
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B U S I N E S S & P O L I T I C S
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