You never listen to me anymore

Emily Procter as Ainsley Hayes on "The West Wing"

I'm working my way through all seven years of "The West Wing" on Netflix; I think it's a great show, much of which I saw when it was broadcast live. It's fun to revisit this beautifully-written, willing-to-take-on-the-hard-issues show with one of televisions great ensembles. Allison Janey is phenomenal, as is Richard Schiff -- but in fact the entire cast is excellent.

Hard for me to like at first was Emily Procter as Ainsley Hayes, a Republican operative hired by a Democratic president because he thinks she is smart and capable. I warmed up to her pretty quickly because she, the actress and the character, is in fact very smart and capable -- and a real comedic talent too.

It strikes me that this is the way government, and society, should work. Smart, capable people should come together, whatever their views, and talk to each other. More importantly, they should LISTEN to each other. This seems so obvious, but it's not what happens. I ask you: when was the last time you changed an opinion you held after listening to someone argue the opposing view? If you're at all like me, the honest answer is that it's been a long time. Most of us don't listen when we argue; instead we wait til our opponent takes a breath so we can jump in and repeat our point.

I think this tendency has gotten worst over the years. Think about the State of the Union speech; look at the debate over health care; look at the rhetoric from the far right -- or the far left for that matter. We don't listen, we don't learn, we don't change, we don't grow. 

Not a very hopeful prescription for the future.