Last night I listened to an interview with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the Dr. Phil program. Kennedy was given the opportunity to address many of the issues that we are all concerned about. It was brought out that many people do not -have not – will not take the time to listen to or read what he has to say. They base their opinions on hearsay or they read only the headlines in the news, but do not read the entire story. A few weeks ago I listened to Robert Kennedy interviewing an extremely well educated Amish farmer. The farmer stated that we can actually read faster than we can listen. In spite of not having had formal education beyond the eighth grade, this man had acquired most of his education through reading and life experience. I have heard it said that today’s generation has an attention span of only about 15 seconds. They merely skim the surface and rarely actually absorb information or learn critical thinking.
After the interview with Dr. Phil, I listened to The Real Debate that was streamed through the social media platform X. This was done because Biden, Trump and CNN refused to allow RFK Jr. on the debate stage with them; so unfortunately, it was necessary to listen to the non-stop accusations and bragging of President Biden and Trump as well. Bobby Kennedy was given the opportunity to answer the same questions (on X) that were being asked of the other two on CNN.
A debate, in my mind, should be the setting for serious discussion and the exchange of ideas. The participant should answer a question by putting forth his proposals and solutions for meeting specific problems. Neither President Biden or Trump acknowledged the existential problems that our nation and our world are facing; nor did they offer any fresh perspectives. When asked what he would do to address the climate crisis, Trump COMPLETELY IGNORED the question and continued talking about the previous question, which was the unfair treatment of blacks. Biden, too, glossed over the climate question and veered off in another direction. Listeners had to endure their childish, derogatory, and belittling remarks of one another and their gloating about their own accomplishments for the entire time.
I have spent the past several months listening to every interview and talk that has been posted on RFK Jr’s website (kennedy24.com) in order to get to know who he is and what he stands for. From these I have learned that he is genuinely honest, moral, and unflappable. His worldly, well-rounded education that he acquired both formally and from life itself, as well as his forty years experience as an environmental attorney gives him a clear perspective. He walks among “we, the people” and does not look down at us from a false and egoic sense of self. He not only sees the problems we face – he asks “why?” He said that we must “question everything” – which is exactly what I said in the book that I began writing in 2013 and later published: Question Everything: Overcoming Passivity in a Perilous World.
I am sad that so many of my own generation have been sucked in by the lies of mainstream media and they simply repeat the inaccuracies that they hear without actually listening to what Kennedy has to say. If you are concerned about the state of our country, if you are reluctant to vote because you were told that you must choose between the lesser of two evils (Biden or Trump) I encourage you to listen to RFK Jr. and to what he has to say about those issues you care about. He speaks the truth with integrity and respect. The difference between the man (RFK Jr.) and the boys (Biden and Trump) is clear. Who do you want to become our next president this November – a man – or a boy?
