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It’s always hard to comment on politically slanted stories without appearing to take sides.

Vice President Biden’s comment on the healthcare legislation takes the subject from a politicized topic to a human interest story, so we’re pretty safe to wade in these waters.

But if you’re expecting a judgment on his choice of language, you should move on to a politically charged blog.

We’re mental health.

And this is a man, whether you agree with his political positions or not, who seems to speak from his heart.  There’s something to be said about that.  Something positive, I believe.

But even if it is something negative, at least you know you’re directing your opinion at a person, not at a team of speech writers, political consultants and crisis management experts.

I find that in a highly charged political environment, it is rewarding to take a step back.  To take a look at the business and politics of being human.  At times like these, we get a clearer view of how we interact with each other, and what it is that we strive to accomplish from those interactions.

We very obviously want to be healthy.

We want to be heard – and more importantly feel that we have been heard.

We desire for our opinion to count.

We hope to be on the winning side.

We become excited.

Stressed.

Anxious.

Animated.  And that shows up as as anger, fear, joy … the full gamut of human emotion.

We feel alive.

We look alive!

Look at our country.  For better of worse, look at all the people who are so emphatically raising their voices … desiring, hoping and expecting to be heard.

Certainly, we believe fervently that the other side is wrong.  Of course they are … it’s crystal clear.  How they don’t see they are wrong is a complete mystery.

“I’m right, I have the answer.  Hear me.  She agrees with me.  He’s on my page.  She’s making sense.  Don’t listen to him. Why is she lying?  He’s betraying us.  Her politics are getting in the way of common sense.  His wallet is dictating policy.”

It’s a symphony.

If you take the time to listen and put your opinions aside – just for a moment – you will hear an Opera that Puccini could only dream of composing and that Paganini would have aspired to conduct.

It is one of the most beautiful sound ever heard on Mother Earth.

It is the sound of free people, raising their voice in unison.

Sure, they are singing different notes … but that is precisely what makes it so beautiful.  There is harmony, dissonance, melody and cacophony.

Truly, Americans are virtuosos at the instrument of passionate opinion.  We are a nation peopled by those who sought opportunity and freedom at great personal peril.

Americans appreciate what they have.

They appreciate the role the United States has had in supporting human rights and freedom for people in all parts of the world.

We’re the ones who do not skip a beat to come to the aid of those in trouble.

Vice President Biden said the “f-word”.  Many people criticize his gaffes.  Sure, there are smooth politicians who never slip up.  In the end, is the measure of a human being in the momentary lapses we all share, or is it in the sum total of our contribution to society?  Do the lapses, as many believe, reveal the true character of  a person?

Maybe.

But I’m going to leave judgment to God and the ever-after.

I’m content to revel in your opinion, whether you agree with me or not … just as long as you passionately throw in a couple of “f-bombs” every now and then …