The Wise Guyde is writing, this month, with the hope that the spirit of Presidents’ Day is still in the air. Hmm . . . does Presidents’ Day have a spirit? Well, here goes.

In his Farewell Address in 1796, George Washington warned against the painful politics we are now experiencing.

“The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.”

Before George spoke those words, prior to James Madison becoming president, he also wrote in the same vein in 1787.

“Complaints are everywhere heard . . . that our governments are too unstable, that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties, and that measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority.”

Apparently two and a half centuries has not changed much although there may have been periods of wisdom before the present state of things. Let’s hope.

Two things need to be noted here. First, George Washington says that the “mischiefs” are “sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.” The burden is on the citizenry — that’s us! Second, Madison cites the “complaints” that are “everywhere heard.” That’s an interesting juxtaposition. It is we, the citizens, who complain, and it is we who have the duty to solve problems we are complaining about.

Okay, fair enough. This is, after all, a democracy — government by the people, if, as Ben Franklin said, we can keep it (I remember when Nixon won his second term, a certain wag commented that “we get the president we deserve”). In a sense, we do deserve our present plight, because most of us only give passing attention to what’s really going on in politics.

I resolve to try my best to be part of a “wise people.” But how wise are we?

Bill O’Brien is a consciousness coach and shamanic practitioner. He and his wife Linda lived in Shepherdstown from 2005-2021, before relocating near family in Blue Bell, Pa. He can be reached at billobrienconsciousnesscoach@gmail.com.