Becoming More Human

My son, the philosopher, said the desire to become President of the United States automatically disqualifies the candidates in his eyes, noting that the characteristics and compromises required to win reveal the depth of ego and insincerity one must develop.

Candidates are coached, speeches and debate answers carefully scripted and practiced, hoping to create a perfect image that no one can dislike. It usually leads to bland, inauthentic, robotic caricatures that very few love, much less like.

I think that’s one of the reasons Donald Trump created such loyalty among his base. He sounded and acted different from any other politician we had heard.

Often, on-air, we strive for our idea of perfection — one where we don’t fumble words or mispronounce names or hit the wrong command key.

And the more successful we are at that, the more we mimic the voice-tracking machines we despise.

We all seek authentic connection. We yearn to meet another who “gets” us, just the way we are, imperfect and insecure.

Very few of us are attracted to emotionless perfectionists.

So today, when you do your show, stop worrying about your flaws and focus instead on the person who’s listening.

The more human you are, which is another way of saying the less-perfect, the more apt you are to slice through what separates you from her.

It may feel paradoxical, but the more flawed your on-air persona, the more human you become.

The more open your heart, the closer we feel to you, the person.

The more vulnerable you become, the closer we are drawn in.