Gov Noem in Lake County

“We are addicted to being offended…  Get over yourself!”

I had the pleasure of listening to Kristi Noem speak Thursday evening at the annual Lake County Republican Federation Lincoln Day Dinner. 

Governor Noem of South Dakota captivated the audience with her personal story growing up on a 10,000 acre beef cattle farm in South Dakota, her road through schooling, marriage, childrearing and building several small businesses, all of which led her to service in her state, in congress and now as a governor.

She punctuated her story by reminding the crowd of Nathan Hale’s acts and the patriotism of his last words in advance of his hanging as a spy at the hands of the British in September of 1776, “I only regret, that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

In applying this story to today’s citizens and our culture, we can engage in endless lines of inquiry and commentary, however I keep thinking about the simplicity and purity of Governor Noem’s initial opening comment during her talk: “We are addicted to being offended…  Get over yourself!” 

Next time I’m feeling uncertain about the right thing to say when entering into a discussion / debate where I feel like I’m bringing facts and logic and my counter-party is driven by emotion, I may just try grounding the conversation with this simple premise.  I’ll let you know how it goes.