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As the Wind Blows

Posted by: K.D. Hastings on May 19, 2008   Hot Issues •

I work downtown but there is a flagpole on top of a building in midtown—a mile or so to the west—that I can see from my office window. I use the American flag on that pole as a rudimentary weather predictor in the spring and the fall.

When the flag is blowing to the south, I know it is more likely to be cooler outside. When the flag is flying toward the north, warm temps are on the way. If the flag is fully extended, flapping heartily, I know the change in temperature will be dramatic—or that stormy weather is at hand. When the flag ‘changes direction’ during the day, I know change is on the way. I have to admit my spirits are buoyed on a cool spring day when I see the flag turn northward. I know warmer weather is on the way as the breezes come out of the south.

My method of forecasting by flag, what a farmer calls a wind vane, is a more refined version of the wetting a finger and sticking it in the air to see which way the wind is blowing. I don’t have to put my hands in my mouth to determine the wind direction.

Politicians are notorious for checking to see which way the wind is blowing and testing the waters. And it’s not for meteorological purposes. They sample public opinion to ascertain the best way to package their policy presentations. In order to ruffle the fewest feathers, particularly in an election year, politicians prefer to know the mood of the voters before they go too far out on a limb. The same candidate in three different venues can present the same idea three different ways—to suit each crowd. It’s not automatically disingenuous, in fact it can be very wise campaign tactic.

The problem comes when a politician tells one group one thing and another group something markedly different. In an attempt to gain support (aka “votes”) he is tickling ears with a message that may omit critical details, but that appeal to those he is addressing at the moment.

We can appreciate the value of discernment when it comes to spiritual matters, but it is also invaluable in evaluating the policy positions of public figures. Whether in spiritual or civic matters, it is critical that we look below the surface to make a proper judgment on the issue at hand (John 7:24).

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