A Man for All Seasons

Last week on the "Studies of the Chamorro" Facebook page I conducted a Teach-In titled "Robert Underwood: A Man for All Seasons." The Teach-In went very well, and despite only announcing it the day before, according to Facebook it already has 6K views. 

Part of my impetus for organizing the Teach-In has to deal with the current election and the race between current Guam non-voting delegate Michael San Nicolas and former Congressman Robert Underwood who is seeking to replace him. It has been frustrating to say the least to see so much commentary in the community that our current delegate has done more in a year and a half than his two predecessors did in decades. It has been frustrating to see some argue that Robert Underwood didn't do anything while in Congress. 

Whether you support a candidate or not, their record and their accomplishments should stand. They should not be up for debate simply because you don't like someone. If that type of rhetoric is pervasive, it is usually a sign of unhealthiness in the democracy. Partisanship is one thing, but if people lack the intellectual curiosity or honesty to simply know what someone has done, things bode poorly for the society in general. 

My presentation was meant to talk about Robert Underwood as a consequential and integral figure in Guam's development since the 1970s. It was not meant to be a full comprehensive account of his biography, but just a chance to look at some of the social and political movements and changes we've seen in Guam, and his sometimes central and sometimes supportive role in bringing them about. 

The title "A Man for All Seasons" is a reference to Sir Thomas Moore who was known as a man of conscience, wisdom and charisma. The phrase is born from the image of a man who has value regardless of the season, that some people have purpose in spring, some in summer, and so on. Consequential figures have a wider and larger purpose. 

Although, what is funny is that within the West, to be a called a Man of All Seasons is to be "four dimensional." But as Robert Underwood has pointed out for decades, Guam only has two seasons "fanuchånan" and "fañomåkan." He might find humor in that, since using this phrase for someone in Guam's context might mean they are actually "two dimensional." Ai lokkue'.