Is there no one else!?

It is something of a mind-boggle to come so far and yet still be so far away. Such is the case with my conditional plan to run for Congress, if I can lose a certain amount of bodyweight in a specific amount of time. My close friends have taken to asking for updates.

“Inquiring minds want to know,” they say. Well, I have made significant progress. More precisely, as of this writing, I’ve managed to drop 30 lbs. (I’ve come so far) and yet I am still so fat—a bit discouraging and a long way to go, but no small feat, if I do say so myself. A younger, more reckless version of me would already be celebrating with beers in the cooler and salted turkey-tails on the grill, but the truth is I’m really enjoying the prospect of being healthier and of holding down the Office of the People of the Northern Mariana Islands.

For those in the running, that’s me nipping at your heels.

And speaking of heels, in a now famous scene from the movie, Troy, the central character, Achilles, boldly stares down a field army (or maybe it’s a corps) of 12th century enemy soldiers challenging them all to a fight after he makes short work of their most fierce challenger.

“Is there no one else!!?” he proclaims. “Is there no one else!?”

Spoiler alert: Of the thousands of rough-neck soldiers assembled for war in that moment, none would step up to the challenge opting instead to tuck tail in shock and awe as Achilles struts off into the stuff of legends. Although Achilles proved himself to be a great warrior with superhuman abilities, his deep-seeded character flaws (vanity and anger among them) detract from or bring into question his capacity to act with nobility and integrity. We know, of course, that he would later be taken down by way of a weak spot on his heel. By definition, he was a tragic hero.

I suppose it is a bit of a stretch to draw parallels between Greek mythology and contemporary, much less local politics (or maybe not), but I can’t help thinking how some of the central figures in this year’s upcoming election while depicting certain heroic traits, like courage and compassion, fail to successfully confront glaring conflicts due to character flaws and poor judgment, or a combination of both. I propose too that the Trojan Horse may be a metaphor for politicians at our doorsteps (not all politicians of course, but certainly those whose public façade stands in contrast to their personal compulsions).

I am no Achilles and certainly no hero (although a tragic figure in many ways), but it may well be a compromised heel (the pain therein due to plantar fasciitis) and an injured knee that thwarts my “run” at the delegate seat. If I’m being honest, while I was purposefully and boldly proclaiming what I would do (as a way to manifest a better version of myself), even I doubted I could make this much progress so quickly toward a healthier mind, body and soul, but here I am… better than I was yesterday and a hell of a lot better than I was five weeks ago.

As a kind of reality check, I am having to consider that one of the greatest honors of my professional career has been the very unexpected gubernatorial appointment to head the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation otherwise known as OVR approximately one year and half ago—with presumably another two and a half more years to go. To my knowledge, I remain in good standing with the governor and lieutenant governor, so it bothers me to think that they might perceive my aspirations to run elsewhere as a lack of commitment to the job or worse an insult—I can only hope that isn’t the case. The truth is we have assembled a solid team of both veteran employees and newcomers at OVR and I feel confident that this administration will in time be leaving the office in good hands, but more importantly as good, if not better, than we found it. Of course, there is still much to do here and we are working feverishly to make sustainable improvements during this and any new administration to come. In any event, I realize the need to have this conversation with them before I could actually segue into politics. I’m not too sure, but I suspect that isn’t a really good start to convincing either of them to change their minds and vote for me in the coming election.

For that matter, this late in the game, I’m not sure I can convince anybody to vote for me. My own 12-year-old son told me he is “voting for Mr. Probst” because he was teammates with the son in soccer. Coincidentally, John Gonzales’ sons made an impressive, lasting impression on my sister who taught one or more of them in high school—she speaks highly of them. As a father myself, why wouldn’t I vote for other committed fathers based on impressions given by their children? I don’t know the two ladies in the running very well except through mutual acquaintances—friend of a friend of friends or family of friends. More specifically, I consider one of Kim’s brothers a friend with whom I enjoy and share common interests. And, one of my closest (now deceased) friends who was more like a brother told me Liana was his cousin. Again, why wouldn’t I vote for them on the basis of mutual family and friendships alone?

The thing is voting for each of us is a personal choice, so you really just never know how election day results will unfold. And for the record, I do have personal reservations about each of the candidates thus far—yes, I do try to be a more discerning voter beyond just familial and mutual friend connections and such. Given those reservations, why wouldn’t I drop my own name into the ballot box as well? With a campaign budget of zero dollars and zero cents, the best that I can hope for is that there are enough voters who—you guessed it—might be swayed by familial and mutual friend connections and such for me. It would be nice to hear more opinions about why I should or shouldn’t do it.

“Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity. And so, we ask ourselves, will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we are gone and wonder who we were… how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?” (Troy)

For anyone following or looking for a straight answer, I am leaning (pun intended for being physically lean) toward running. Is there no one else?

Biba CNMI!

Jim Rayphand is director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and is a former executive director of the Northern Marianas Protection and Advocacy Systems Inc.