Politicians forget value of teamwork

It's not always about the strength or speed or balance of a single person. Sometimes success comes from a combined effort — from a synchronized, choreographed dance that wouldn't work without each part interacting and interlacing with each other.

Examples of such teamwork are all around us in many forms — we just have to know what we are seeing, when we are seeing it.

Nine women, including Modesto's Erin Cafaro, propelled their narrow vessel 2,000 meters — just less than 1.25 miles — across a London lake to their second gold medal in as many Summer Games. Their performance — which was nearly two seconds better than their nearest competitor — showcased their years of training, perseverance and passion.

More than 5,400 miles away, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, scientists watched as a one-ton rover was placed on the surface of Mars — some 352 million miles away — after a series of carefully choreographed steps. Curiosity, as the rover is known, is expected to spend the next two years exploring the Martian surface, sending back geologic findings to an eager scientific community and engaging the imaginations of citizens worldwide.

Closer to home, another one of the things that makes summer in Modesto special came to its seasonal end last month — MoBand in Graceada Park. Each summer since 1919, musical members of our community have come together for weekly performances which have become as much a social event as a symphonic one. Without each of these musicians reading from the same page and keeping time with one another, it would be little more than cacophonous noise.

Thousands of scientists, dozens of musicians, athletes and trainers come together to forward their singular mission. They work with a passion, a mission, a vision. To be the best. To explore new worlds. To bring together a community.

As important as it is for us to recognize examples of strong teamwork, it is equally important to recognize and remedy the opposite.

We are already being exposed to the petty, petulant and partisan circus that is national politics — and it is only likely to get worse over the next few months. Not only will candidate attack candidate, but our seated representatives will sacrifice the greater good in order to preserve an ideological stand. They cease to function as effective members of an elected team, invalidating the trust voters have placed in them.

Teamwork is an effort that deserves our respect, appreciation and applause. We can only hope that our elected leaders take note of the examples from the Olympics, from science and even from our own community and try to emulate the winning performances.