Not in our stars

I realize the subjects of my most recent blogs have been political. There is a bit of a maelstrom in Massachusetts of late… so it is somewhat timely. And yet… because of that, I fear my choice of topic isn’t what people want to read.

Well… I don’t write simply for that purpose. To please people. I don’t choose my conversation to make people happy. I choose, mostly, to use my verbal and written words to try to understand the world better. But even so… politics remains an icky topic.

The one we aren’t supposed to bring up in polite (strange the assimilation) conversation. Like religion. So we don’t talk about it. We just leave out those opinions and conversations… because they aren’t always comfortable. Especially when there is disagreement. Disagreement that can boil into fury. So we don’t talk. We let politics fade into the background and just dredge it up during the hurricanes of campaigns.

And even then… geez… now it is sickening. We go from nothing to way too much. I AM sick of the commercials and the phone calls… and most of all, the people who complain about the commercials and the phone calls. I’m sick of it because… it is a lot of noise. And not a whole lot of truth. A ton of mean spirit that has nothing to do with government or the individual running for the office.

So… we decide that politics aren’t worth the time. Because, where’s the substance? Does it really matter? How does it really affect my day when my primary concerns are work and home and sleep and a little bit of television, distraction on the computer, going out with my friends, paying my bills… really how does all that business about reform and stimulus and whether or not someone drives a truck affect my life? Well… now our pocketbooks are hurting, so we decide that it does. We decide that the side trying to clean up the mess made the mess and needs to get out. We have to blame someone. For the mess. For the noise. For the mean ads. So we blame them. The slimy, corrupt politicians. Who are cold and clueless and elitist. It’s got nothing to do with us.

Elections have always been dirty. Always. You know, in the third election of this country, the Federalists said that the Democrat-Republican party was going to murder their opponents and burn their churches. While that party said the Federalists were destroying values and choosing sympathy with immigrants. Jefferson was accused of not understanding the Constitution. Seriously? Really, no matter the side – no matter who is running, there is always a candidate who wants to kill the other side’s helpless victims. And always a side that just doesn’t read the Constitution – even if he had a part in writing it.

But what does that say? Not about the people running. About the voting public whose votes have to be won with such outrageous claims. Not with a civil discourse. We avoid that civil discourse… in the hope of being civil. But when someone starts talking about killing people or taking away our precious way of life, then God damnit! To hell with civility. To hell with conversation. Let’s just shout at one another.

Well… if that’s the way it’s always been, why should we bother changing? Well… this country had slaves for most of its first century – even that guy who didn’t get the Constitution. But we realized that wasn’t a tradition to uphold. So why not… try to do something a little different? Why not talk more about politics? Open up to the possibility of being wrong, but always arm myself with the details (the truths – not hysterical hyperbole) that can prove my point right. Talk. Share ideas. How can I put to test the argument of my opinion if it isn’t challenged? Why should I wait until now when there is just a lot of screaming about who is cold, who is out of touch, who is going to ruin the country, who is going to kill babies, who is posing naked, who isn’t right… but nothing about the problems themselves. Nothing about how the person can fix them.

Yes, the messages hurt our ears and frustrate our patience. But seriously, if we don’t talk about it… that is what it takes to get our attention and stop being apathetic.

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the stars… but in ourselves.