Political Follies
So, here we all are…nearing the end of the year 2016…aaaand…it’s time for all of us Americans, 18 and older, to do our civic duty and VOTE…but many Americans are fed up and/or apathetic. Why? For so many varying reasons that are too innumerable to list because something would surely be left out.
Some no longer care to vote because…the system is rigged…and there is no point. Some are so extreme in there ideological ‘purity’ that no candidate could ever hope to achieve their stringent requirements. Some are just mentally lazy and willfully ignorant and don’t want to think about or concern themselves with anything that does not solely benefit or concern them…they do not understand that politics concerns us all…and that the…all…includes them.
Then you have the other end of the spectrum…the political zealots who ‘turn off’ others to politics by having unrealistic ideas about what government can and/or cannot do. You know the type…their minds are made up and no amount of facts or logic will ever sway them. They go on and on about what is wrong with our government but if you ask them basic civics questions…they can’t answer them correctly…because they have no idea how government works to begin with…but they have the freedom to misinform others with their uninformed blather…and so they do. If the public at large was more informed, more politically intelligent, then they would know not to listen…but, for the most part, they are not…so they do listen…and parrot the misinformation…until it spreads like a virus.
So how did we get here? Oh how I have gone, over and over, in my mind, all the ifs, ands, or whys of it. Searching for answers to a question that will never be satisfactorily answered to suit the needs of all of us…but yet I will list a few things…things that I hope will strike a resonating chord within all of us…within all of us who: seek to be rational, to reason, and to know the truth.
My list contains 4 basic principles: Trust, Honesty, Empathy, and Integrity. I will start with…
Trust: Simply put…we lack it. If we can’t trust ourselves to do the right thing then we will most certainly not trust others to do the right thing either. If we cannot trust them to do the right thing for themselves then why should others be trusted to do the right things for others? Aaaaaand that’s how that turns into a vicious neverending circle of distrust that destroys the very fabric of our society. We ALL NEED to know that there are people whom we ALL can trust…this is a necessity for our survival. How do we, as a nation, measure the trustworthiness of a individual or group? Ahh…now that can be tricky task because we all come to our own varying conclusions based upon our individual experiences(upbringing,emotional background, environment, beliefs, etc.)as such, we are bound to never reach consensus on this matter when it comes to measuring each individuals trustworthiness. So we tend to agree a bit more when it comes to who we DON’T trust then who we DO trust…sadly. This is because we have become more negative and pessimistic when it comes to trusting.
How do we fix our trust deficit? Good question…well I could be annoyingly snarky and just throw my hands up and have a who the hell knows or cares attitude…but…1. That’s not how I roll 2. That attitude is why things have gotten so bad in the first place! Look…I am fully aware that some people cannot be trusted…they are, for lack of a better term, ‘bad’…but I am also aware that good people can do bad things and that bad people can do good things…so, for me, it comes down to their lifelong history and character. I perfer to step back look at the entire picture instead of concentrating on just the details…although details DO matter…they alone, by themselves, cannot make the picture whole. Good people sometimes make horrible mistakes and occasionally have bad judgement…but bad people usually do it a hell of a lot more and with aplomb! I am of the belief that most people are sufficiently ‘good’(although, admittingly, our current political environment has made me question that many times over the course of the last year)they just want to live their lives and do their thing without interference…maybe some are a bit selfish and don’t care about what happens to their neighbor as long as it doesn’t happen to them…but they are not actively seeking to do harm to others…and I think many have the ‘treat others the way you would want to be treated’ attitude…which is good.
So how do we, as a nation, decide who is trustworthy? 1. First we must be able to trust ourselves…yep, I know that sounds like a bunch of psychological mumbo jumbo…but it’s true. If you’re unable to trust yourself then you are not in a position to decide if others are trustworthy. How do you know if you are trustworthy…gee well if ya have to ask…no seriously…you, and only you, KNOW this for sure…time for introspection perhaps? 2. We hold ourselves and others accountable if trust is broken…it does not matter WHO they are…they should be held accountable…and if those who we hold accountable of breaking trust seem genuinely remorseful and it was not a egregious offense and they do not make it a habit or pattern…then they can earn trust back through time, patience, and goodwill. 3. Don’t hold a grudge if you have been wronged(which we all have). You have made mistakes in your life and you have most likely hurt others unintentionally(hopefully not intentionally)you would not want them to hold a grudge against you, would you?…you might understand why they would, but it would still hurt if you were truly sorry but they would not accept your apology because of hurt feelings…or worse because of spitefulness. 4. Look at the whole person/group…measure their character without bias: how much good and how much bad have they done? Is there way more good than bad…then hooray!…they can likely be trusted…but if there is way more bad than good…proceed with caution…(this is where you go “well duh”) 5.) Make sure that the information you have about a person/group that you are determining the trustworthiness of IS actually information instead of misinformation: do some unbiased research into your assumptions because assumptions are NOT facts! We all have predetermined political preferences and we all want our choices to be validated so we only want the information that tells us what we WANT to acknowledge…and now we have the internet with all its pros and cons and, boy oh boy, can you ever get misinformation…tons of it…all the misinformation that a person should NEVER want. My general rule for the internet: if it seems unlikely, unplausible, bigoted, mean spirited, vicious, petty, and/or emotionally immature then it is likely misinformation that is meant to keep the masses willfully ignorant. Don’t fall for it…don’t be a gullible stooge.
Now let’s move on to…
Honesty: ~sigh~ Well here I go again…we don’t seem to have a lot of honesty nowadays either…and when we do it seems we like to smack each other around with it. Honesty is supposed to be a virtue not a weapon. You can’t go around saying or doing whatever assinine hurtful thing you want and then be surprised when those you hurt are offended by your claim of…”What? I was just being honest about how I feel”…I mean, yea, we all have freedom of speech but those people you are verbally bashing also have a right to react to your words! THEY have free speech too!…and don’t be so surprised when they label you right back with the title of supreme jerk! So you were honest about how bigoted you are…you expect a pat on the back for that?…ummm…I don’t think so. What you deserve for being willfully ignorant and hateful is a kick to the ass![I think we all know to whom that rant was directed at]
The importance of Honesty I would hope does not need to be explained. Sincere and thoughtful honesty promotes trust. Do you want to be lied to?…(I’m gonna assume the answer is no)…then don’t lie yourself. I have heard many times the tired old diatribe of “well EVERYBODY lies…it’s human nature” Guess what proud liars of the world…THAT IS NOT TRUE! Stop making excuses for your dishonesty. It may be true that we all will lie sometimes about silly things because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or when we are young and first learning about honesty and why it is important because we were caught in a lie…but by the time you are a young adult you SHOULD know better. You don’t lie your way through life…and if you do…you are going to eventually regret it immensely because all those lies WILL catch up to you. How can you ever have self worth or valued relationships if every relationship you have and everything in your life is based on lies? Don’t you want people in your life who value you for who you actually are instead of who you deceived them into believing you are?
How do we, as a nation, become more honest with each other? Well perhaps…
1.) Communication: …with each other…face to face. Open dialogue, no holding back…but no disrespect or intentional hurtfulness either…and communication means talking AND listening to each other…instead of one person talking at another person who is not really listening(some of you know what I mean now don’t you?) Why do I think communication is important when it comes to honesty?…because people who talk to each other learn to understand where the other one is coming from and to accept each others differences instead of being afraid or apprehensive of them and then -surprise!- it turns out you have a lot more in common than things you don’t and once you realize that…well maybe just maybe you’ll care enough to be honest with them and vice versa.
2. We need more examples of the importance of honesty in our media…remember: our kids are watching, listening, and learning…and some adults need constant reminding as well.
3. We need to show appreciation for honesty when it is shown.
4. Be more forgiving and understanding of those who have the courage to come forth and admit to their lies…very few do it…and when they do they are oftentimes reviled for it…yes they lied…yes it was wrong…yes they deserve condemnation for it…but they also deserve credit for admitting to their falsehoods…it isn’t a easy thing to do…to put yourself ‘out there’ for judgement and it may also(hopefully) be their first step in becoming a more honest person. Give them a chance to show you they have changed their ways…if they continue to lie over and over and think it is okay as long as they admit to the lie and promise they won’t do it anymore but still do it over and over…then they probably never intended to change and are using ‘confession’ as a cop-out…or they have ‘issues’…either way…then THEY need to understand that THEY cannot be trusted and cannot feign surprise at how hurt they are by YOUR distrust for THEM.
5. People who are honest need to understand that those who are dishonest aren’t necessarily ‘bad’ people…some are…some aren’t. Remember: good people can do bad things sometimes and bad people can do good things sometimes. Dishonesty IS a bad trait to have but if we all started shunning EVERYONE who is the slightest bit dishonest…we might all wind up being quite alone…not to mention hypocritical. I really abhor lying but I know that people I dearly love have lied to me and it hurts me because I value honesty in myself and others but I understand why they lied…it still hurts…it’s still wrong…but I understand, and I can forgive…that is what I would want them to do for me if I had lied to them and was contrite about it…and I try to always treat others the way I would want to be treated.
…and now we go to Empathy…
What exactly is empathy you might ask? Is it like sympathy?…yes…somewhat…but it is a bit more…well…more emotionally ‘deeper’ than sympathy. Empathy is hard to explain and perhaps that is why so few understand what it is but I am going to attempt to explain it…attempt, mind you…so no complaining if it doesn’t ‘come across’.
Let’s start with the definition of sympathy which is: 1. a.) A relationship between people or things in which whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other. b.) Mutual understanding or affection 2. A feeling or expression of pity or sorrow for the distress of another. 3. Harmonious agreement; accord. Now the definition of empathy, which is simply: Identification with and understanding of another’s situation, feelings, and motives. So what stands out to me as different in the two definitions is the words affection and identification: when one has sympathy with another it is because they BOTH had affection for the same thing and the loss of it makes them BOTH sad because they are ‘in agreement’ about the pain the loss brings them. In other words, they are more alike than different and are both coming from the same ‘place’. Empathy is the ability to understand and IDENTIFY with someone whom you may disagree with, may be very different from, but are still capable of understanding the how, when, where, and why of what is causing their pain. The expression “you don’t really know or understand somebody until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes” is a good example of empathy…but you have to be willing to try to understand where the other person is coming from and how they feel from THEIR point of view…you have to be willing to put yourself out there and feel things that you don’t HAVE to feel but you WANT to feel because you desperately want to understand why people do the things they do…why? Well I can only answer that personally for myself not for others. I do not know if I have empathy because I was ‘born with it’ or if it is something I learned through my own, as well as others, ‘trials and tribulations’…what I DO know. Empathy has enriched my life. In my endeavor to understand others no matter the differences (we are all alike anyway in our humanity are we not?) I inadvertently learned to better understand myself…understanding brings peace…peace of mind and peace for the heart. I may vehemently disagree with someone politically but I would NEVER wish them ill will because of it and if someone needs help I gladly help them and I don’t ask their political affiliation before I give them a hand. I do get angry at others, I do get annoyed, I do get disgusted…but not because of the differences…but because there is so much unnecessary divisiveness -BECAUSE- of the differences…because we hurt each other because of the differences instead of APPRECIATING the differences in each other. We are ALL inclusive in our humanity and EACH is exclusive in their individuality. I do not consider any human being a enemy even if they sadly have somehow been led to believe that I am theirs. I have flaws aplenty in my character…I acknowledge them…and I work at becoming a better person, not by trying to be ‘perfect’, because their is no such thing as perfect, but by accepting my flaws instead of denying them…you cannot improve something until you admit it could use some improving! This is how, to me, empathy has enriched my life. Seeing things from many different points of view is emotionally difficult at times but it can also give one clarity and enlightenment.
Can empathy be taught? I don’t personally know the answer to that. I have read that it can be taught at a early age…I have also read that it is a mental awareness that must be ‘awakened’ and felt instead of taught…I suspect the answer is a bit of both, because many worthwhile answers are found in the ‘in between’ or by compromise.
So now we come to the last, but certainly not the least, principle on my list: Integrity…
Integrity…I admire it so…it seems to be so rare…and therefore it is of exceptional value to humanity.
The definition of integrity is: 1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code. 2. Soundness 3. Completeness; unity.
My understanding of Integrity is this: Doing the right thing BECAUSE it is the right thing to do…not for reward…not for kudos…not because one is seeking attention, fame, or compensation but simply because it is the right thing to do. Those who have integrity tend to always do the right thing even when no one is looking. Integrity is having ethics and understanding the importance of them.
Can integrity be taught? I think the understanding of why integrity is important can be taught…and SHOULD be taught and discussed more than it currently is…because integrity is so very important to humanities future…without it…we may not have a future. If that is too much ‘goody goodyiness’ for some of you…too damn bad…because it is the truth…I would even go so far as to claim it to be factually sound…but that is just my opinion…lol.
With that being the last item on my ‘principles’ list…and after reading all this(if you did…thanks for hanging in there) you may be thinking…what the hell is all of this about? The title was “Political Follies” and so far, there was very little about politics at all! All I did was ramble through a bunch of psychological and philosophical stuff…yeesh! I bet some of you wanted to read about how ‘the other’ candidate(you know…the one you DON’T support) is no damn good. Weeell, I COULD have done that but that’s been pretty much done to death and I don’t think it has done any good and besides, what could I possibly type that hasn’t been typed, or said, or thought, already?…both candidates are human beings(at least I think so, although sometimes I have doubts…lol) so they both have flaws in their character. Now, I am not one of those folks who believe that one of the candidates is “just as bad as the other” because that is completely ridiculous…if you think that then you have been misinformed or are politically uninformed…seriously do some research…even a little unbiased research will politically enlighten you on the matter. Oh and by the way politics are not like sports…I know a lot of you treat them both the same…please for the sake of integrity…stop. Political parties are not ‘teams’, granted,…the way they act at times it’s understandable how it can be confusing but they should ALL be on the same damn side…and I would describe that ‘side’ as including ALL voters, even the ones who didn’t vote for them,…we are all their constituents and they are supposed to work for all of us…no matter their political affiliation.
It’s getting to be the middle of October and early voting is already happening in some states…voter suppression is happening in others(you know who you are and you know it’s wrong, not to mention unConstitutional!)all I have to say about that is…if you have to cheat, intimidate, mislead, misinform, and plain out lie to win…then you are not a winner at all but you ARE a loser(in more ways than one)and a pathetic one at that. For those of you who are wondering who I am going to vote for…I would think after aaaaall of this you oughta know…but I will end this(yay! finally!)by giving you some hints. The candidate I support; 1.) Is Qualified(with a capital Q!) to be president 2.) May not have ‘perfect’ character(who does?)but has done a lot of good for a lot of people throughout their life. 3. Is exceptionally mentally strong, resilient, and has shown good temperament: can remain calm and does not get easily provoked by others even when others are downright rude and insulting to them. 4.) Has proven themselves to be open-minded, willing to learn and to change their mind when presented with new informative data and facts 5.) Is inclusive: wants equality for ALL Americans.
If you haven’t figured it out by now…go take a civics class!
Once again, Thanks for reading this. This is my first Medium article…heck…it’s my first “article” period. I have no doubt that it is chock full of all kind of mistakes and grammatical errors abound but if it was halfway informative/entertaining to anyone ‘out there’ then it was worth it…and to all those grammar sticklers who about lost their minds reading this…I apologize…but I have always been way more interested in getting a point across than I have been in grammar and punctuation.
