Every four years for as long as I can remember being an adult; I have been made to feel a certain level of loneliness that works a specific way. In most other kinds of loneliness there is no real grief because I enjoy time to my own thoughts, but the quadrennial version of loneliness is special. It is only bitter and never sweet. I've watched years of neglect culminate in incredulous disappointment for so many people, some of which I care about deeply. I've also read jubilant remarks from many who are culturally aligned, haphazard as that may be, to celebrate a moment they reveal equal ignorance about with respect to their counterparts across the aisle.
I see snap judgements born as responses to incidents, divorced of context. I see fervor and feelings where I should see attention to detail and strong focus on the big picture. The results of the decisions my fellow citizens make when exercising their civic duties are frequently disappointing, but not to worry, I don't care about people based on a mandate I place on them for sharing my conclusions about the world. Instead, it is my observation of the processes and habits people employ to evaluate the world and political phenomena which is truly disheartening. We will all make errors in judgement from time to time, but "errors in judgement" should not be viewed as synonymous with "misplaced bets." The latter should be reserved for talk about trivial matters; the former should denote hard work in which perspicacity was your goal.
The 2016 U.S. Presidential election is no more important than any other if citizens don't hold true in living up to the full breadth of their responsibilities. The heroes of history are there to remind us of what we need to do and most people don't become heroes based on who they decide to vote for. Heroes do not claim to care and in the same breath, advertise their desire to run away, move to Canada or sever ties with people who share their fate. Heroes don't leave Alabama in 1965, they march through it. Heroes don't surrender their children's future's to the oligarchs of the world. They expose and disrupt where they can and they inform the public so that concerned citizens may foment change and secure a hopeful future for all. The quality or our societies is a product of what we do and what we tolerate. That is a 24/7, 365 day affair. It doesn't hinge on a single election. It never has.
It's up to you to get smart on the issues and to engage with your neighbors about it. Both parts are non-negotiable. If you aren't smart on the issues you will likely find yourself fighting for "approved ideas", crafted to co-opt your vulnerabilities. If you don't engage with your neighbors, all of your erudition will be pointless.
Cleanse yourself as much as possible of empty distinctions acting as barriers between you and your fellow citizens. Start with those distinctions that are most arbitrary or vacuous and work your way down the list. Work with each other to kill negative social issues that affect the public based on race, gender, sexual orientation, belief & non-belief from the ground up, never from the top down. The directionality mentioned in that statement (meaning "ground up" and "top down"), implies the existence of a factor which belies the list. As such it is less arbitrary, less of a vacuous distinction & more foundational. That factor is "Class" with a capital C to drive the point home. Class is a barrier which matters regardless of opinions. It addresses your ability to eat food, drink clean water, in essence, to exist. Your physiology cares even if you don't understand. Everything about human societies hinges upon our relationship with and access to resources. Stories of "the shrinking middle class" aren't just stories. The phenomenon is as emblematic of global capital as it is blurred by cliché in the public mind. The juxtaposition of promises of an astounding Elon Musk-fueled future and the decimation of the middle & working class of people among the planet's premier mass society has been far too disorienting for far too long.
The current reality of many situations dictates that we must finally stop procrastinating and do our homework. We must finally stop oversimplifying and understand the world for what it is and how its resources must be governed. Our capacity to get into trouble on a global scale has increased exponentially since the advancements of the early 20th century. Our philosophical sophistication has lagged greatly in contrast. The simultaneity of these two facts is untenable & the stakes are high.
Find a way to keep your interest in policy alive beyond this election season. Find a way turn that interest into better inquiry and more participation across multiple domains. Find a way to facilitate better conversations in the interest of formulating real solutions. Boldly defy nonsense and phony "leaders" across the board. Argue about the details of policies, not about the identities of the public relations façades selling those policies. Aim scrutiny further north of your heads toward power structures, not across the lawn at your fellow victims. Find ways to be less lonely about your civic life. Show up every day with a capacity and willingness to exercise whatever option fits the bill. These are your days. This is your time. Do not give in to despair. Fill life with meaning and action.
This is the kind of message that inspires people to build the future rather than sulk and feel bad. Well done.
Well said.
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