Near the end of his book (“A Thousand Small Sanities”), Adam Gopnik asks a complex and intriguing question. A concise version of the question is immediately below, followed by a summary of the circumstance:

Are the sharks eating the people because of the Democrats or because of the Republicans?

It appears sharks are coming closer to shore in the New England area and they are doing what sharks do; they are eating people. The Democrats blame the Republicans, claiming man-made climate change is causing the sharks to come closer to shore, and the Republicans blame the Democrats, claiming it is an overabundance of “protected” gray seals attracting the sharks. The seals are protected from the fishermen who kill them as pests because they negatively impact the fisherman’s livelihood. Mr. Gopnik marvels at both the absurdity and the significance of this argument between Republicans and Democrats; and I have to agree. Perhaps if we were not so busy blaming each other we could maybe find some time to sit down and reasonably resolve the issue together; (the absurdity). Yet it is completely characteristic of the divisive times we live in; (the significance). It seems like “sharks eating people” is a pretty important problem to figure out, and because it is, I am confident (in my assumption) that some serious, sincere experts and authorities did come together to work on a solution. And I am also confident in assuming that there were pontificating politicians, (both Republicans and Democrats), on the sidelines stoking fires and taking advantage of enflamed emotions. So, I am blaming partisan politics for not working on the actual shark problem, and I am also claiming that the Republicans and the Democrats have chewed up and spit out far more people than have the great white sharks along all of our coasts combined. That being said, now how do we resolve the problem of our Republican-and-Democrat-infested political waters?

To work toward an answer to this question, I want to extend this analogy. Here we go:

• The sharks closer to shore are the Republicans and the Democrats.
• The sharks in deeper water are the enfranchised elitists who empower the Republicans and the Democrats. (Note: some of the sharks closer to shore are also enfranchised elitists.)
• The fishermen are the capitalist conservatives.
• The gray seals are the minorities, the immigrants, the underprivileged and the disenfranchised.
• Those protecting the seals are the progressives.
• The experts and authorities are the liberals.
• The people being eaten are part of the uninformed mass.
• The people not being eaten are conformists and/or followers and still (to varying degrees) part of the uninformed mass.

As sharks, the Republicans and their benefactors are coming after the gray seals. They believe there is an overabundance of seals adversely impacting the fisherman’s way of life, and they want to be rid of them in any way possible. Republican sharks love to trigger emotions, most especially, it seems, fear; and they are good at it. They probably also came up with a slogan. Maybe something like – Let's make fishing great again!

As fishermen the capitalist conservatives simply want to ply their trade with no interference from outsiders; be they seals or those protecting the seals. Many of the fishermen (and perhaps most) don't have any negative personal feelings against the gray seals, they just want them out of the way so things can go back to the way the fishermen remember them. Let's make fishing great again!

As gray seals the minorities, immigrants, underprivileged and disenfranchised would like nothing better than to get away from the shallows and extricate themselves from the turmoil, and now they have numbers, but those who are protecting them did not think to also provide them with an escape route. Though they are sentient beings and (according to many) as deserving of consideration as anyone, they are still looked upon as gray seals and treated as pests. They are trapped.

As sharks the Democrats and their benefactors are all about the big picture and don't really see individuals. When there is blood in the water, they consider it a painful but necessary part of the process for the greater good, and they feast upon the resulting anger and sadness, spewing it back out to move the masses toward radical change. After all, a shark has got to eat. And though the Democrat sharks go to great lengths to ensure equality of outcomes, they also realize that it is better to be a shark than a gray seal or one of the uninformed.

As those protecting the seals, progressives truly believe they are doing their part to save the world, and in a sense, they are. But do they have to be so Damn smug about it? I know an accepted norm today, was a radical idea yesterday. And most radical ideas that become accepted and ultimately do help us to progress, like it or not, come from progressives. And many progressives know this, and they believe strongly in the likelihood of improvement, and they believe it would come much quicker if only everyone would listen to them. Additionally, many progressives do not believe they are ever wrong; about anything. And they are so Damn smug about it.

As experts and authorities, the liberals ask a lot of questions, make a lot of suggestions, and seem to make a lot of mistakes. I suppose that is typical of their process of trial and error, and they probably make fewer mistakes than we are led to believe by the sharks and the fishermen and the protectors, but still, one would think they would have more confidence in their plans. The fishermen and those protecting the seals seem pretty certain about their paths. Why can't those who actually implement and execute know beforehand the best thing to do? Is this the 21st century or what? Shouldn't we be able to traverse the path from point A to point B with fewer twists and turns? Are you an expert? Or not? How can we trust so much uncertainty? Come on man… Do your job.

As a people being eaten, the individual ignores and denies the first signs of danger and even the first nibble or two, and then they are surprised as Hell when they are bitten in two.

As people not being eaten, the uninformed mass continues to ignore and deny, and remains blissfully unaware.

As a people not being eaten, many conformists simply go along to get along.

As a people not being eaten, some individuals realize that on occasion they must conform in order to not become a gray seal.

As a people not being eaten, the follower is afraid and seeking comfort and security.

It is okay to choose to be a fisherman, an expert, an authority, or a protector.

It is not okay to choose to be a shark; and as a shark, it is not okay to choose to swim close to shore.

The fishermen and the protectors should, (at least on a somewhat consistent basis), consult with the experts and authorities.

By definition, experts are avowed lifelong learners and skeptics.

Authorities who are not avowed lifelong learners and skeptics are not authorities; they are sharks who occasionally wear people suits.

Experts and authorities recognize their limitations and understand the inevitability of change and unpredictability.

Experts and authorities do not come across as overconfident.

Today, confident certainty is overconfidence.

The gray seals often have no choice.

And because they have no choice, the gray seals have no confidence and no hope.

Though the people being eaten may have a choice, the fact that they are eaten is understandable and forgivable.

Though the people not being eaten may have a choice, the fact that they remain oblivious or the fact that they continue to follow is understandable but maybe not so forgivable.

Though the people not being eaten may have a choice, the fact that they conform is understandable and (on occasion) forgivable.

Today, sometimes I am a gray seal…

…and sometimes I am a people not being eaten.

Forty years ago, and up until about fifteen years ago, I spent some time as a shark. But back then, I believe we sharks stayed further from shore doing what we did in deeper waters, and doing it in a way that maintained, (more so than upset), the balance.

Perhaps my memory is faulty. As I really think about it, perhaps as a (very small) shark I did come closer to shore than I like to remember, and perhaps I did so, so I could don my people suit, crawl on to shore, and pretend to be an authority.

As a shark, I felt powerful.

As a people not being eaten, I feel powerless.

I realize now though, that as a shark, I was deluding myself. When presented with a gray seal or a people just begging to be eaten, the only real power I had, was the power to choose to swim away. To eat those at a disadvantage was not power; it was instinct and greed and gluttony; it was easy. To choose to swim away though, back into deeper waters requiring moderation and balance – that is power.

As sharks, we need to exercise this power to choose, and as people not being eaten, we need to drive all the renegade sharks, who are choosing instinct and greed and gluttony and easy, back into deeper water.

We have structures in place that offer the depth and nuance necessary for moderation and balance. These structures were created to keep our sharks, our Republicans, Democrats and enfranchised elitists, in their place; and these are the waters in which sharks should swim. There will always be sharks. Today, they are far too close to shore.