As the curve flattens, our president is working very hard to spout enough contradiction so he may blame others for what goes wrong and take credit for what goes right. The saddest part of this is that there are a significant number of people who will allow him to get away with this, and many of those will applaud him for it, and many of those will believe him. I wish I had a better handle on the actual numbers. Are most of half of us in this regard, truly ignorant? Or is it one-third (each) of half of us that are equally a) simply choosing the lesser of evils based on entrenched bias, b) calculating, mean and stupid, and c) ignorant. I could make a case that in this specific instance, with this specific president, (a) and (c) are the same thing. And of those I personally know who are supporters, I want to give benefit of the doubt and believe they are in group A. One could also argue that the other half of us can be categorized in the same way. But I believe most individuals in a given half would re-characterize their groupings as a) realistic, b) winners, c) loyal followers. Look closely and it is obvious that the (a)’s, (b)'s and (c)’s are synonymous; merely an interpretive perspective. But in the arena of politics, (most especially national politics), we must choose one half or the other; that is reality. As a voter, I have only two choices. Yet I believe in most endeavors there are finer gradations, transcending halves and groupings, moving from objective expertise through the ego to simple ignorance. The (a), (b), (c) groupings above begin in the ego and move to ignorance. I should reach beyond ego and ignorance, seeking objective expertise, yet understand that I will always be far more ignorant than knowledgeable and there is no shame in not knowing. Stupidity, on the other hand, is a choice, and I see most (if not all) politicians and political activists in group B, working to convince voters that there are only two choices on any given issue. It is much easier to pretend to have the answer when the question is simplified to either/or. In reality, questions and answers are much more complex with gradations, implications and unforeseen considerations. To change and improve reality, we must acknowledge ignorance, avoid stupidity, and we must not be ignorant of reality. Today, those in power are completely ignorant of most realities.
Those in power today, will not be in power tomorrow; (tomorrow being some unknown future date). But when tomorrow comes, will we have learned the lessons of today? Or will we have simply moved to a slightly lesser evil and continue to frame reality as either/or. Reality today is complex. Our government should somehow reflect that complexity. Not in additional divisive, political agencies and regulations, (complexity does not equal bureaucratic complications), but in the utilization of more diverse and equitable objective expertise. This must start with the voter. If enough of us acknowledge our own ignorance, avoid stupidity (i.e. politics), and recognize objective expertise, perhaps we can begin to vote accordingly and somehow save the world. I have said all this before, and my headache is only getting worse; (the brick wall is a harsh and cruel inamorata).
The reality of a moment is different from the reality of a decade which is different from the reality of a lifetime which is different from the reality of my grandchildren which is different from the reality of human existence.
The reality of the moment often appears to present a simple either/or.
When I consider a one-year, five-year or ten-year plan, the moment is slowed, I become more thoughtful, perhaps more calculating, perhaps more selfish, I am faced with more choices, and this reality of the span forces me to consider consequence.
When I consider my lifetime, I think about right and wrong, good and bad, I think about my legacy, and I may become fearful, or sad and regretful, or curmudgeonly, or I may change my ways, I may become more pleasant, outgoing, cheerful, kind, or I may become defensive and burrow into a delusion, but regardless, this reality of my lifetime forces me to become serious, even if it is only in that final breath.
When I consider my grandchildren and their grandchildren, I see uncertainty and I feel empathy and sorrow, and I see the possibility and I am hopeful and cautiously confident that they will find their way, that we and/or they will have learned lessons from this moment, that it is not too late, and in this reality of the near future beyond me, my hope becomes active.
When I consider all human existence, I see grandeur and futility, I see learning and greed and ego, I see the ebb and flow of progress and retreat and inertia, I see a struggle to survive and coexist and dominate and understand, I see the simultaneous necessity and insignificance of me, I imagine the beginning and I imagine both an end and a continuation; in this reality of human existence, I am torn between why and why not.
In a given moment, each individual must decide which of these parallel realities to call upon for strength and guidance. I would argue that the moment is all fluff and bluster, and the span can be a trap set by the ego that can be tempered by the lifetime, and the lifetime alone may bring on fear and delusion masquerading as kind and good, and the near future is likely ineffective without some consideration of span and perhaps a spoonful of lifetime, and to consider all human existence is a valuable solitary pursuit.
I began this thought hoping to better understand the reality of our president, and those who support him and those who encourage him and those who believe him; and I believe I do have a better understanding. In politics, which is defined as any struggle for power, reality does not move beyond ego, our president resides in the moment, some of the lesser evils consider the span, and any forays into the lifetime are superficial, cursory excursions mostly in and around the shadowy extremities. I began this thought thinking that politics is a reality unto itself, but perhaps politics is better characterized as (at its worst) the reality of the moment or (at its best) the reality of a span. To consider beyond these granularities, power is afraid would create a potential in which it may lose its edge. To consider beyond these granularities is not politics, it is serious, egoless, active hope. To consider beyond these granularities is necessary for survival.