âWait⌠Youâre not a Bernie Sanders guy are you?â My friend asked mostly with sarcasm but with a bit of hesitancy knowing that he may not want to hear the truth.
I spouted, âI LOVE Bernie SandersâŚâ
We stared at each other awkwardly. He was just as taken back as I was. Knowing that we were both Christians, he did not expect me to proclaim my support for such a candidate. Knowing that I normally kept such enthusiasm contained, especially in taboo subjects like politics, I shied away from the conversation in slight embarrassment of my reaction and his views.
That is when I realized, whether you like it or not, itâs election season. The tension is in the air. You can feel it in the cafes, hear it in the meetings and feel it in the friendly small talk. That ever looming question of, âWhere is your stance; my side or theirs?â It is an ultimatum that causes dissension, heart ache, and quarrels with otherwise seeming well intentioned folks.
Honestly, I love critical conversation. So, this season is always like Christmas for me. I flock to social media to watch peopleâs jaws unhinge and blab loudly for all to hear. It gives rise to what I would consider âpeople watching Olympicsâ. I also love to see people squirm when they canât seem to adequately explain something to themselves or others. Itâs like backing an animal in a corner. We resort to our only option left; showing teeth and preparing for a fight. Itâs all slightly sadistic but I just find it fascinating that politics can do this to people. It has a magical effect on humanity and we watch helplessly as it sends even our most loved ones into the deepest of trances. Even that saint of a Grandma you have will threateningly flex her opinion at you during this holiday season, you can be sure of that.
Maybe itâs the American history of being a fighter, a rebel, and a cowboy that makes us so prone to shoot first and ask questions later. This idea that somehow America deserves to be separate from the world; âwe are a rock, we are an island,â but we should never leave our politics at the mercy of the Lone Rangers who feel their values alone are worth fighting for. If everyone is a lone ranger in this wild west of politics, then we are dooming ourselves as a democracy.
The truth is that everyone is going to have an opinion (unless youâre a communist). That is the true beauty of our American culture and government. I value and cherish that. What I will never understand is when an individual feels that morality has to line up with political views. Letâs be honest, when it comes to politics, leave your morality at the door. Itâs a blood sport created for savages. In this arena, saints quickly sell out to compromise.
Morality should not govern your politics, but your politics govern your morality. Let me attempt to explain this tactfully. If you hold a belief to be true, your worldview will hinge on that one truth. While that is all cute and cuddly, it is entirely impractical. There is much more to the world than that one truth and that one truth is not going to be the answer to all things. That is like calling the shots with your head down, not watching the game. But⌠If you are able to call shots with your head up, be observant, patient, willing to make mistakes, and be open to finding whole answers to problems rather than just simply responses, maybe our corners will be less intimidating and make us look less like a savage asshole.
Morality dictating our political stance is what has given rise to the âone-topic voterâ; a spectrum of voters that specialize in moral crusades for single issues but lack intellect and follow through, example, gay rights. While voters marched against legalizing gay marriage feeling that it would jeopardize our entire society, they were unknowingly best friends with their gay barista. Many misunderstood the core issue of this vote for equality though; was it another step in the right direction towards allowing individuals to conduct business as usual without conditions or to rid the world of homosexuality? Which seems more realistically beneficial? Or better yet, a question that is often sadly overlooked; which is a more efficient vote. Basically, is this topic worth continually fighting for? Can you still believe that homosexuality is a sin and vote for equality? Absolutely. Will your vote stop any of what is already going on? Voters, what is your end game?
As we approach the coming elections with hot topics such as abortion, foreign policy, national debt, taxes, federal spending, government size, and morality in general; ask yourself some thorough questions. Â If you vote against abortion, what do you plan to do with those extra one million human beings that will be walking the streets? Foster homes, orphanages, adoption? Do you plan to leave them with their families already living below poverty level? How much would federal spending increase then? Is voting for smaller government worth the time, or would it be more efficient to tame the leviathan that we have already created?
Politics is not a game for saints because you do not get to answer the devil with a crucifix; itâs about the lesser of two evils. Quid pro quo, this for that. For every action, there is a reaction. It much more like a boxing match than we care to admit; either you roll with the punches or you get knocked out. You donât create your own choice and the terms. Politics are not hopeless, the way that we are voting is.
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