Politics vs Reality

March 20, 2016 — action, law and order, local, politics, social fabric

Palm, symbol of victory

I think most people vote based on the state of their own economic situation. If they are feeling confident about their prospects and security they tend to choose the party that is in power at the moment. When insecurity and unhappy circumstances arise political elections become a way to express unease. This election year is full of wild rhetoric and many dramatic moments. Citizens are freaking out in all directions. The focus on our elected officials and policies of the government is never so intense as it is during the presidential season. Tension builds and money is spent like water on all sides. Anger, suspicion, and all the worst in our society, rears its’ ugly head to predict the future. We all think we know how the future will be if we elect one candidate or another.

We do not know what will happen after any election, and this time we seem to know less than ever. Many of the public institutions that have crumbled and decayed will need a total reform or rehab in order to once again serve the public.  Politicians tend to protect and defend status quo, just because they exist within it, and that is the easy way to go. A body at rest tends to stay at rest. The GOP is finding it difficult to stay at rest, being challenged from within and by the candidacy of Donald Trump. In this era we do not remember any politics this rowdy or malicious.  It is impossible to predict the outcome.

The reality is that after the election we will all go about our business without the suspense or the drama of politics in our faces.  The only real change is managed on a personal local level with constant and uninterrupted effort.  Figure heads and governing bodies have only so much power to implement or enforce laws and systems.  The grass-roots, named for the front yard, is where either weeds or lush green comfort is cultivated.  It is a mistake to put so much emphasis on elections while we turn away from our own neighbors and local issues.  Like Smokey says, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”  I believe this philosophy applies to reality and politics just as well.  Only YOU can prevent the dismemberment of society, gentle reader. Think small, local, and real.  Don’t let these political loonies stress your mind.  Act like you want others to act, do unto others what you want done to you.

yellow rose, symbol of joy