A year or so ago I announced a moratorium on discussing politics. At the time I had spoiled some good relationships in my life by engaging in what one could call “spirited debate” with friends and family. These debates ended in frustration and personal rifts. I decided that as much as I loved discussion I preferred my relationships, especially seeing as when it comes to politics it’s rare that anyone is discussing differing viewpoints with the intention of actually allowing for evolution in their ideas, so what’s the point of such discourse? Anything I said to these people was going to fall on deaf ears, and their ill-informed Beck infused rants did nothing but make me roll my eyes.
But here I am writing a blog on politics.
In elections past I would be glued to election coverage, bemoaning or celebrating the different results. I’d be calling or receiving calls all night, attempting to determine what any new speculation could mean for the rest of the election, and for the future. Tonight I have results playing in the background, but I am not immersing myself. I’ve realized that once I’ve done my civic duty, there’s not anything more I can do. The results will be the same tomorrow, and I don’t need a night of aggravation and political posturing to make the results even more meaningful for me.
If I’ve learned anything from the 2008 election it’s that as large of a frenzy that the election may cause, tomorrow I’ll wake up and life will go on. Change happens every day, but it takes time to truly take effect. I’ll continue to contact my local representatives and my senator to voice my opinion, but other than that: Life goes on. Is there a shift happening? Apparently. Is my kvetching going to change the results of the election? No. Tomorrow do I have an 8 am class? Yes. Will the shift in the house destroy the world by tomorrow? No. What about by Monday? Probably. So I’ll check the results tomorrow and go to class and hope I can get my time organized enough to finish all my papers on time. At least any of my papers due before Monday.
BEMOAN AMERICA’S DECLINE INTO SOCIALISM ON THE MESSAGE BOARDS!