I’ve Been Watching Politics

At first, it was an exploration into Perspective.  Listening to viewpoints of divergent philosophy, I learned these ideologies are the filter through which ‘reality’ shapes itself.  It doesn’t matter what the event is, any particular point-of-view interprets the meaning and solutions according to its basic premise of belief.  At first, intrigued by what the fundamental concepts of each ideology were, I listened to the dialogues on cable TV news to learn.

Then, I wondered if the discussion between different perspectives – say liberal and conservative – ever influenced each other to evolve.  That, I speculated, would be the value of all the discourse I watched.  Over time, I realized that – not only did dialogues not shift through discussion – they actually grew so repetitive I could fill in the words myself by using the catchy phrases and pithy rhetoric that each side of an issue relies upon to elaborate their position. 

Indeed, the only changing variable I noted was the emotional tone.  From even-handed to sarcastic and all the way to outraged, politicians and pundits alike seemed to vary their speeches in feeling volume rather than development of concepts.  I came to the conclusion that an evolution of substance could only come through stepping out beyond the ideologies and their limitations of bias.

My mission: to become ‘bigger’ than the part of the elephant being described by an ideology and somehow embody the whole elephant.

And this is where I had my epiphany…  Everyone in politics – no matter what ideology they represent – wants to be right.  And most make their claims for righteousness based on the wrongness of other points of view.  Herein lay the stalemate because, if anyone has to be wrong in order for another to be right, then at some juncture everyone is wrong.  If, however, I can lift myself out of the paradigm of right and wrong, then perhaps there is an inclusive wholeness that allows evolutionary movement towards new solutions.  Perhaps, if I shift the premise of “right” to “rights” there is hope. 

Everyone has a constitutional right to their perspective, and everyone has a constitutional right to express their opinion.  These rights are a baseline of what defines politics in our culture.  A shared worldview – or elephant – if you will.  If everyone has a right to their perspective, then – no matter how many ideologies exist – all of them are right to the person who founds their worldview upon the beliefs inherent within them. 

We, the people, are a collection of individuals free to believe and develop our lives as we believe.  We, the people, are, in other words, one huge elephant…  helping each other move across the savannah of Life successfully, no matter how different our individual view.

Next time I feel inclined to take sides on a political issue I am going to recall Horton who saved the Whos by his willingness to trust the small voice he heard coming from inside a dandelion and his powerful commitment to faithfulness.  I am going to step beyond the debate and focus on the solution that always feels good: I am going to listen carefully, and I am going remember that everyone’s rights matter, no matter how small they are. I can find the common ground where everyone is good, and I will.

My personal ideology from this moment forward: Politics is for creating the best solution by considering all perspectives valid.

As Rumi says, “Out beyond right and wrong there is a field…  I will meet you there.”

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