Disengaged From the World
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How does one become re-engaged with something that makes one feel nothing but disgust?
“Why dont you write about politics anymore?” an acquaintance of mine recently asked me. “I remember you wrote a lot of articles about that. I don’t see that from you anymore.”
I haven’t really thought about it, to tell you the truth. There was a point where I was writing a lot about current events, or at the very least, my take on certain current events, especially during the last Presidential election period. And it isn’t that I’m not following what’s been going on in the world as of late. Lord knows there is plenty to write about if one chooses to do so. From watching the news, reading the newspapers, and so on, it seems the world is poised for some extreme overhaul in a lot of ways. Earthquakes, nuclear accidents, uprisings in the Middle East, the continuing war in Afghanistan (no one ever speaks of Iraq anymore), and most loudly, and unfortunately, the continuing cultural civil war here at home. An economic mess, bi-partisan braying, wing nuts crawling out of every corner with their rewriting of history and their insatiable desire for power and prestige, the desire in congress to pass legislation repealing the notion that the science behind climate change is bogus, the threat of a government shut down over things like funding NPR or Planned Parenthood, and of course, “The Donald” and his braying about Obama not being a “real” American by throwing his lot in with “The Birthers”. It’s enough to make one want to shut off and retreat, to get away from it all and just let it all go to hell. I have to be honest and say that I often feel that way as of late.
Politics is something I was never really all that passionate about to begin with, I told my friend. Yes, I have my opinions on things and there are things I feel that are very important but it’s gotten to the point where the more I look, the more disgusted with it all I become, especially what’s going on in our own country as of late. You’re asked to throw your lot in with either this group or with that group. Whatever opinions you have either put you with this camp or that camp. There’s no discussion anymore. There’s only debate and boy do we Americans love to just debate, don’t we? Seems everyone is hell bent on dragging their ideological baggage around with them so much that actual discussion of some very important issues becomes impossible. We are blinded by our ideological camps. If you’re a conservative, you believe this. If you’re a liberal, you believe that and no one budges, even in the face of facts, figures and just plain ol‘ common sense, something that can be seen right in front of your eyes. No matter what side one seems to be on, overwhelming evidence for a certain problem is always filtered through some ideological lens, no matter what it is.
Is this a new phenomenon? Of course not. It just seems more prevalent. People want to fight. They want to argue. They want to “win” and “winning” seems to be what’s driving the debate. Win at all costs, no matter how wrong one may be. It doesn’t matter. Bend the facts to fit your ideological point of view. Rewrite history if that does the trick, or just simply out right lie and tell that lie over and over again until not only you believe it but everyone else too.
In the face of all this, I just can’t get motivated to really care anymore, and the more and more I feel that I am standing off on the sidelines as an observer, not having the desire to join in the fray. Frankly, it all gives me a headache. But I also realize that retreating from it all and wishing that it would all go away doesn’t help matters either. One becomes just another part of the problem. Apathy – and in many ways that can be even worse than those who are engaged.
So how does one become re-engaged with something that makes one feel nothing but disgust? A dilemma for sure. I don’t have the answer but I do know this: it’s only going to get worse. With Obama’s re-election campaign already beginning, with the desire for those who absolutely despise him already chomping at the bit to get rid of him, and the extremes on both sides of the aisle gearing up for their “Battle Royale”, the rest of us, those who seek common sense and rational discussion on very serious issues are only going to get lost in the noise; and the danger of apathy and disengagement only furthers the problem by allowing the extreme elements to take over the discussion and drive the debate. So perhaps it is time to speak out, to try to bring some sanity to this circus.
But it’s hard.
It’s tough to want to get involved when you feel nothing but disgust with the whole situation.
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Tags: acquaintance, civil war, climate change, current events, disgust, earthquakes, economic mess, election period, insatiable desire, legislation, notion, nuclear accidents, planned parenthood, presidential election, prestige, uprisings, war in afghanistan, watching the news, wing nuts