Do you have a feeling of utter confusion as you are bombarded with "facts" about this senator or that. about our president, or about the Tea Party, the Coffee Party, the shortage of oil, the tremendous supply of oil, or a pending bill or proposition? At this point I have serious doubts that future historians, with access to all that's been written, will be able to give an account of the true state of affairs in our country.
So what do we do? No thoughtful person will deny that voting is important. Neither can it be ignored that the existence of of politics is vital. Politics consist of a force that makes decisions, politics direct what is is to happen in the work place, what our children learn, the amount of taxes we pay and, in fact, the majority of things that affect our lives.
Think about this:
Those who are adept at fear mongering exert a tremendous amount of influence.
Those who are equally adept at spoofing at such influence create their own followers.
Each are promoting their own beliefs, or fears, or very often, their own hatreds.
It is impossible that each of us can be well informed on every issue, whether Islam or oil reserves.
It creates a problem doesn't it?
Recently I came across an article that appeared to be promoting the idea that Americans were a fearful people. My early impression was that the author felt that our citizens were rather foolishly seeing bogeymen all around; that we were running from our own shadows, that we were behaving like silly, giddy people, jumping at the slightest noise. Irritated, I did not finish the article. I should have and then formed an accurate opinion of the authors point of view. The part that I did read, however, set some thoughts in motion.
My first thought concerned the use of the word, "fear." My feeling is that there is a lot of fear...justified fear...in this country right now. The certainty of saving enough money to provide for our old age has evaporated. Those who believed they had adequate savings are no longer sure. The Social Security Fund is almost depleted. Workers who have built their lives and future on their workplace have seen the entire national job market change to the degree that their ability and willingness to work is no longer an issue, because the worker is not needed. Mechanical or electronic systems may have eliminated the worker's position or worse, the job may now exist in another country. All this results in a very justified fear concerning the lack of security.
Then I thought of our early ancestors who surely had fear as they left their homes, probably because of some type of fear concerning their livelihood and faced what had to be a fearful situation in traveling to a strange land and surviving there by only what they could provide with their own hands. Others who have come here in later years, often came because of fear: fear of starvation, of imprisonment, or fear of death for themselves or their families. It would appear that experiences such as those would create a renewal of fear whenever their new lifestyles began to feel unstable. Having at one time lived in fear, fear of similar conditions developing is certain to exist. These people were fearful but they were not cowards. They were braver than many of use have ever been.
So fear exists and it is neither cowardly or shameful. It is a natural reaction to the unknown and to possible danger. Wouldn't we be foolish to have so little fear that we never took precautions for our safety? If we are considered a fearful people, perhaps our fear will keep us safe. Don't hold up our fears in ridicule!
Back to politics: Is fear a factor in our elections? Considering the above thoughts concerning financial security and the terrors of some of the conditions many immigrants have left behind and what many see as dangerous changes in our own government, and the answer must be a resounding "YES"!
We need people who govern this country to understand that people can and should do for themselves if given the opportunity. We need people who understand the consequences of debt and waste, and who realize that it is not necessary to satisfy all their wants (and ours) at one time. We need people who speak straight from their knowledge and experience about what is possible and what is necessary, instead of making glib speeches that are only words meant to influence voters into giving this person a job.
How do we determine who these people are? I wish I knew a sure-fire method! We absolutely must start doing our homework of reading opinions, editorials, listening to interviews and even studying body language! Perhaps there will be enough information to point us in the best direction. Before the day we cast our vote we may have found enough solid dependable information to guide us. Otherwise, to state it very inelegantly, we will need to depend upon our "gut" feeling....and that feeling, that intuitive reaction, may be a good way to go if you've listened to the candidate, seen pictures and watched that body language!
