Political Merging

I wouldn’t say that I’m apathetic about politics, but I do find it increasingly exhausting trying to discern a candidate’s character and competency for performing his job based on so little information. I know many people, myself included, often approach such things with a harsh polarity. Conservative v. Liberal, Democrat v. Republican. 

It was when I began attending bible college in 2005 that I “embraced the party of my faith”. This came after some of my commentary on our then president was received with disapproval. I was a Christian, I was an evangelical, therefore I was/must be/became a Republican. Such polarity is immature (and very frightening I might add).  

I don’t presume to be as informed as many of the people who are reading this, but here is my take on this most recent election, and politics in general:

You know when you’re on the bypass and you see the sign that says “Lane ends in 1 Mile”? Well, it seems that there are two very different philosophies on how to approach the merging lanes. Some people think that as soon as you see the sign that announces the lanes closure, you should at that time merge. There are others who believe that if everyone would just keep moving at the same rate of speed, and allow people in a stagger fashion to merge smoothly at the merge point it would not get congested (though most people do not subscribe to this method, it works. I’ve seen it!). 

                The issue is when the mass of people are both seeking to implement their strategies simultaneously. What you wind up with is anger, anxiety, people trying to block the closing lane with their cars, and traffic gets backed up for miles. Who is to blame for all of this? Everyone on the highway is.

If we would subscribe to one political philosophy for a time, things as they are might be improved, or things may decline. I am uncertain as to what would happen should one party’s philosophies be implemented. I am concerned however, that the outcome of this election will mean the highway looks more like a parking lot than a straight shot to our destination. 

 I know historically during the midterm elections the opposite party of the president is usually the victor. But let me just conclude by stating that it would be better if we did not make assessments of candidates based upon television advertisements, party affiliation, or labels. A polarity mindset of good – bad, black – white, demonstrates that we as a nation only have the reasoning capacity of a small child. Life is much more complicated than that, and nothing is quite what it seems.When we seek to vilify our fellow countrymen as a ploy to ascertain power, we betray ourselves and do a great disservice to the diversity of thought which makes us great. 

Note: I am commenting on political philosophies of governance, not political stances on moral issues. That is much more complicated. For example; should I cast my vote for a politician who supports abortion in favor of a war monger? Either way, I am subscribing to the execution of the innocent. For this reason alone, I subscribe to no party affiliation.