Election Blues

We're traveling South across Ohio after a wonderful weekend visit with our cousin Sue and great-uncle Bob.  At Sue's house we took two days off from biking (our longest break of the trip) and were treated to the luxuries of home cooked food, indoor plumbing and heating, a soft bed, and television. 

We've watched so little TV on this trip that it was almost easy to forget that the election is coming up.  In the few hours we took to watch football and reruns of The Office, the commercials we saw reawakened us to the viciousness of the American political discourse.  Far too often it seems to be no more than a shouting match between two sides that are most concerned with being opposite of each other.

I know a lot of people in my generation (and other generations I'm sure) feel a huge disillusionment with the whole system.  There is so much wrong with how our government runs that it seems all-consuming; all the problems in America must be the fault of the government; everything that went wrong in the past year must be the fault of this elected official or that one; if we can elect someone of the opposite opinion, then right will win out. 

I don't mean to downplay the significant role government plays in our lives, but I think the blame game we play is often a way of dodging the responsibility that we all share for the world we live in.  Many of our problems are not political, and are instead a result of our failure to accept, respect, and care for others in our society (especially the people we may not agree with).  Our culture is created by a massive chorus of individuals, not by our government.  I could make a really bad analogy about how we have to harmonize with our fellow man to make a beautiful American chorus (remember that "harmonize" doesn't necessarily mean sing the same notes!), but instead I'll turn the stage over to Mr. Walt Whitman, who I think put it a lot better than I can.

-Dave

Over the carnage rose a prophetic voice,

Be not dishearten'd, affection shall solve the problems of freedom yet,

Those who love each other shall become invincible,

They shall yet make Columbia victorious.

No danger shall balk Columbia's lovers,

If need be a thousand shall sternly immolate themselves for one.

One from Massachusetts shall be a Missourian's comrade,

From Maine and from hot Carolina, and another an Oregonese, shall be friends triune,

More precious to each other than all the riches of the earth.

To Michigan, Florida perfumes shall tenderly come,

Not the perfumes of flowers, but sweeter, and wafted beyond death.

It shall be customary in the houses and streets to see manly affection,

The most dauntless and rude shall touch face to face lightly,

The dependence of Liberty shall be lovers,

The continuance of Equality shall be comrades.

These shall tie you and band you stronger than hoops of iron,

I, ecstatic, O partners! O lands! with the love of lovers tie you.

(Were you looking to be held together by lawyers?

Or by an agreement on paper? or by arms?

Nay, nor the world, nor any living thing, will so cohere.)

-Walt Whitman