Politics without ideas and the naked arrogance of seeking power...
Jonathan Chait has this really terrible, intellecutally obtuse article in The New Republic -- a magazine I used to respect but which has since become a breeding ground for cynicism and meaningless abstraction (generally...it's not just Jonathan) -- in it's July 11th edition that I just happened on today...
Jonathan Chait...The Case Against New Ideas...
I have to say that the left is really hitting rock bottom, at this particular political moment...
And Jonathan's really awful article demonstrates the arrogance of not just too many liberals, right now...but of engaging in politics, especially, and any endeavor, period, with the cynical position that all that matters is that you take charge...ideas be damned...
It is this attitude that is the basis for Lord Acton's political aphorism, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely...
And Jonathan's article, here, is about the most naked demonstration of that kind of arrogance that I've ever seen in contemporary writing...
Niccolo Machiavelli, of course, is one of the most naked advocates of power for its own sake...
But Machiavelli died several centuries ago...
And Jonathan Chait is alive and well arguing similarly obtusely in a way that demonstrates Jonathan's lack of thought, really...and not much else...
I mean...don't people resent the idea of people arguing that they should have power over you without any reason given whatsoever?...
I've been dealing, lately, with my resentment that people have control over me, period...rather than respect my freedom and ability to make judgments on my own...especially when I don't see anyone, right now, who I trust to make better judgments for me...period...
But power with no reason?...
I sure hope we haven't all gone off the deep end, like that...
But the nice thing about bottoming out...is that it gives you an opportunity that you either take or you don't...
To look at yourself in the mirror...
And to deal with whatever cynicism, resentment, anger, hate, fear, envy, greed, power-seeking or whatever general ugliness is underneath all that...
And the whole thing makes me so glad that when given the choice between pursuing a life where I just try to get to "the top" -- whatever the hell that is, really, when you stop to think about it -- or to contribute meaningful ideas that either people take advantage of or they don't to improve their lives...
That I took the latter route...
A route that I'm sadly learning is far less traveled that I ever imagined...given how important a trek it is...
I never dreamed that so many people could be so foolish to think that what really matters is how much control or power they have...or how much money they have...or how much influence or prestige they have...or how much they get laid...or how many kinds of drugs they do...or whatever...
Whatever...other than what they contribute to make the world a better place...both their own little home in it...their family...their friends...their loved ones...
And the bigger world beyond it...
It's so funny to me that people would be so goddamned foolish so much of the time:):):)...
Lost in all kinds of foolishness that don't help...and that don't mean a goddamn thing, really...to anyone...not really...
You ever won something that made you feel important...like a volleyball game...or a bridge match...or a talent show...
Well...it is amazing to me that so many people live their lives like life is just this giant talent show...
When...if you ever have won anything like that in your life before...or even gotten close...
Hopefully you realize...
That it's both fun...
And it's also just kind of bullshit, really:):):)...
It doesn't really mean a goddamn thing:):):)...
That's what 7 years of forensics competition taught me:):):)...
That I could win a lot...
And at the end of the day...
The winning really didn't mean anything...
It was the learning that mattered...and the friendships:):)...and the love shared:):)...and the ways I tried and hopefully made things better...or anted up and admitted when I hadn't...
Really...
And everything else is just one long load of horseshit that we give way to much attention to:):):)...
And the more I see just how wrapped so much of the world is in the shit that doesn't matter in life:):):)...
The more it makes me thankful that I carved out my own path:):):)...and thanks to Robert Frost for being one of the first people to inspire me in that direction:):):)...
I hope everyone's doing well, today:):):)...the time off has done wonders for me:):)...and I've got some applications to get on:):):)...
Have a great day, everyone:):):)...
Love,
Ben
