Day 55: Patriotic Duty

There was a time when I was fairly obsessed with politics. I was a current events junkie. When major news events broke, I jumped from network to network to absorb the various perspectives. There was a time when I could listen to talk radio for hours. Those days are over.

I still follow politics, but now, it's primarily because I feel a sense of duty to do so. It's not because I enjoy. In fact, I despise it. It's rotten to the core. It's snide and dirty and completely muddied. It's a shame. Still, I follow politics because I don't want to be left behind. I don't want to be hoodwinked. I don't want to be categorized or stepped on or stepped over. It happens every day to honest, decent people, and I don't want it to happen to me.

Years and years ago I sat at a campfire with a friend and debated politics until the sun came up. I took the position that politicians weren't inherently evil. I reasoned that they didn't enter politics and run for office for selfish reasons. I reasoned they had good intentions. How naive I was. Today, I see politics being played on just about every level of my life, from Washington D.C. to the streets and sidewalks I walk every day.

What's the positiveness in all this? That I'm aware. I don't have to like having to participate, but I thankful for the ability to do so.