8

Voting

I really don’t want to talk about politics too often but will probably do it more often that I should. I’m also in a bit of a irritable mood so this is probably the worst way to talk about this stuff but I continue. I promise you (nonexistent reader), however, that I will have a take unlike one you have heard before. It’s unlike something you’ve heard before because it’s a rare take and also because you don’t exist.

Do you want to be a happier person? Do you want better relationships with the people around you? Do you want to feel more in touch with your community? Would you like more free time to pursue the things that you love and value? Here’s a good first step to achieve those goals: Eliminate politics from your life. Taken a step further: Eliminate federal politics from your life.

Shocking, I know. I did not always hold this opinion either. I remember being viscerally upset the night the night Donald Trump got elected. I think I actually had a nightmare. I remember waking up and hoping it was all a dream. I think about this sometimes and wonder how I could let a presidential election actually effect a night of sleep for me. Looking back, most upsetting is the loss of productivity at work that day from my shitty sleep.

Many people go through life thinking that whatever suit is currently sitting in the oval office actually has an influence on their personal lives. Some of these people think they’ve read enough to determine what policy is good and what policy is bad. Some of these people may be right! All of these people are miserable.

That’s not true, they are not all miserable. Many people (Almost all!) have worthwhile pursuits. They have a fulfilling job. They create families. They go to church. They start book clubs. They have a hobby. They take workout classes. They hang out with their friends. They talk about what makes them laugh. They talk about what makes them cry. They go hiking. They decorate their houses. They garden. They make art. They write bloviating blog posts that help them deal with their emotions and anxiety (Pretty meta, huh?). These same people, however, take time away from those pursuits to turn on the news and allow it to effect how they feel. I do it more often that I’d like to admit. Stop doing that.

I’m not saying to stop watching the news. I’m saying to stop letting it effect how you feel. Understand that all those crooks in Washington D.C., whether they are on the red team or the blue team, would take all of your rights and all of your stuff if they could get away with it. They are your captors and you are their captives. As George Carlin once said, “It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it!”

They are the organized crime ring knocking on your door asking for their protection fee. Would I negotiate with said crime ring? Absolutely! I like my kneecaps. I’ll try my best to follow their laws and pay their taxes because I’d like to avoid the inside of a jail cell. I don’t negotiate with the government because of moral reasons. I negotiate with the government because they’ll take my freedoms otherwise. Morality applies to my private life. The morality applicable to negotiating with the government is the same morality applicable to a hostage situation.

Develop your own morality. If the government made murder legal tomorrow you still shouldn’t murder someone. If the government abolished property rights you still shouldn’t go into your neighbor’s house and steal the artwork she’s been working on for years. These social mores exist outside of government. They are intrinsic to who we are. They are Human.

So go ahead and watch the news. Find out what rights they’ve taken away from you and what percentage of your income they’ll be taking. Maybe they’re giving some of it back! Do not let it get you down. Do not let it upset you. This is how you fight back. There is nothing a bully hates more than someone whom they can’t hurt. The crooks in Washington can take your physical property. Don’t let them take what’s inside your mind and your heart.