I will say this only once. I HATE POLITICS.
It didn’t used to be like that. Once upon a time, politics, politicians, governments and such didn’t even cross my mind, the only time it did was when there was an election coming.
Now, politics are part of our everyday lives, and we listen to politicians argue and bicker at least once a day, over topics that range from the uninteresting to the absurd. Sure, it’s not unique to my country, but it is annoying.
I wish things were back to those days, where politics were a thing you thought off every four to five years.
Worse of it all is that politics are so embedded in our lives that you can lose a job over them, families can tear themselves apart, friendships broken. Can you imagine that? If you can’t, I envy you, you don’t know how much…
I’m not going to get political myself, I won’t say it’s A’s fault or people should vote for B, that’s not my problem to be honest, and I feel bad enough about politics being the topic of this post. I just want to talk about the good old days, when people liked or hated each other because of who they were, not who they follow, or how much money or influence they have, or any other nonsense politicians have driven into our heads.
It used to be that in my country the poor old man and the rich kid could sit side by side and drink a nice cup of coffee, talk about sports or entertainment. Now, through politician’s efforts, they’d only glare at each other, throwing barrages of insults, all with a promise of violence. Sure, most of the time it doesn’t come to that, and there are still people who haven’t changed, but still, the fact the possibility exists, that people would consider fighting each other because of wealth and status or the words of their “leaders”, both baffles and disgusts me.
On the topic of Elections, they used to be something that came and went; you voted for whom you thought would do a good job and that was it, you carried on afterwards, the Election Day being just another day. Nowadays, things are slightly different. Elections are the only thing in people’s minds, even if it’s a fucking year away. And when the day actually comes, they’re tense. People stay until late at the voting centers, fearful someone’s gonna cheat, while the rest vote and almost barricade themselves in their homes, terrified something’s going to happen if one side wins or loses. It doesn’t get better with time, every election, the fear is stronger.
Whatever side wins in the end, you can be sure the bickering, the fighting, the insults, hatred and loathing will continue every single day afterwards, getting worse and worse every day, reaching a peak during each candidate’s campaign for the next election. And yes, this attitude, this enmity, has grown worse and worse every year, so much so that now it’s impossible to not be political. It actually takes a lot of effort, will and discipline to be neutral, something I used to do, until it became impossible, there was too much pressure in the air. It infected me, made me choose a side.
Thankfully, I’m not a terminal case, I don’t hate people for their beliefs, or who they follow, as many I know do; but instead cast judgement on people’s actions, their choices, like I’ve always felt it should be.
I wish we could go back, you know, back to those simple days, where the air wasn’t humming with hostility, where there weren’t sides to be chosen and “if you’re not with me, you’re against me” wasn’t a way of life being slowly imposed on all of us.
It’s not impossible, we just need to learn how to live like that again, get rid of the brainwash, break the programming, stop the cycle, etc, etc. You know how I know it’s possible to live like that? I have seen it with my own eyes, not here, and maybe if you’re reading this, thinks in your country are similar to what I hope or what I’m dealing with.
I have seen it, I have experienced it too, even if it’s a fleeting memory, but it’s enough to know there’s a place out there where things are as they used to be here, and maybe we just need to find out how to do that here, or maybe we should go there. I don’t know. I don’t have the answers. If I did, I wouldn’t be here ranting about it.
There’s only one truth, one bit of wisdom that I’ve uncovered.
Choices brought us here, and only choices can get us there.
What choices? Well, that’s up to each of us, only we decide how we find or build the place we want to be in. Just remember, the choices are yours and yours alone, don’t let others decide what you should do, or let them guilt you into choosing something you won’t be happy with.
Thank you for your time.
I’ve been victim of “Cultural Apartheid”: we will not show your writings because you’re against Chavez’ administration. I learned that is the same communist crap that there was in the USSR, that they would publish you, whatever you do, as long as you praise the revolution.
That must end. And our last shot is a few days away.