A few folks have told me I’m not doing anything “productive” by being involved with the political situation here in the U.S. They’ve said things like “worry about what you actually have control over.” I’d like to take this moment to introduce Dostoevsky. 

Dostoevsky discovered a profound truth. He said basically  that the greatest lie we tell ourselves (and the most damaging) is pride in being self-sufficient. No man is an island. We depend on each other. Someone even depends on me even as I depend on a few people. It’s been a network longer than computers have existed. It doesn’t mean we get to do whatever we want. It means there’s consequences to nearly everything we do and don’t do.

When we give up or quit politics for things “we can control,” we give the bad guys an opening. They’re happy to fill our spot. Not only that,  you might need a hospital or school, maybe a policeman, or a butcher someday. Give all that up too while you’re at it. If you don’t help make them and maintain them with a simple “X” in a box, you don’t get to use them either. Is that what you want? 

Sometimes we have to do things. That’s just life. Stuff requires maintenance. There’s bad guys. The environment. On and on. Stuff needs doing. If you’re not helping, you’re actually hurting. It isn’t about your experiences. It’s about all of us. Sometimes you might end up spending time doing things for other people in the world. That’s why politicians used to be called “public servants.” Now tell me, is “public servant” a term that pops into your brain thinking about trump?