I am not a politically active creature. Ever since ‘feminism’ first marbled across my lips, even sank into my taste buds, I have heard ‘the personal is political.’ The fundamental impact of those words, however, eluded me. For a time.
Fast forward to the coursing of ‘conscious feminine’ through my whole being – about concurrent with the National Declaration of Either/Or; add in my calling to write with incarcerated women; and I now find myself awake in a cold sweat, day and night, feverish to address everything at once.
And yet – I keep missing my self-appointed Friday blog date with the conscious feminine. Last night I learned why: I am outraged. Sputtering. Speechless, almost. At the Great National Divide between Those Who Think and, well, everyone else. It seems the latest national past time (and it’s WAY passed time for this to end) has become to elevate the lowest common denominator to the highest law of the land. Through repetition of the patently absurd (think ‘you can’t get pregnant from rape’). Where I come from, repeated wishful thinking never did make it so. A variant on Albert Einstein’s famed definition of ‘insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’
You can see how distant I keep myself from today’s political tactics.
What on earth is going on here? Well, dear Reader, it turns out we all – yes, women AND men – have urges. For sex, power, violence; as well as genuine desire for opportunity and the well-being of our citizens. AND we live, for better and worse, in a society. Which means we are in it together. What we say matters. How we act matters. Yet, along with reality and civil discourse, we seem to have lost sight of our basic God-given abilities to think, to reason. To listen. To reflect. With respect for difference; not the all-too-common derision or defiance, the coarsest acts of deception which have become the de rigeur standard of discourse by our would-be leaders.
Let’s focus on other d-words, like decency and decorum. I’ll even settle for democracy: that’s at least about the people, not a handful of very rich men asserting their unthinking opinions over and over again, hoping to move us toward change. The thinking man Einstein had it right: that’s just insanity.
English: Albert Einstein’s signature (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
sarahscapes 
So well written – marbled across my lips – i am non partisan but that doesn’t mean my soul shrieks at the primitive level of thinking some exhibit, the some, being aspiring leaders. We are a period some refer to as the dark heart of humanity’s age, or something like that; the forces of light and darkness contrast, and when the light becomes strong, the darkness leaps up too, but light is the absence of darkness, and darkness cannot prevail for ever. That said abstractly, your post was so right on. The populace is far more intelligent than some in the news think they are. Blind ignorance; alas, alack; didn’t mean to go on so. wonderful post girl.
Good to ‘see’ you here, Esther. I’m definitely counting on the populace being intelligent. I’ll take thoughtful. Otherwise, this whole business is a pathetic indictment of our society, culture, maturity and, well, intelligence.
yes
So well written Sarah!
When the latest absurd bunch of drivel (the Akin argument) was scrutinised at the 6pm news slot by the much respected BBC here in England I was shocked and astounded and the idiocy of some people, (and the fact that it was enough of an American to-do to end up in London). What I’m left wondering is who exactly his women supporters are and also about poor Mrs Akin standing next to the man with that wooden smile frozen on her face. Hope she got to see the following interview of the raped women who went on to cary their unwanted pregnancies. Or at least read their open letters.
Thanks, Veronica. I wish it were just absurd drivel. Sadly (frighteningly) repetition has led so many to actually believe!! I can’t imagine what it would be like to be married to a man who could say such a thing; which to my mind means that’s what he genuinely feels. Sigh. You can stew in silence; or you can try to put some measure of sanity and thoughtfulness into the vibrational pool.The road I’ve chosen. I appreciate your visit and your comments.