The trouble with Politics

Yes I am going where wise people often fear to tread - a post about politics.

What makes the idea of touching on politics is that as an anonymous blogger with readers from 150 countries - none of you know where I live (except for my summer home in Bhutan - haha).

So heres the scoop - I spend the majority of my time in a progressive western democracy. That does not mean however that I don't respect the lives and the decisions made by  People (especially the  readers of this blog) that don't. My very own background (ancestry) is complex and I am one generation away from family members who were born in places that are not Western democracies and who I count as huge supporters of this blog.

So the thing that has been on my mind and I want to blog about is this idea that as I've become older Ive become less politically inclined. In the last few elections I have even declined to vote.

It is tempting (and I have asked myself the question many times) to put it down to apathy but having mulled it over I think its a little more complex.

The main reason I feel 'A' political is that I am actually sick of partisan politics. Basically this means that just because I generally lean towards one side of the political spectrum that somehow I need to agree with just about everything they do - or face being a traitor. Actually let me rephrase that - I am annoyed that elected politicians need to always agree with everything that the party stands for. To me this is anti intellectual and fails to take into account that not all decisions are black and white. Ultimately I think this partisan idea Leeds to bad decisions (or no decisions which is just as bad).

You can probably tell by now that I am also not a fan of extreme views (dogmatic politics) and I am firmly in the middle of the political spectrum. In western democracies that basically means that I am a swinging voter - sometimes left sometimes right - but always in the middle.

Isn't this the basis of a good system anyway? One that is not static and one that allows for change. We seem to value people who think in absolutes and admire them for sticking to their convictions and we judge people as fickle who somehow see things in shades. Is this a dis service?

I reckon any good political system allows for swings and change because I reckon a root of evil is anyone (any organisation) being in POWER for too long. As human we can't deal with power. Holy cow we can't even handle it when our neighbour gets a nice car or when our football team loses to a country that we like to lord over.

Political parties and all doctrines have one thing in common - they are made up with people and people are  flawed.

Let it swing and enjoy the ups and downs.

Remember that Buddhist proverb about 'bending' is wise and rigidity will break you....

Or how about the christian proverb that talks about 'there is a time for everything under the sun'...

Ive decided currently not to vote - which is a political decision - but am I'm watching with interest - and you never know I may even change my mind come Election Day (and I'm ok with that!)

Cheers
VS

Status - the great motivator

As some of you know I'm a fan of Alain de Botton and one of the first books I read of his is Status Anxiety

The book and its message resonates with me even till this day to the point that when ever I think about people motivations - whether they be political, social, spiritual or financial - I always bring it back to humans need for status.

This is particularly interesting as a parent of teenagers who are grappling with what the future holds for them.

Common questions and not so obvious musings of young people may include (in nor particular order)

- What kind of marks do I need in High School?
- what university degree should I do?
- What job will I have?
-  Who will be my life partner (if any)?
- Where will I live - country, city, suburb?
- What type of place will I live in (house, apartment etc)?
- How will I afford a certain lifestyle?
- Why are we here anyway?
- Are my parents lives representative of what awaits me?

Without them knowing, and in my purely subjective opinion (anyway) I think these all relate to the notion of status and how will they achieve it.

Why is this important as a parent? Lets use an example

Question: Dad - why should I get a good mark at school when the media reckons that most University degrees are a waste of bloody time?

On the face of it we could be tempted to write off the question as just another example of teenage angst. The question is a good one. At no point in near history have the links between a university education and getting a real job been so tenuous.

Soooooooo........I've been grappling with an answer somewhere along the lines of

"Look daughter/son you are right that you are part of a system - designed at the beginnings of the industrial revolution - that is beginning to look seriously outdated. The problem you have (and the risk you run) is that without a university education and a brilliant plan b - you are destined to live a life of 'catch up', always trying to prove to others - amongst a cohort of family, friends and acquaintances - that you are are actually quite smart and you could have gone to college and smashed education if you wanted".

Thats plenty of painful conversations over many years with many different people. Any future partner you have you are going to have to explain yourself (not to mention your future partner now has to explain your choices to future mother and father in laws)...

You see - not working hard at school is a dangerous game - despite the supremely rational concept behind it. Your status is potentially screwed and you run the risk of not being heard by anyone going forward. Ever told a joke that is a ripper and yet in some company no one laughs - now you feel the pain!

The only way a young person can decide to not take school too seriously and yet have status moving forward is to have some damm good plan b options.

Examples (notice the word super not 'fairly good').

1. Super rich tech entrepreneur (yes I dropped out of college)
2. Super good looking (Steel blue)
3. Super good at something like sport or art (Ronaldo hated school)

Bottom line is - understand early the role of status plays in dominance hierarchy and make decisions accordingly.

Now how to explain to the kids???