Chris Writing Anything

What profession do you admire most and why?

Of all contradictions, here comes the most blatant. This post will be featuring a double edged sword. “What the heck are you getting at?” I can almost hear you say that. I’ll answer with one word: politicians…I admire them, yet, in the same breath, I also loathe them. And while you may think contradictions are senseless, let me explain why this one is not.

Growing up, I wanted to be a politician, and my parents were abhorrent. I wanted to be the next Abraham Lincoln, or Thomas Jefferson, or John Kennedy…they were men with the most venerable reputations…and, at least in the conversations I had, they were never criticized.

Of course, my childhood dream was wholly unrealistic. Yet, I remember, as a young adolescent, hearing of the fighting in Beirut. I thought the bloodshed was senseless, and I wanted to stop it. I felt it had to be stopped, and, if I was a politician, I could do that.

Years have passed, and I have no political clout, nor do I want that status. I think we all know the harsh realities of politics, and the risks those men and women take.

Some claim, and it may be true, that these government elite want power. But, think of the underlying contradiction. When I think about it, as I’m forever rapt with a Kurt Cobain lyrical line, one from a song just preceding his suicide, I remember that those on the highest rung must ‘serve the servants’.

So, with that being said, I have a reverence for political offices. It’s not really about the prestige, nor is it about the power, it’s about the desire to right a wrong…or, maybe, to right what that particular individual views as wrong.

And, no matter who you are, if you withstand criticism to make the world a better place, that takes guts.

Don’t get me wrong, I know politics is a game, and those embroiled in the trenches, I mean the foxholes of diplomacy, they often twist, bend and break rules. That’s why I loathe them. Much of what is said in press conferences, well, man, can we trust that?

And sometimes, the end game, especially when there’s a lot of clout involved, is simply for personal gain. Some constituents, despite an act of greed being committed, and I do mean some, will benefit from a representative’s corrupt actions, but it still violates the ideals American citizens, whether realistically, or unrealistically, come to expect.

And, to be perfectly clear, some politicians enter the game for the wrong reasons. Perks, notoriety…and all those sinful pleasures, they can lure a corrupt person to the podium. Basically, and I shouldn’t need a better reason, that’s why I hate political officials.

So there you go, the good and the bad…the yin and the yang. Politics, in its truest form, is an ultra noble cause. But, because we throw humans, and all that’s human, into government, it will always be a slippery slope. Lastly, with all my heart, it’s a slope I have no desire to climb.

Have an Excellent Day!