There is no
person out there, who is completely
satisfied, with how
others live their lives. I am sorry, if this sounds a bit confusing. Let me rephrase...
While, all people have many things
in common; eating, drinking and the sort included, no person ever lives exactly like another person does. Never the less, we all share the
private task of self care, and sometimes, we even
help each other with that. It is a simple trade, in which one person helps another, so that they could fairly ask the same treatment,
in the future.
Our tools of the trade, in a manner of speech, are
sympathy &
empathy. If I have
suffered or
enjoyed the same thing another person is going through, then I can
empathize with them. Likewise, if I can relate, in my mind and imagination, to the
suffering or
joy another person is experiencing, then I am able to
sympathize with them.
When a group of people, even an entire nation, stand behind a
representative, they are
collectively sympathizing. They are
generalizing their views of
wrong and
right, suffering and joy, in order to turn their ideas and emotions into actions and reality. That is to say, that they are enforcing their own opinions on others.
Whoa, now! What did I just say? That they are "
enforcing their own opinions on others," is it? Yes. You heard me right. They are not "
collaborating, in order to help others and/or themselves." Neither are they "
joining forces in order to achieve a task that cannot be achieved by the small and few."
The first scenario, of collaboration, demands that they are all actively
involved. The second, of managing a greater task, demands that the task at hand can only be achieved by
grouping.
Neither of these represents
politics.
In politics, a person gives up their own choice of action, so that another person can act on their
behalf. Also, most tasks are those that the person does not wish to get involved with, not because of its' dimensions, but rather, because of its'
nature. Not every person feels comfortable being a
judge or
lawyer, for example.
So, why have I never chosen to become politically active?
If I were to join politics, I would, in both principle and action, be asking people (see, "strangers") to either
grant me my
wishes - if they supposedly match their own - or, to make others
stop from denying me my
wishes - again, if it matches their own wishes.
In other words, I would be asking the masses to support the
enforcement of my own personal wishes,
over those of others. Sadly, that will never match into how I view things. I am not
proud enough to insist that I am on the right, more so than another person, in general; nor am I
righteous enough to lower another person, simply because they make different mistakes than I do.
While, I may choose otherwise in the future, I am not able to do so, until I find justification that stands under my
personal judgement. Naturally, this article does not answer the
"How do I...?" part of getting my own wishes to come true; but, at the very least, it does clarify my
moral grounds. Without those, I may be powerful and almighty, but I would never be able to look myself in the eye again.
This article has been influenced by debates between different philosophies, including the recently enthusiastic Libertarian political movement.