I have waited seven long years to be enthusiastic again. Since 2000, it seemed like a long drought in which there was no way to quench one's thirst. It was almost unbearable to watch the State of the Union as well as the countless fallacies which scarred America as a nation. Most succinctly, the Bush 43 years reflected an age of cynicism and malaise which seemed to spiral upon itself as each new event came across the nightly news.
Even worse, the fear of self-expression and dissent seemed to loom over everyone I knew. After 9/11, it was nothing but a cacophony of warnings to stay quiet and alert. And even ridiculously enough, to pay attention to the glowing color alerts from the government. With the continuous tales spun in the media about the threat of terror which continued to be repeated by people who were taken in hook, line and sinker, the days stretched on even more drearier than before.
Now that 2008 has been launched, I wonder whether we, as a country, have the wherewithal to choose a path of change.
Change is not easy. It seems that after the last seven years, our country is experiencing the birth pangs of a new age brought about by being sick and tired of lies. The anger of being duped, cajoled and manipulated into believing that the sky was falling reached its peak around 2006 and continued to ebb until the present day. And now, that righteous anger is being pulled into two directions--the past or the present.
These two concepts represent the fork in the road that keeps on inserting itself into the debate of getting our country back. What it means to restore our rightful place in the world hinges on the aspect of uncertainty. We are charting new territory. When trying to pick the next candidates, at times it seems like a beauty contest. Other times it develops into the Friday Night Fights. On the side of the Democrats, especially, our eagerness to choose wisely and furtively has developed into a ugly free for all. When witnessing these things happen on the MSM as well as in discussion, it is sometimes disheartening.
Hell, let me say it. It makes me heartsick to see the in-fighting going on.
In the name of group dynamics, no one expects things to go swimmingly. It is especially here where the fork in the road is most forthcoming. The primary campaigns on both sides have demonstrated most indelibly how much more we have to go in order to accept diversity of people as well as opinions.
For Democrats especially, words have been exchanged that echo from the larger social debates that I have had with people outside my political group affiliation. Dissent, especially when it had to do with gender and race, is something that still is not tolerated unless it is accepted by one group of people who take entitlement as their mantle.
And when gazing down that road, people who don't tolerate dissent well seem to like things the way they are. It is a bitter and heart-wrenching realization. It makes you sick and tired of being sick and tired of belittlement, oppression and "playing nice" in order to be acceptable to others.
That is why, I am convinced that honesty and courage must be at the center of choosing which fork in the road to turn. It is most direly needed in order to shape our future in such chaotic times. At its centerpoint, we must think about those who need change the most in our society. Cynicism cannot be a part of it. But dissent can only lead to better discussions. That is what we, as a party, must strive for the most.
If cynicism and bitterness is allowed to grab ahold of us, then we're all lost on a road to nowhere.
--politicalceci