Going through more random texts I’ve written I
found another one I quite like so here goes. :)
“Just random thinking lately has made me wonder
about what it takes to be a politician these days. In a world where truth isn’t
based on simple facts, but depends as much on the one telling it as on the one
listening to/reading it. And the more it is told, the more it changes.
I guess I picture the world as a fragile balance
formed out of tons of small groups. Different kinds of groups. One person can
actually be a part of more than one, but we all play an important role in the
balance (or lack of it).
I was going to get into how necessary all those
groups are, no matter if we consider them right or wrong, but I would end up
leading this text somewhere else than what I intended. The bottom line of that
part is to say that our naïve idealists are as relevant as our greedy
capitalists (for example) in order to have a healthy society and that having
groups growing too much might jeopardize this.
Back on track, I’ve been thinking about whether I
could have ever been a politician or not. Just as a personal curiosity though.
I’ve wondered where one should draw the line in order to stay focused. What is
acceptable and what is not. I’m well aware that being a politician is quite
more than just fighting for something, as it is never that simple. You have to
make deals in what you think is the best interest of the people, often
sacrificing a part of your goals in order to get others. And on top of that you
have to make sure the public impression of what you do is right in order to
stay in the game.
It is too easy to lose focus on your final goal
along the way. For every step you take there are several options and each one
pulls you in totally different directions.
I guess the natural evolution is to start out as
an idealist with words like truth, honesty, democracy, etc… on your mind, and
move forward from there. The more involved in politics you get the more you
realize those words aren’t as simple as the dictionary would want you to think.
What good does honesty bring you if it causes deaths or panic? What good is the
truth when it gets manipulated at every step and the very idea of it going
public will only cause more damage than good? How real is democracy when the
opinion of the voters are played with and at the end of the day, they don’t
really decide much anyway because the politicians don’t truly represent them?
I’ve concluded I don’t want to get into politics,
even if I could (which is obviously not the case). Not because I don’t have
what I think it requires, but because I don’t want to know what it would do to
me as a person. I honestly wouldn’t like to face the kind of situations where
the majority of choices presented aren’t right or wrong. They will probably be
bad or worse. And then live with that. Reality shows us that in order to get
things done, difficult decisions have to be made, and at the same time you have
to be able to present yourself as a reliable honest and strong person towards
the public opinion.
Taking that kind of decisions, regretting them or
not and still be able to chase the goal you had from the start… Stay focused
without letting someone else step on you, making the right deals without losing
integrity… it’s a complicated game and 99% of the ones playing get lost along
the path they have made themselves.
Sure the intentions in the very beginning were
probably great. They were probably what got you where you’re at, but they
normally don’t stay with you once you realize how ugly the truth can be.
I guess a politician should always start out as someone with strong
ideals or ambitions. I don’t have either of those qualities. I guess I consider
myself somewhat neutral and the only situation I can picture myself as part of
history would be in a case of necessity. And how likely is that? (Luckily for
me. :P