August Blog 25
Has the
political fracturing of the United States affected my writing and what I choose
to read? How could it not as it pounds away at my thinking like the mountainous
waves at Nazare explode against the beach? To explore this question, perhaps it
would be best to start with how I try to approach and respond to politics.
Politically, I
tend not to publicize my views, though admittedly, they leak through in
discussions. I prefer people to have a sense of where I stand on an issue in a
normal course of events rather than arguing opinions or attempting to conceal
them
In general, I
tend to tilt Liberal on social policy issues and vote Democratic. It relates to
the core of my bare-bones political philosophy: If I’m going to err in support
of a policy, I’d rather err on the side of trying to do too much than not
enough. I have felt this way since childhood and have never wavered in that
belief. It has to do with an abiding concern for the less fortunate. That and I
always want to be thinking beyond myself. In its significance in my life, it
bears moral and spiritual heft.
That said, to
keep my mind wedged open, I regularly follow what I perceive to be moderate
Conservative writers, e.g. David Brooks, Michael Gerson, David Frum. I view
their work as an invitation to challenge and broaden my thinking. Conversely, I
try to avoid extremists of any kind,
not just of either side. Extremists stir emotion, but in the end, they do not
help in my unending quest to learn. To do that, I need a thinker / writer who
appeals to and respects my intellect.
Beyond the
news, I increasingly avoid political tracts. I don’t have the stomach or the
time (never did) for diatribes that play loosely with the truth in order to
amass points, readers or viewers. In that sense alone, I believe the breadth of
my reading has narrowed. But within it, I still try to keep my eyes open, my
mind alert, my heart in a good place. If I fail to maintain the battle to
recognize subterfuge, I could end up led. My experience as a reader and a
thinker insists I remain a student of truth, hopefully until I draw my last
breath.
As for my
fiction, I have tried to keep politics out of it. Have I succeeded or have my
biases seeped through? Though I’d like to believe in the former, I’d bet on the
latter. More on this next time.
