Politics and Writing

 

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.