The Necessity of Politics
We are often left with a sour taste in our mouth when we hear the word, "politics." Why is this? Rob Bell breaks down for us how politics are not only essential, but they are good. They are necessary, and without politics we would be left in shambles of our own mess. The sour taste is a result of bad politics. It is no easy task to take on the role of politician, and when held responsible for so many working parts of a whole, there is a gaping margin for error that can often result in mistakes. To please everyone as a politician is impossible. There is and will continue to be groups that are not represented or do note receive the results they were expecting from the candidate.
Rob Bell gives us a good look into the realities of politics and how the basic infrastructure of the goals in design can provide us with the necessary mindset when we approach politics.
Bell began by explaining the three ingredients that result in a political figure. The first being power. A politician is a person in power and has the means to decide and negotiate their views to benefits the public. This leads to the second attribute; influence. As someone in power, your decisions have a lot of influence, and the result of this, is either benefiting someone, or limiting someone. This leads to the final ingredient that Bell addresses which is control. As a political figure you are allowed control over certain policies and systems, but any balanced system of government decides when individuals have the freedom to decide.
When considering politics, it is important to ask how it works, not necessarily what is working. When you understand better the how, you can decide better for yourself why you support different policies and figures. Additionally it is very nobel if you have the impulse to serve your community as a politician or policy maker. It is no easy task and takes genuine intelligence, tireless efforts, and an unquenched passion for the public to be an effective politician.
Bell also brought to light the necessity of tension in politics. There is, and always will have to be a healthy amount of tension in politics for promising results. Just like a marriage relationship, without each other to have accountability, or another perspective, it is easy to have self-glorified motives, or failures that could have been prevented with loyal opposition.
This is why in our American system of government, it is so important that we have a bipartisan. Though it seems like a constant battle between the two, is should be seen as a shared compromise. Each ideology and background of the participating politicians can help to refine and really investigate a policy that could otherwise be overlooked. Without the other, we risk the outcome of Fascism of corruption. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and whether you lean to the left or the right, both sides are necessary to determine the best policies for the general public.
So, love politics. Or at lease understand that without it, the very systems which allow you to attend school, drive to work, purchase groceries, or drive over freshly filled potholes would not exist. It's not perfect, but it's far better than life without it.