Politics: The True-Life Truman Show
It occurred to me this morning that being an elected person is like being Truman on The Truman Show. However, you are not born into it, so you have a choice to make. You can get sucked in and think that the political show is reality, or you can keep your eye on that stage door and never lose sight of the line that divides politics from humanity. In all honesty, it’s really, really difficult to remember what is true reality when you’re immersed in an institutionalized form of it.
The concept applies to so much more than politics, so we all face this authenticity challenge in some way. Businesses, schools, churches, sports teams, social media, you name it. Different facets of our lives are constantly competing for our attention and our dedication. Are you able to maintain perspective and be the same person with the same values regardless of what group you are a part of? Or does your moral compass deviate depending on the situation?
The world needs honesty and originality and consistency. We have been conditioned to believe that there are different sets of truths and principles depending on where we are and what we’re doing. How many times have you heard someone attempt to justify screwing someone over by saying “That’s just business” or “That’s how it is in politics”? Those aren’t statements of fact, but rather they are evidence of someone trying to legitimize their own bad behavior. It’s a trick, and we need to stop falling for it.
The reality is that there doesn’t need to be theatrics in anything but theater. Virtual and augmented realities can be extremely beneficial, but it is essential to maintain the awareness that they are virtual or augmented. Can you imagine if we had a government full of principled people taking their turn at making difficult decisions instead of politicians trying to upset the least amount of people so they can get re-elected to keep doing a job they’re not very good at?
Some of the best humans I know who have taken their political turn are the ones who ended up not being re-elected. Some voters decided that one vote or even one sentence of disagreement was worth ending their support. For some reason, voters are often harder on honest, competent candidates than they are on candidates who lie to them over and over. During campaigns, many voters base their vote solely on a candidate’s political affiliation or their stance on one issue. Picking the person who tells you exactly what you want to hear or avoids giving an opinion is probably the worst possible way to choose your representation.
When the time comes, people who tell you what you want to hear aren’t the people who will have the integrity and courage to stand up for what is right and in the best interests of the community or country. They are the people who will be sucked into the drama and nonsense of the political arena. The best candidates are those who will base their decisions on data, compassion, and real-world needs, not on what will make them the most popular within a political reality show that isn’t really reality at all.
