When Policy Bites Like A Tick: Politics 101

The Economist.

A word mentioned on the magazine cover: liberalism.

Words can change meaning over time.

As with any 'ism', some parts of any given ideology may sound reasonable, while other aspects may not.

Maybe some people believe in, or love, every single dogma any given 'ism' expounds... but not me.

Changed meanings of words is dependent on human understanding.

A word's original meaning doesn't change, but how it is used or inferred to others does change.

This is how original meanings can be obscured or even lost.

People change words.

Words change people.

People give new meanings to older and current words.

Some changes may be argued as 'good' or 'better', but I'm not sure if that is always the case.

When reading liberalism's entry, notice the etymology section and how its meaning has varied according to use, place, and time.

As with any word, newer ideas are attached to older definitions.. and change is inevitable.

Languages are always in flux and swaying, either growing or dying.

Thus a word's meaning can be altered over time, or come to mean a very different thing in another generation.

This is one reason language can be confusing... and people easily confused.

The swastika symbol, for example, meant 'divinity' and 'spirituality' for many centuries to people in a certain part of the world.

According to how it was used early in the 20th century by a particular group of people, that symbol came to mean a very different thing.

It is now popularly known throughout the world as a symbol evoking hate, oppression, madness, racism, etc..

Not sure if that symbol will ever be viewed the same... or if it can be ransomed back from that negative connotation. 

This is what politics does to words, symbols, ideas... and to every one of us.

Politics can turn a simple word into blasphemy (or the opposite - something holy).

Politics can turn a simple person into a villain (or the opposite - a hero).

A public servant that lives out their personal convictions is very different from a savvy politician who changes their tune according to the winds of change.

A career politician who has vowed to do what is right so long as they understand what is right is very different from a career politician who does the bidding of whomever pays them a better campaign contribution.

Some politicians are very sincere... and are sincerely delusional, confused, and besides truth.

A good shepherd is not like a hired hand, nor is a bad manager like a good manager.

The changing of ideas happens all the time... words and ideas changing people's minds and hearts.

Politics is full of such alterations and hijackings... and see how they tempt us to hate strangers.

Notice the definition of liberalism includes conservative themes besides what can be labeled 'liberal' in contemporary thought.

Even the terms 'liberal' and 'conservative' are today used like expletives (foul or bad words) when expressed in an attacking or vilifying manner.

Are you sure what is right or wrong when looking through politics and the rules made by men?

I see denial, duplicity, and doubt all the time when looking at / listening to politics.

Am I confused by politics?

Or is politics purposely trying to confuse me?

Is it that I'm not smart enough to 'understand' any given issue, or what is going on, or who is 'right'?

Or is politics and politicians confused themselves because they believe the rhetoric? 

Is it that they fail to identify fallacy in their words and ideas?

Or do they truly not care how foolish some of their ideas are?

I'm sure the answer is not solely a 'this or that' answer, but a third or fourth option not too clear.

Perhaps the answer is simple.

Maybe the answer is that politics is a tool to obfuscate, distract, confuse, and lie.

A way to use language in such a way that it leaves people's heads spinning.

When reading the following verses, be sure to attribute them also to your favorite political personality.

Initially they may reflect a politician you may not like, but surely they also speak to your favorites... no matter how they are portrayed in the public eye:

A good name is more desirable than great riches; 

to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. 

Rich and poor have this in common: 

The Lord is the Maker of them all. 

The prudent see danger and take refuge, 

but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. 

- Proverbs 22: 1-3

Some politicians are believed to have a 'good name' because they've been publicly promoted as such, but when all is revealed, a surprising reality may be seen.

To be esteemed not due to riches, but due to one's dignity, honor, honesty, and righteousness.

The gold that is measured in the heart is weightier and more valuable than material wealth.

Try convincing politician and political follower who do not understand or deny the Word's wisdom.

The issue is not being rich or poor, but the condition of one's heart.

To be a simpleton and believe every single story in the news, from people who say one thing but live a very different life, is to eventually pay a penalty.

To take refuge among the learned, the wise, those wealthy with wisdom's gold, is prudence.

When you have time, you're going to want to view this documentary.

It is raw footage showing the transparent government that has been promised, but so elusive.

Although it is an older production (late 1980's into the 1990's), it still represents today's reality, and quite profoundly.

The word transparency has been popularly used in political rhetoric, but politics rarely allows the light show what is behind the front.

The people demand saints to rule over them, but vilify the actual saints living among them in order to honor idols of mob mentality.

The people demand the truth to be spoken, but when truth is mentioned it is often perceived as lies... because lies have been peddled as truth for far too long.

During and after viewing that documentary, you are likely to better understand how beguiling politics can be... and how all are actors, politician and news reporter alike.

The importance of the internet today is recognizable.

Sadly, there is more noise online than on the nightly news.

Television news is orderly, but biased and a refined product packaged ever pristinely.

Internet news content varies.

Some of it is incoherent, obscenely biased.

Other parts show a sober clarity that strikes a chord in your heart.

To be able to decipher editorials (opinions) from fact-based neutral news writing is very important... a skill to work on.

The internet has more information to sift through in the hope of identify something 'true' or 'factual'.

Sometimes we may attach ourselves to a particular writer or group, but can we identify the biased notions that attracted our attention in the first place?

Can we see where objectivity lacks when our strings are being pulled (purposely or in ignorance)?

After viewing that documentary, you may be a bit upset to find the political party you thought was 'yours' is not.

Politician and journalist working together, to accommodate the mob's ignorance and capitalize on the mob's short attention span.

You may realize that any particular issue, so long as it gets traction and attention, is easily adopted with less regard to moral or ethical problems.

Political themes are 'with you' so long as the effort is convenient, or until a more pertinent issue takes attention away from your issues.

You may be quite perturbed that you were led to believe in one thing while another thing was happening. 

Let us not blame others outright for the moment, although there are some people who purposely lie and will surely be held accountable for their purposed lies.

Everyone is found to be a 'liar' at some time in their lives because they often believe and repeat lies that they thought, out of ignorance, were truths.

When people simply repeat information they've heard, they may be ignorantly repeating lies and know it not.

Parrots we've been encouraged to be.

Some politician are parrots, as are some preachers and teachers merely parrots.

Innocently ignorant many of these are... and we likely have also been when believing nonsense promoted as news.

The helpless and harassed many of these are found to be.

One day during my 20's I desired to find out what 'party' I was a part of.

I wondered about this after a friend categorized me a particular political label.

He filed my entire being into a drawer filled with more than a dozen other political labels.

I forgot what exact term he used, but it was somewhere along that imaginary political spectrum we think we reside on.

It wasn't so much 'left' or 'right'.

Likely somewhere on the right after what was left fell off the table.

Or was it somewhere in left field after everything right was ignored?

Not sure, but there seems to always be a new flavor conjured up in a man's mind.

When I pursued the exercise to properly label myself, I realized I was a 'liberal' regarding certain issues... and a 'conservative' regarding other issues.

Paradox?

How can I hold both liberal and conservative values or ideas?

Surprisingly, this is only the tip of the problem when it comes to labels.

When one man desires to categorize another man, fallacy is right there in his judgment and words.

Ideas change, and so do people.

Certain things are fixed no matter what a man dislikes.

Although word meanings change, the words do not... nor their original meanings.

There are constants no matter a man's effort to alter his reality... whether lying to himself or to others.

God's Law is fixed (in a good way), and there is an eternal freedom therein (through love).

When men may dislike God's Law (or misunderstand it), they likely have sin in the way.

They may perceive God's Law as restrictive, when the fact of their impediment is their sin.

Much how a current civilization is built upon the previous, in the same way does sin pile up.

In contrast, a righteous life lived by one generation can be built upon by the righteous life of their descendants.

This can be evidenced when looking at familial, religious, or cultural forefathers.

Love is the remedy when Love is recognized as the Law.

All things outside of Love can easily be shown to be lies, or very close to lies.

Grace covers the lies that are done out of ignorance.

But lies purposed... such a sin of commission is the very foundation of evil.

Please view the documentary. (same link as above)

Without the sobering lesson in that documentary, politics may persistently be unclear for the lying tool it is often used as.

Policy is to be the instrument of justice.

Only when the just rule is justice meted out.

Although voters believe they are choosing someone just, and their choices being done in good faith, be not surprised when results are less than stellar.

Although some politicians keenly use words in an attempt to put meaning to the world, or their work, let yourselves not be divided by their confusion.

If you see the poor oppressed in a district, 

and justice and rights denied, 

do not be surprised at such things; 

for one official is eyed by a higher one, 

and over them both are others higher still. 

The increase from the land is taken by all; 

the king himself profits from the fields. 

- Ecclesiastes 5: 8-9

Continued in Politics 201.