By Jim Heffernan
Years ago, I read a sci-fi/fantasy book that talked a lot about “out of body” experiences. I do not remember much about the book, but I do remember the “out of body” concept.
I’ve been having my own “out of body” experiences lately. I wish it involved travelling it exotic places like the book talked about, but they don’t.
What I get is the vision of an old man speaking a few feet from me. He is saying things that surprise me, but he sure looks like me. So far, he hasn’t said anything I disagree with, but I worry a little it might happen.
My last “out of body” experience involved me pitching my candidacy for two local boards at a county Republican meeting. Words I’ve written, but did not plan to say flowed from my mouth. This is what I heard, “I’m very disappointed in my beloved “Party of FDR”, I feel they’ve lost their thread. I’m more disappointed in the “Party of Lincoln”. I feel they’ve disintegrated into the “Party of Trump.”
It was not what I intended to say, but I think the words ring true.
In 1956, President Eisenhower said in a speech to a group of women voters, “If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.”
I’m afraid we’ve gotten to that point with both political parties. Concepts from the book “The Politics Industry” resonate with what passes for politics these days. We are trapped in a contest between two sides of a “duopoly” of power. Both sides operate for their benefit and not ours.
Ignoring the whole sordid mess is a great temptation.
I may be a starry-eyed optimist, but I believe better days are ahead. Nothing easy. Nothing immediate. But I believe there is a revolution on the far-off horizon that can save us.
It’s not going to come from a leader we haven’t heard of yet. It needs to come from us. We need to stop wasting our attention on the frivolity of social media and smart phones. We need to devote our attention to the huge problems we face. We need to distinguish what is true and what is the product of an algorithm calculated to capture our attention.
We, each and every one of us, need to become good citizens. We need to vote in every election and vote for a good reason, not just because we like the hat.
