It's been a busy couple of days for the residents of our Nation's Capital. On Saturday, we welcomed hundreds of thousands of people to the National Mall, a historic public space, for the now infamous "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert (ehem, a fellow South Carolinian). Three days later, we watched our democracy prove its point once again, as the Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives.
With my travel and spiritual preoccupations of late, I have been little more than a distracted spectator amongst the hype and fever of this rally and election environment. If anything, I've been living proof that it's possible to reside in DC without being vitally entrenched in political discourse.
That said, now that the results are in, I have the distinct sensation of sleeping through an alarm clock, and the subsequent anxiety that I've missed an important meeting. It seems I hit the snooze button one too many times.
Then again, maybe I needed the sleep.
I did manage to make it to the Rally to Restore Sanity, thanks in large part to a generous friend who invited me to join her in the VIP section. (I quickly overcame the obvious irony of a VIP section at any event held on the National Mall; sorry!)
Standing 50 feet away from the stage, I reveled in the sheer wit of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Though comedic in nature, the commentary was thoughtful and compelling. Most of it, at least. Cat Stevens and Ozzy Osbourne may have had a thing to say about their respective trains ("peace" and "crazy"). Nonetheless, the comedian-turned-pundit-hosts used humor to address political tensions, shining a megawatt spotlight on troubling questions, such as the role of media in politics, the dual sides of money and power, and the blatant dismissal of bipartisan governance.
The Stewart/Colbert audience was a mix of skeptics, resigned souls, and those of us searching for some lightness in the madness of today's political environment.
Then came yesterday, when all jokes were set aside and Americans went to the polls. Watching the returns with friends, I wondered if ballots were cast based on genuine consideration of American challenges and existing leadership; or if the voting public has been entirely blinded by the emotional rhetoric that colors today's political landscape (on both sides, by the way). Part of me feels that our society has descended beyond the intellectual, honorable debate of politics, and that our collective opinion is lodged in shadowy rationale far from reality. If so, how do we emerge from this depth of discontent into a space of mutual appreciation and respect? Is productive debate even possible in today's politics?
Though there is now a balance between legislative chambers (of which I am theoretically a fan), it remains to be seen if the legislators themselves can reach such a balance. If the measure of a good politician is his or her ability to serve the greater good, I find it disheartening that so many leaders allow their ego to overtake their purpose. Where have all the statesmen (and women) gone?
With my travel and spiritual preoccupations of late, I have been little more than a distracted spectator amongst the hype and fever of this rally and election environment. If anything, I've been living proof that it's possible to reside in DC without being vitally entrenched in political discourse.
That said, now that the results are in, I have the distinct sensation of sleeping through an alarm clock, and the subsequent anxiety that I've missed an important meeting. It seems I hit the snooze button one too many times.
Then again, maybe I needed the sleep.
I did manage to make it to the Rally to Restore Sanity, thanks in large part to a generous friend who invited me to join her in the VIP section. (I quickly overcame the obvious irony of a VIP section at any event held on the National Mall; sorry!)
Standing 50 feet away from the stage, I reveled in the sheer wit of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Though comedic in nature, the commentary was thoughtful and compelling. Most of it, at least. Cat Stevens and Ozzy Osbourne may have had a thing to say about their respective trains ("peace" and "crazy"). Nonetheless, the comedian-turned-pundit-hosts used humor to address political tensions, shining a megawatt spotlight on troubling questions, such as the role of media in politics, the dual sides of money and power, and the blatant dismissal of bipartisan governance.
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| I'm way up in the front. |
The Stewart/Colbert audience was a mix of skeptics, resigned souls, and those of us searching for some lightness in the madness of today's political environment.
Then came yesterday, when all jokes were set aside and Americans went to the polls. Watching the returns with friends, I wondered if ballots were cast based on genuine consideration of American challenges and existing leadership; or if the voting public has been entirely blinded by the emotional rhetoric that colors today's political landscape (on both sides, by the way). Part of me feels that our society has descended beyond the intellectual, honorable debate of politics, and that our collective opinion is lodged in shadowy rationale far from reality. If so, how do we emerge from this depth of discontent into a space of mutual appreciation and respect? Is productive debate even possible in today's politics?
Though there is now a balance between legislative chambers (of which I am theoretically a fan), it remains to be seen if the legislators themselves can reach such a balance. If the measure of a good politician is his or her ability to serve the greater good, I find it disheartening that so many leaders allow their ego to overtake their purpose. Where have all the statesmen (and women) gone?
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