Wake Up and Smell the Illusion

Waking up is a sometimes unpleasant experience as our internal clock, or whatever it is, signals to our bodies that it is time to arise. Oftentimes, amidst a particularly vivid dream, a ‘trigger’ jolts the mind awake, leaving the brain suspended in the shadow of a nightmare that clouds the reality surrounding us.  This semiconscious state can last between a few seconds to some ten minutes, leading us to question the very reality upon which we base our entire existence.

The real threat of course, is the illusion itself. If we cannot pry ourselves out of that alternate world, we stand the chance of succumbing to it perpetually, gradually growing more and more distant from the truth and replacing the real with the fantasy, no matter how dystopian.

I believe politics in general is approaching that state. It threatens the democracy we hold dear, and even the values enshrined in our own constitution. Disturbing as this truth may be, I am able to reach out to hope, however fickle, that we possess the tools to combat it.

The times in which we find ourselves can be equally disorienting when compared to the dream’s aftereffects. Navigating these treacherous waters is distressing and chaotic to say the least and can lead to bouts of anger and depression.

Over the next several weeks, I plan to share a series of thoughts regarding common words and phrases that have become embedded in the national dialogue as political triggers.

Politics has a bad name. It causes our muscles to seize and our hearts to focus on simple, caustic emotions. Today, we are divided into camps. According to one “side,” if your ideas don’t conform to their version of reality, you are a ‘socialist’ or ‘communist.’ The other camp insists that if you adhere to the other, you are a ‘fascist,’ or ‘traitor,’ or ‘racist.’ Both parties constantly accuse the other of trying to “destroy America.”

If indeed our nation faces the threat of destruction, it is not a political party or even a single politician working to carry out that carnage. The real peril is this tribal delusion that has slithered between us, this hyper-partisan game or rhetoric that has radicalized us, turned our hearts to pits of callous rage, and crushed the soul of our union.

If we are to hold to what really unites us, we must focus plainly on it and tune out the noise from both “sides.” America is stronger when we stand together. The diverse marketplace of ideas, one of the virtues of democracy, cannot function when we shut out all opposing ideas and resort to calling names at anyone that does not subscribe to the party to which we are devoted.

Today’s phrase is “wake up.” If you peruse internet message boards and social media comment sections, you are likely to see this phrase scattered everywhere. One ‘combatant’ hurls it, not as an exhortation to cast aside the illusion, but to command you, the reader, to give into whatever idea he or she is trying to force. Sometimes brandished as “trust me,” “believe me,” or “mark my words,” this phrase is a corrosive demand to conform or “agree with me” and it never works.

We do not have to agree to share ideas on how to solve the myriad problems that face our nation in this century. There can be many roads to the ideal destination. Some paths may be safter, while some may be more direct, even as others promise to be more efficient. Choosing the route together is an inherent aspect of democracy.

Some play to the notion that America is “not a democracy, but a constitutional republic.” To put it more accurately, we are a constitutional republic that uses a representative democracy to govern. Without democracy, there would be no free exchange of ideas, no common goal, no political parties, and ironically, no constitution.

Creating a third or fourth party can seem like the next logical step, but tribalism would still be a major problem, and we would likely end up with leaders who won a mere quarter of the vote, and no one would be happy.

Instead, my ideal solution is to do away with parties and the financial apparatus that sustains them entirely. The sooner we can rid ourselves of the rhetoric that divides and holds us back, the sooner our government can function the way our founding fathers envisioned.

This holiday season, let us share the gift of unity and understanding. As Maya Angelou famously penned, “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” As Americans, it is our duty to tune out the disparity between illusion and reality, to tether ourselves to the unvarnished truth, and to defeat rhetoric once and for all.

This has been a challenging year, but I’m still here, and hopefully, so are you. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to all.