Politics is dirty. Politics is filthy. Yes. Politics is ruthless and not for the faint hearted. It is a game that drains your heart of any grace and soul. It fills it instead with rage and unspeakable maladies. That is precisely the point. Calm and congenial fellows hardly vote – the angry and passionate do!
People often wonder why anybody in their right mind ever wants to be in politics in the first place? I sometimes wonder about that too. In reality, dirty as it main seem, much good in history has been accomplished through politics. Think of the end of slavery in Europe and the America’s. The workers rights and compensation in major world economies. The civil liberties or civil rights and the franchise it is in developed democracies across the globe. This is perhaps why despite the inherent slime, I still find it fascinating to watch endless loop of political shows – my wife can’t stand it!
Politicians may be badly spoken of on daily basis in media but they have a resilience that is fun to watch. Their polling numbers as a group is devastatingly bad – could be heart crushing in any other career if polls were similarly used as a metric of performance but that is not reason enough to diminish their individual ego or sense of self-belief.
They enjoy listening to their own voice. Their own reasoning. Their own facts. Their own crowds and adulation. Everyone else in the country could see them differently – but does it matter? If a regular Joe or Sally down the street had such enormous belief in what they can do; you can only imagine the impact it would have on their career or their community!
No matter how sticky a situation a politician may find themselves, they always have some explanation that rationalizes it. You may disagree with it but the net result is more often than not they get re-elected despite your disapproval. It must somehow work for them. So why am I addicted to this game of egos? Because there are lessons that we all can learn from the game that is politics:
- Do not be distracted from your goal. No matter the circumstance, speak affirmatively to yourself or to any that cares to hear. Then repeat it – again. Then, repeat it!
- Belief in your vision. Belief you can achieve it. Belief nothing could stop you from achieving it. Nothing excites a politician than a formidable opponent. We too should see opposition as a catalyst that refines our belief not a terminal condition to our goal.
- Rally others to your vision or goal. Our forward propulsions is directly dependent on the fuel others provide. Politicians know it and that is they should never have your phone or email; they won’t leave you alone thereafter!
These three elements are the reasons why you have year after year re-elected your congress or senate leaders to a body you so hate. You may dislike them as a group but you end up liking the one you elect. Since they benefit by exercising these attributes from you – their employer; I think you should benefit from your own employer too if you act them out.
