Politics .. Are They? Or Aren't They?

Politics are everywhere ... even if you don't think they're involved,  rest assured,  in some form they are.  From managing how we respond to the mundane daily nonsense with the hierarchy of the office, to schools, to church groups, even to some conversations with friends, politics in some form come into play.  Think about it.  When is the last time any of us stopped short of saying what we originally wanted to say because we were in the middle of the office cubicles where the boss / a manager / HR / the gossipy co-worker might overhear?  Or because we were in that same situation at a party or in a restaurant or at a group gathering where the gossipy acquaintance or the wrong set of ears might hear it, misunderstand, and tell a dear friend and twist the meaning?  What about when we get news or information from a friend that, in their defense, is only attempting to be a good friend by giving us said information, but we knee jerk react with our response and afterwards wish we'd been more "politically correct" and thought through to "edit" our response?  What about the times we overhear a bit of information out of context and make a snide remark to ourselves without regard for who's in hearing distance, or, repeat what we heard while drawing our own conclusions?  In most areas, we edit those responses, those thoughts, those words emitting from our beings in an effort to fit in, or to avoid angering or offending those in our midst, or, wish we could take back or alter how or what we said at the time.  In the latter, hindsight becomes 20/20.

Ergo, politics are everywhere.  From the basic nepotism that gets someone a job because they "know" the right people to get them in the door for the coveted interview, to the aforementioned examples.  None of us appreciate it, many of us downright dislike it, the majority of us participate in it.  Most of the examples would make a superb sequel to the book Everything I Need To Know, I Learned In Kindergarten, entitiled Everything I Need To Know, I Learned In High School. 

Personally, it makes me wonder why we're surprised that Congress can't get anything completely accomplished without a bunch of subterfuge!  Seriously, we've got a bunch of people in office that have made what's supposed to be a position that's representative of their area neighbors' wants and needs, a position that's reprsentative of the highest bidder in their area.  You combine that with any President, who, we would hope goes into vying for the job with the nation's best interests at heart, but inevitably ends up playing The Political Game with everybody and their brother just to get a 24 pack of toilet paper onto the operating budget .... well, you get the picture.

That's not saying that many people from every walk of life don't actively attempt to greet every day with a positive output.  There are those who strive to make the world around them a better place on a daily basis.  To treat others how they would wish to be treated themselves.  Even these enlightened individuals engage in some form of politics on some level at some point.

What if the world were without all the politics?  What if, every single waking moment of every single day was without judgement, without subterfuge, without an ultimate agenda?  What if everytime everyone opened their mouths it was completely and totally honest without regard for repercussions?  That'd be a heck of a different world ....

Hmmmmmm .............

Yeah, right.  Like that's gonna happen!  Human nature is, by nature, human nature after all, and a Pollyanna view of society only gets you hurt in the end unless the person you're dealing with is the Dahli Lama or Mother Teresa.  Even Elle Woods had an agenda at heart.  I guess the question then becomes, "Do the ENDS justify the MEANS"?  Things to think about ... in every situation.

~The Girl In The Little Black Dress