Just recently, I had the choice between spending the evening with my 4-year-old son, or going to the Mayor’s Dinner. And although my girlfriend said that she’d watch him, I chose family over Politics.
Last week, the California Republican Party had its bi-annual State Convention. I, as a voting member/delegate, I was expected to attend to vote on a new Chairman, as well as discuss many other very “pressing” issues and topics. Plus, some fancy potential Presidential candidates were to attend.
Because of the timing of it, I will have to choose between going to Sacramento or spending one evening with my daughters and another evening with my son.
I went to Sacramento.
These situations are common and 99% of the time, family wins, which, by the way, is 2% too many times for Politics, as far as I am concerned…
As a former City Council candidate, I’m asked all the time if I’ll run again. My answer is always the same; not until my kids don’t want to spend time with me. Which, after an informal poll with parents of teenagers, seem to happen around 16-17 years old. Sometimes younger.
By then, I’ll be around 53 years old, which is much younger than most of the Seven up there now anyways. Hopefully those wonderful Health Benefits will still be available to the Councilmembers.
But occasionally I wonder how life would be if I didn’t have Politics as a “disease.” One that typically doesn’t pay – which makes it even worse.
Anyways, my friend was having lunch with an extremely successful, extremely wealthy Mainland Chinese businessman when he asked him, “How is it to be such an extremely successful, extremely wealthy Capitalist in a Communist society?”
And this Chinese businessman look at my friend, straight faced, almost bewildered and responded, “What is Communism?”
What is Communism … For us Americans, with many of the freedoms that typical Chinese citizens do not enjoy, we know what Communism is. We feared it during the Cold War, celebrated its demise in the Soviet Union (thanks to President Reagan!), and now wonder how it exists in its current form.
But for this Chinese National, this Chinese businessman, the concept of Communism has been removed from his daily life.
Let me rephrase: the concept of Politics doesn’t play into daily life.
And upon hearing this retold to me, I felt an overwhelming, refreshing wind pass over me.
What if politics didn’t play a part in our lives?
Now of course, I fully understand that the reason that Politics doesn’t play into their daily lives is because of the suppressive, Human Rights-removing, dictatorship-style Government that exists in Communist China, where winning the Nobel Peace Prize doesn’t guarantee you freedom.
Government controls what you read, what you hear, and what you say. And if you rebel, you go to jail. Simple as that.
So generations of Chinese have now simply removed Politics from their lives and just tend to their business and their one child.
And the concept of Communism has seemingly left them.
How would your life be if politics were completely wiped out of your psyche? Pause.
How would my life be? Pause again.
I would be able to focus on my children more, be able to focus on my work more.
Life would be grand.
So what if I couldn’t criticize my Councilmembers, right? Itch, itch.
Family would come first. As it should. As it would.
And I wouldn’t be contemplating that “wonderful” trip up to Sacramento with, as my good friend described it, brown-nosing suits.
But fortunately for us, Speech is indeed free here, and Politics does steer our conversations, words, and thoughts. We can thank President Reagan for those Freedoms (sorry about that…couldn’t help it) by ending the Cold War.
I guess I’ll just wait a few more years before I can wholeheartedly dive back in.
