1
In the USA and now in Brazil, we see powerful nations viscerally divided between elected officials. Objectively, neither is perfect. Subjectively, the opposing side is so bad it *must* be avoided. Sadly, the side which is the most outspokenly hateful and disregarding of universal human rights is in the lead.
2
As night falls upon us – after the long hot day of booming industry and capitalizing on nature with poor/no account of externalities – societies grow more short-sighted at a time when keen, long-term vision is needed most. How do we navigate the night; how do we avoid short-sighted mistakes? We’re torn in two over which evil is greater, which matters vs. which is superficial, or which is even real; how do we become whole, or at least in coherent communication with each perspective?
3
Perhaps we can all agree on impending mutually assured destruction and come up with common grounds for simple survival. Maybe we can rekindle the inspiration and infrastructure (*ahem, not 2 party systems*) of a healthy democratic republic, for liberty and justice for all. It could be that like driving cars, we will soon say “it is insane for a human to be in charge of that and we can’t allow it, because so much less goes wrong on average when a computer makes the decisions or at least heavily influences the decisions.” On the other hand, seeing how detrimental the internet is in the lives of some people by choice (e.g. Facebook), and how scary it is in the lives of some people by force (e.g. Jingwang spyware, 1984), it is hard to vote for computers, but it may become the fundamentally *logical* choice. (Of course, it is not so simple, and in the chaos of complexity emerges art. Much could be said about logic & art, but I’ll leave that with a recommendation of martial arts.)
4
With all that said, hopefully we can agree at least that extremist fundamentalism is bad and life is not all about logic. For that matter, which matters more in how you can get along with someone, I mean really live well with someone’s company: their political views, or how entrenched and extreme they feel about whatever their views are?
5
Between Life and Death there is a narrow but everlasting thing: Flux. As a forest succeeds through succession, fruitful when facilitated with careful habits/rituals, may one change for the better. Stay in motion. Keep close and serve that which serves oneself.
6