Mariner has lamented from time to time that his fellow electors never see politicians running for office the same as he does. For many (but not enough to win an election) who are disgruntled by all the candidates, there is little to celebrate as elections roll by year after year after decade after decade. JFK and LBJ was the last successful vote cast by the mariner and Lyndon chose not to run for a full term. Undercard elections are worse.
Constantly rejected in this manner, mariner is ever hopeful but more skeptical that ethical culture one day will emerge in his nation. Guru, mariner’s alter ego that looks far into the future, considers his vision a pastime; masses of voters will see to it that it is never achieved. Just call mariner a dreamer.
Mariner’s downfall is not the wrong ideology; it is not racial, sexist or subject to class accouterments. If all the sources he checked since the 2016 election are correct, (in his heart mariner knew it all along) he knows voters vote for themselves or at least the most like themselves in the election. Fareed Zakaria brought this home painfully in his show today: No one, no one votes for policy. No one votes for new plateaus or spiritual caring or conscientiousness. Voters vote for candidates who make them feel most comfortable about themselves – after all, this isn’t the time to go messing with one’s gestalt!
Quite seriously, in 2016 the entire world is in disarray: global understanding of economy is becoming unraveled; industrially based cultures are at the end of machinations to hold on to the way we get jobs, solve serious problems (as examples Brexit, Donald, and the playboys in France and Italy). Beyond the western world, Africa holds onto the word ‘civilization’ by a thread; China has internal conflict and an unbalanced national sense of self (they still debate birth policy and have begun imposing on all the small nations across Indonesia, the China Sea, and even moving toward India. Only India is large like China – both are sumo wrestling metaphors much larger than the US. India has a region in the northeastern part that has no government. If India had cowboys, NE India could be the US wild, wild, west all over again.
Wherever one looks, there is weakening economics, disappearing environment, tumbling governments, and collapsing cultural morality. Like the global warming issue, if one believes these silly rumors, one will not make as much profit if one must face the inconvenience and cost involved. This point is made in the household as well as the boardroom. Observing coal workers will tell us we have only to lose if we vote to feel good and think not at all.
Freedom is all we have in this unique nation of the United States. The electors don’t even know what it looks like.
Ancient Mariner
Mariner did not rejoice in the election of Jimmy Carter? And Barack Obama?
Mariner has held his nose on more occasions than not and voted for the democrat. For example, Hillary (and Jimmy). What needs to be accomplished for our culture to improve will not be accomplished by that particular person. What constitutes a successful vote is electing a candidate mariner wants to be elected.
True LBJ couldn’t handle the Viet Nam war and did not run again but consider only one of several culture-changing accomplishments: the Civil Rights Act.
We have lost our way as Americans. Thinking only of ourselves. Forgetting where we come from and principles our country was founded upon. Ever since I read my fathers response to a post a while back, regarding the “generation the grew up on video games” and how ridiculous I thought that observation was… I have been pondering where we are failing in society that people no longer have a sense of what it really means to be an American, to be Free and Equal. I don’t believe most Americans of my generation and perhaps the younger coming up have much respect for the history of our nation. My oldest daughter is a freshman in high school. She covered American History and American Government… in half a year, Two quarters to fill the history of the United States? Amazing. When I think back, I don’t believe my schooling on the subjects was longer than the length of my sophomore year.
We are failing to teach our youth where they come from and why our country had to be formed in the first place. It should be taught through every grade of the public education system. The rich and wealthy families controlling the European Monarchies of the 16-1700’s are no different that the billionaire class now controlling our government. Many are blind to this fact and believe the people who claim it are just whining poor people. The 1% are winning in strides.
And for this, “generation the grew up on video games”…
I’ll offer this…
How is the instant gratification of video games today, when one dies and instantly starts over; any different than Cowboys and Indians of the past? When Cowboy Marc killed poor little Indian Paul, did he not proclaim to have new life and start over?
I share your concerns, Fred. I mention in the post today that the nation’s citizens relate through confrontation and repulsion. In the next generation we are facing a wall to climb as a society. It is a wall most of us must climb to find a job; it is a wall more of us than will admit must climb to know happiness; it is a wall all humans must climb to know a civil global future.
In the mariner’s lifetime, there have been a few glimpses where the state of history provided a chance to step away from war as a means of negotiation but it would require six billion people to be compassionate to those in situations which cause war because of extreme unfairness and depravation.
The wise have no choice but to press on.
Ancient Mariner