Politics?!

I am not sure about other people who are blogging, but when I started blogging I made a mental memo to myself to refrain from writing about politics. Sadly, I found myself writing about because of frustration with the system and my distrust of the different players. This skepticism found its expression in the political ramblings I wrote. Like most people we have had the experience of being bombarded by rhetoric from both sides of the political fence. From the taxi or fx driver and their ubiquitous sidekicks, radio commentators; news channels and newspapers that depart from reporting and proceed to sensationalizing and editorializing the news; to the commentators who seem to believe they have the answers to all questions; from relatives who mouth the rhetoric they read and hear; and from the politicians and religious leaders who day to day seem to be no different from the other - both spinning stories, taking advantage of events for their unaltruistic agendas or worse believe in their own messianic hype. But then are we not political animals? Is not relationships in the most basest and vulgar form politics? Is politics bad? Should we refrain from engaging? I think we cannot escape it. It is inevitable. Politics define us. Perhaps human relationship in its simplest form is politics. Overall, Politics is a double edge sword that can be used for good or bad. And we cannot refrain from engaging in it we are in the thick of it, whatever we do. This morning as I left the house I was able to catch a glimpse of an old Spencer Tracy movie. Tracy played an old Mayor, conceptualised straight from Tammany Hall, who is up against a coalition of political opponents no better than himself. In one scene a bishop told his assistant after watching the tv ad of Tracy's rival, "Is that the best they can offer? Where are all the good men?" "Not in politics, there are other ways of getting out of the gutter nowadays" In another scene Tracy's opponents led by Basil Rathbone was trying to woo another Archbishop to their cause. The Archibishop told them frankly what he thought of their candidate,which was not much. Rathbone countered with the lesser of two evil argument; to which the Archbishop replied."I know your game and I have decided not to play." Even though we are in the thick of it, we can choose how, when and the manner by which to engage it. And if politics is the simplest base of relationship; as such it is not the only the base of life and relationsips; there is love and its different forms - philia, eros and agape; politics is important true but it is not eveything. So I think I will continue to write about politics whenever there is a need. For politics is something one cannot avoid. I am a political animal. But I also recognised I am much more. Politics is interesting but its not the only thing of interest in the world. If one evolves from politics one will discover other things more illuminating and satisfying. I must apologize in advance if my views will be different and counter to what the reader may be used to. In the end its just an opinion for the moment and given the set of prevailing circumstances. ---------------------------------------------- Additional Posts for today Filipino Heritage Books Shows on local television