THE EVERYDAY (every month)
When I was young, I thought the Personal and the Political were separate. The Personal was Everyday, and the Political was the Grand Arena. Mostly, I thought you left the Political to those who liked and knew it best. Except in extreme circumstances, like the illegal bombing of the Viet Nam war, or the shooting of our own citizens at Kent State — then you came out of your Personal life to be Political, because somebody had to do it. And then you went back to the Everyday.
I was wrong about that. What I should have been asking myself was, “Who exactly benefits from my living my life like that? Is it the community? My friends, my family, the people around me? Or is it, maybe, the people who’re making a lot of money and doing a lot of boneheaded things in my name?”
If I’d asked myself that question, I would have had to admit it was a no-brainer.
I looked up the word “politics” this morning. “Politics” means “pertaining to citizens.” As I’m a citizen, I’m political — or I should be. Just like everything else, it’s use it or lose it. And there’s too much going on, in my own country and in the world, for me to risk losing it: that risks, these days, losing it big time.
And of course I can help lose the world, too. Just by not participating in my part of it. Whether that participation is teaching children about it, or organizing an action group, or thinking with more clarity about what our world is and what I want it to be…and then trying my best to join with others and push it in that direction…participation is needed. And connection between the participants. That connection, and a constant flow of communication between me and other citizens — a connection that is uncorrupted by special interests mainly interested in making a profit out of us– is needed.
So I found, as I got older, what other, wiser people than me knew before: the Political is Personal. And the Personal is Political. Then there are others (no doubt they think they’re wiser, too) who feel they need to keep that a secret. But it really shouldn’t be a secret any longer.
One of the ways to keep it a secret — that we are all Citizens, and that we are all in this together — is to split off the Everyday from the Grand, and make it look like the two things are separate. But when you look at it really, it’s obvious the two are married. If the Everyday didn’t have the Grand, it would have no goal, and nothing to aspire to in the future. But if the Grand didn’t have the Everyday, it would, unanchored by Common Sense and Daily Joy, just fly off into the stratosphere, a farting, collapsing balloon.
And then it would plummet back to Earth. Kaboom.