On some days, I write a single phrase on a blank page and then just stare at it, uninspired. Today was one of those days. The words “politics isn’t everything” came to mind; I wrote them down, only to realize I had no idea what I wanted to say.But maybe that was the point.By now, my interest in politics is about 10 years old. I am only 20, but in my short time, I have watched countless people chase politics off a cliff—the cliff, in this case, being basic common sense. And I do not mean I have seen this happen only to people with whom I never agreed. No, I have watched people I once had great respect for get on an all-consuming tangent until their whole life’s work was overshadowed by that one aside. Politics does that to a person.Frankly, I have often wondered if politics has done that to me. Have I become so engulfed in the niche world of Twitter-driven news that I cannot see up from down anymore? Am I out of touch?It seems to me that there are two major types of problems today: real-world problems and what I would call “politics-world” or “insider” problems. Of course, real-world problems often require politics-based solutions. So what’s the difference?The difference is that real-world problems have a real bearing on real people; “politics-world” problems do not. In a sense, the latter is almost a luxury commodity for those who eat, sleep, and breathe politics. If only we stepped outside our echo chambers, we’d see that those who can’t afford to follow the news 24/7 have hundreds of problems—and the latest, obscure social media firestorm ain’t one of them. SEE ALSO: Fitness trends turning young men into Nazis, says MSNBC Politics has a way of knocking everything out of perspective. One thing we must understand about politics is that it is a business—there is no such thing as a “slow news day.” It simply isn’t allowed. We create press releases, launch investigations, and rail about “massive public backlashes” (code for a “few mad people on Twitter”) simply to keep up the appearance of “making a difference”; so we can go back to our constituents and dangle a few patronizing media statements before them as proof of our “progress.” I have often said that, sometimes, news needs a “cooling” period. But again, the industry does not allow for this. The industry demands a constant “crisis.” In some instances, the crisis really is real, of course. More often than not, it’s nothing more than an overblown feud or sensationalized hearsay perfectly orchestrated to suck you in. Once politics catches you in its web, it keeps you there—until it becomes everything to you. Soon, you, too, eat, sleep, and breathe politics. You, too, are out of touch. On the opposite extreme, there are those who bury their heads in the sand and pretend that crises don’t exist. These starry-eyed pacifists are useless in the fight and not to be relied upon. The problem with the “politics is everything” kind of people, however, is that they are also useless. No one lasts for long in a world where politics is literally everything. It’s exhausting. They’re quickly worn out. They spend their days lost in a maelstrom of bad news that drains their hope and kills their joy. SEE ALSO: Fidelity to country Politics, out of measure, is both addicting and incapacitating. We’re hooked on watching Tucker every night; reduced to cursing at the screen. Hooked on the news; until our families know us only as angry, unhappy gripers. I have known people so habitually irked by politicians and CNN and the WEF I became convinced they had no joy. I have also known people committed to fighting until the end—no matter the cost—who were some of the happiest people I’ve ever met. It is possible to be both; interested in politics and happy. Step one is recognizing that politics isn’t everything. The media is marketing a product, and they want you to come back, again and again. They want you to become a regular, even addicted, customer. Needless to say, there is nothing wrong with “staying informed”; but if you’ve sacrificed your joy and sanity on the altar of politics, it’s safe to assume that something is out of balance. It’s safe to assume that politics needs to be put back into its proper place. Not everything is the end of the world. Nor is every headline as sensational and foreboding as the media would like you to think. And maybe that’s why, some days, I stare at a blank page. Some days, there really is nothing to say.Jakob Fay is a staff writer for the Convention of States Project, a project of Citizens for Self-Governance.
