Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Easy to Sow Division, Harder to Build Bridges...

Early in our acting careers, well, you know, maybe not careers, more like in our "adventures in acting,"  a jaunt in the field of "theatrical," we learned that doing the big flashy angry scenes and monologues were so much easier than the quiet, internal, vulnerable scenes. Easy to show anger, so much harder to show sadness, loss, empathy and compassion. The really good actors could reach deep down into their reservoir and show the full range of human emotion. Being vulnerable, sad, giving, and quiet was much more powerful than walking around yelling and screaming.

Off stage it's also so much easier to sow division, hate, and tearing down others, than it is to build up, find solutions, and offer a helping hand. 

All of my "creative heroes," have made things: movies, books, songs, paintings, poems. I truly value the creatives. Sometimes my favorites will delve into the darkness, but just by going there it is an affirmation. It takes a certain creative fire and optimism to create anything.

So yeah, then there's politics, just another human manifestation of energy. There are the angry ones who want to tear down other folks, want to fan the flames of divsion, sow chaos, and discord. It's a tool and strategy that has worked in many realms, many countries, over many centuries.

Then there are those who are trying to fix and build things. Offer policies, try to build coalitions, offer a helping hand, trying to raise us all up. Bringing people together. Trying to build a more perfect union. Look to a better day. It's harder. Really difficult. Takes a special kind of human. Takes vision, compassion, empathy, and dedication to work. And it often falls short of the mark. Especially in a Democracy. Democracy is messy.  But really, these more optimistic ones are the folks who have our hearts and souls with them. For instance: Harris/Walz for America.