So, recently I was explaining the ebb and flow of politics to my kids and they wondered why if certain people were dangerous, why would they get elected. I had to explain that its all about the way we "think" something will happen. Different groups have very different ideas about 'how' something will happen. Mom wants to walk one way to school because she thinks its faster, but Dad walks another way because he doesn't mind getting his shoes wet. Who's right? it depends on the value of the consequences, of having wet shoes. Some people will vote all red for their whole lives because they think the policies of democratic candidates don't pronounce results that will function in the long-term. Democrats on the other hand think exactly the same way about Republicans. They think, "no no no" BECAUSE you cherish your guns, shouldn't we create legislation that makes sure well-educated people like yourselves get to keep them? Of course they think that legislation to regulate equals legislation to limit their consumption. Which in some ways does and in some ways does not. Again it revolves around the value of the consequences.
With regard to war, abortion, immigration, education and fiscal responsibility, the tables flip all over the place in a very similar light. Someone might think that protecting the lives of the average citizen through military conflict is the risk management they're willing to endure in order to provide security at home. And if, by choosing that form of security, we save virtual lives in the long run, don't we as a whole benefit greatly? Contrarily, why go to war? Why invade another people's homeland just because we find their culture suspicious and potentially threatening? Aren't we just as suspicious and threatening by bringing machines of death into the homes of innocent people? Is there another way to protect ourselves that doesn't involve pre-emptive action against a passive-aggressive state? Couldn't we just reason with them?
On top of that, the same people inherently against the use of force globally think its ok for a woman to take the life of an unborn child. Explaining this to a 10yr old isn't easy. Yeah, a woman's body is her right, but there's a baby in there. When does that baby have a right? Its very confusing to find an altogether politically sound point of governance and punitive system to support it. And even through the simplification of the varying parties' ideas, we find an endless road towards conflict. But that's the nature of this kind of government. I don't teach my kids that republicans are evil, that democrats are necessarily upright or vice versa. But I do talk to them about what is going on, fostering an understanding so that one day they can formulate their own views on how to move in the direction of progress. Its because these kids are the future. In 2043, my daughter will be eligible to run for President. I want her to know that it is possible. I want them to know that they have the upper hand when it comes to the future and how it will unfold. They need to know that NOW. Not when they're 25 and already on to something else. They need to understand the impact of action.
So, I sat down to write a song about the future generations and the power and will to remain in Hope, to remain in positive spirits about the consequences of the society they live in, the one we will eventually fully hand over to them. My 6yr old son asked me about Nazis this morning. We talked about how a people (governments and religions) can believe that their significance should prevail over all others, and how fundamentally dangerous that is for us as a species. And I take the time to explain this to my children because once that light goes on inside of them, it will shine like a beacon for us all. That is what this song is about. "It's not change if it lasts forever. Don't lose hope 'cause your fathers do". I'm not sure if I've lost hope, myself. But I know you have to march on even when people feel as though an "end is near". Remember, its just a feeling. Because in reality, it isn't near at all. The end will never actually be near. Its a mirage. And its our duty to dispel that illusion towards our children and teach them at a young age that their ways of thinking can shape the world we know. Because though many things can be learned in schools, colleges and universities, it is the moral fuel that is learned at home. So, to all of you dreading today and the outcome of last night, realize that somewhere, all of the time, the sky is falling. And at that very same time, a new light is being born, one with no knowledge of race, color or creed. Tabula Rasa. And as we engage the many fixed and traditional ideologies of today and days passed, we also pave the way for a new shade of Justice and Freedom. We pave the way for opportunity and compassion, for endurance and loyalty to the causes that allow human beings to rise above themselves in service to the greater whole. Chins up, angers tempered and ready to march on, my friends.
Joshua Love