While talking to one of the wisest people I know a while ago, Erin, we stumbled onto the topic contradictions in life, specifically in beliefs and ethical systems. An example is a person who is supportive and believes that sustainable agriculture is the method of farming and food production that is best suited to the needs of people, plants, animals and the earth, yet that person still consumes Taco Bell. The reason for this is the reality of their situation. There is no sustainably grown food nearby, and the person needs to eat. Interesting conundrum.
But it’s really these contradictions in ourselves that define who we are. You can march around all day campaigning for <insert cause here>, but at the end of the day, how do you really feel about it? And how do you feel when you have to break, bend, or modify the “rules” to fit your reality? Your reaction says as much, if not more about you than the belief itself. You can’t simply define yourself by a narrow set of rules that’s not grounded in reality. Compromise is a fact of life, and is the only way towards any kind of peaceful cohabitation.
It’s kind of interesting, because our current administration is one caught in a million webs of contradictions. What they say isn’t what they mean, isn’t true, isn’t in line with their previously stated morals. And the way in which they respond to these contradictions shows what I believe to be their true moral innards. They simply ignore them or deny them. They sweep them away, hoping to not be caught again.
It’s actions like these that show us that their rhetoric is truly that, empty words with nothing behind them. As an American, as a voter, and as a person, I demand more from a leader. What I demand is the ability to admit that things aren’t black and white, and that things aren’t going to be as easy as they may have thought.
justinª