Jon - > Yeah, I empathize with your sentiments. Oh to see a good band, the only > notion of a church that has ever made any sense to me and where Communion is > served a pint at a time. > > Even though my left-leaning friends guarantee that my vote has been thrown > away and I feel just as disenfranchised wrt politics as I ever have been and > that this is only the second time in my life that I have ever voted, I feel > angsty at the thought that my vote may not get counted. When I chat with > other friends, equally alienated from politics, they also feel the same > angstiness around their vote in this election. I feel brainwashed, but I am > not entirely sure in what direction. No amount of rational argument has ever > convinced me that voting matters, and yet, here I am, throwing away my vote > and feeling ready to brawl.
this is very close to how I felt in 1973 as the freight-train of conscription/Vietnam bore down on me. I didn't trust either of the two factions trying to persuade as to how to think/feel/act... I had my sympathies ( I was already a vegetarian, but still held onto the idea that violence was a necessary evil) but in general I felt very disoriented and brainwashed (or in constant resistance to same). Today I am much more suited to that kind of ambiguity... maybe that seed set me up. I have wanted to ask my younger, more cynical friends (Gen X/Z/millenial???) what I could do to trade them for their vote... I don't mean the "sense" of their vote, but persuade them to vote. Many (including you as I understand your sensibilities) insist that direct action is the only way good things happen... "doing the work"... so if I were not so isolated (or lazy?) perhaps I would strike a deal with a few I find too cynical (or aware) to vote and agree to "feed a homeless person" or somesuch in exchange for their voting "just this one". And maybe open a larger conversation about how we DO change the world we have created (collectively) into one that serves us more-better (collectively)? - Steve > > > > -- > Sent from: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > > - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam > un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/
