The Spectacle of Politics
The intermingling and clash of the only known moral potential in the universe.
Politics is a spectacle unlike anything else in the known universe. A journey through the vast expanse of space would take us to distant galaxies, black holes, supernova explosions, and reveal many other mysteries that would be fascinating to study and magnificent to behold. But all of these cosmic wonders are just the results of physics.
No ethical dilemma occurs when two asteroids collide; stars do not make conscious decisions to collapse, and it would be ridiculous to suggest gravity is in some way good or evil. To observe something of moral significance, we would have to return home to Earth and look at ourselves.
The individual human being constitutes something moral in the universe because we are not governed solely by the laws of physics. We are these remarkable blobs of mass, that for some unknown reason, possess the distinct moral ability to make choices. The raw spectacles of the physical universe are undeniably brilliant, but only here on Earth, inside the beating heart and free mind of a human being can we find a sublime moral phenomenon at work.
Naturally, the individual's freedom of will sets the stage for an epic drama. What will we do with this freedom and independence? What will be the quality of the choices we get to make? Will they be good or bad?
Each individual embarks upon their own journey where they must face all sorts of circumstances and make countless choices not only on how to survive but how to find some sort of meaning and happiness in their lives. And the most interesting part of this comes from the fact that individuals do not exist in isolation; rather, we exist alongside other people, just like us, who are also trying to find meaningful and happy lives too.
This is the spectacle of politics, the intermingling and clash of the only known moral potential in the universe: individuals bound on a journey together, trying to make decisions on how to live happily in society.
Stepping back to think of politics as this grand cosmic spectacle offers a refreshing perspective to begin a new conversation on this age-old subject.