A GUEST POST BY MUSTANG
(Not his real name)
Imagine a society in which everyone has the same basic moral foundation. Everyone would have similar attitudes about selfishness and greed in such a society. If we assume that such a society would reject selfishness and greed, then no one would endorse, support, or vote for a self-serving, greedy politician. And yet, looking at state and federal legislatures and executive branches, selfish and greedy is all we seem to have. What went wrong?
Well, for starters, we don’t live in a society that shares a moral foundation. I do not think we ever had such a society because no matter what people say or what people claim, selfishness and greed are part of the human condition. We may tell ourselves that we are selfless, but in fact, very few people give up something of themselves for anyone else. Some do, but not many. Most of us delude ourselves into thinking that we are moral, upright people — but, if that were true, how is it possible for righteous, decent people to elect representatives who are self-serving and corrupt?
Three possibilities exist: first, all of us realize that we are deeply flawed people and work hard to become better people — always with mixed results. We are, after all, human. Second, we know that we are selfish and greedy, but we excel at deluding ourselves about “how good” we are. Third, we are not selfish and greedy (or only marginally so) but highly susceptible to those who are.
In the first instance, our very existence as individuals and as members of a larger society is a “work in progress.” We try, we fail, we pick ourselves up and try again. The cycle never ends until we die. In the second possibility, we are liars. It is bad enough to lie to others but a hundred times worse when we lie to ourselves. There may not even be a cure for that. Third, we are unwise, thoughtless, or irresponsible in addition to our other frailties.
Stepping back, one might wonder, “How in the hell did Ted Cruz ever get elected/re-elected to the U.S. Senate?” My reader can replace Cruz’s name with any elected politician at any level of government, and the question remains valid. In all likelihood, the best answer would be, “Well, you should have seen his opponent’s resume.” In choosing local, state, or national leaders, we essentially moral people have only two choices. We can smirk as we clarify further — we can select dumb or dumber since both candidates are essentially mirror images of each other. Both are corrupt; otherwise, they wouldn’t have chosen a field where dishonesty is valued over honesty. Both are deceitful because that’s what it takes to win an election. Both are liars because both will tell you what you want to hear to get elected. Both are corrupt because there is good money to be made in politics — if they are smart enough not to be caught stealing, siphoning, or padding their bank accounts. At some point in time, down the road, so to speak, these paragons of American politics will even stop lying about themselves. Take, for example, the Clinton foundation. The Clinton’s have been around now for so long that they don’t even bother to answer questions about their questionable activities. Asking questions of the Clinton’s only elicits that stare as if to say, “What can you do about it?” They are far beyond accountability.
We might have been able to avoid the Clintons many years ago were it not for the fact that we are flawed, or ourselves patently dishonest, or mind-bending gullible.
Years ago, during the Vietnam War, someone asked, “What if they held a war and no one came?” What if they held an election and no one voted? If all we have vying for public office are self-serving miscreants, why bother to vote at all? Some people do argue that it is a citizen’s duty to vote. When all we have is horrible people competing for votes, wouldn’t it be an even higher civic duty NOT to vote?
