No, I am not going to discuss politics or my political views here. It’s not my purpose in writing, and frankly, I am just freaking burned out on the whole mess.
Instead, I want to bitch and moan about the state of politics and thought in our country, and I will use the microcosm of my Philosophy class for it. I am prompted to this by a blog entry by my friend Roger.
Now, Philosophy is fraught with anxieties as a course in the first place because you are expected to be able to think and explain. Secondly, someone is going to trash your widely held world views–be it someone in class or the textbook or one of the philosophers in the textbook, or well, me.
This semester I have a very motley crew, and sometimes it is all I can do not to break out in laughter. I have a couple of women who have come out of clearly bad divorces and relationships. I have a couple of youngin’s who have never ever questioned anything in their world view, and one of those is loud mouthed an egotistical. I have a clown, who is much smarter than he acts. I have some religious, some agnostic. And I have one who will take as extreme a stance as possible to get a rise out of you. I probably have some preachers or preacher’s kid as well.
The problem, of course, that makes it close to the political problem is that some of my students don’t want to think or hear other opinions or even realize that it is possible to hold two very contradictory ideas in your belife (I like the typo more than the word belief!) system at once. This means that a couple of them keep trying to shout out (and shut out) anyone who challenges their beliefs. The few who do this, of course, get my tweaker of tails (or tales, if you prefer) and clown going. This causes the lefts to rise, which offends the rights, and so it all starts over again. We’ve only met three times, and I think I want a bullwhip and a megaphone. Oh yes, and some muzzles–how scary my philosophy class almost requires fetish gear!
This, however, is how politics seems to be going, at least in my view. Everyone tends to want to shout out and shut up anyone who questions or thinks, and I see that on all sides of the equation (or colors of the rainbow) if you prefer. It just makes me tired.
I’m odd, I know that I want to try and see and understand more than one side of an issue. I tend to find the gray spaces more interesting than the black and white corners of the political boxing ring. But like anyone in the middle of the ring when the two boxers go at it, I find myself feeling pummeled by politics, and sometimes Philosophy!
No wonder I find myself feeling drawn to the most famous of the original Greek cynics–Diogenes. I am beginning to think living in a barrel on the beach and looking for an honest man are about the only things one can do. Debunking the corrupt ideals of a corrupt society…yeah, I think I like old Diogenes.
These are two of my cats–Hugo on the left and Brat on the right. Hugo is not a happy cat tonight. Last week I found a small lump on him, so he went to the vet Friday. Today, he had surgery to remove it. The vet isn’t sure what it was, but it was some sort of tumor. He says he got the whole tumor, and I sure hope so. In the meantime, Hugo has a big old shaved spot on his back, blue stitches, and is taking a long nap.