Taking a break from something can often give you some perspective that you may not get in the day-to-day grind. This 28-day (more or less) hiatus from blogging was good for me. It gave me some extra time to concentrate on some other things and it allowed me to step back from the blogosphere and view it from a casual observer perspective instead of an active participant. And it was eye-opening.
Since the latter part of last year, my blogging has been disproportionately focused on politics. The political commentary often evolved (or devolved, depending upon your perspective) into a response/counterresponse interaction with other bloggers and commenters — some of which escalated into ever-increasing caustic comments that became more personal and less substantive. I confess that I haven’t always lived up to my own standard of civility, respect and reason. And when I find myself wallowing hip-deep in the same mud as the other mudslingers, it’s time to reevaluate. And that’s what I did during my break.
When you step away from it, it’s amazing how juvenile it has become. The level of animus and disrespect among the dueling blogs is really amazing — and, quite frankly disheartening. It’s a microcosm of the larger “war” in this country between the firmly entrenched ideologues, who by their actions demonstrate that partisan loyalty comes first before the country’s bests interests. It’s not confined to the right wing and the GOP; the Democratic soldiers and left wing are just as unyielding. And as each side pulls the nation toward its position, the country is ever-so-certainly being torn asunder. And that, more than any other foreign threat, is the biggest danger we face as Americans.
We are facing the worst crises in nearly a century. Yet, partisans are more focused on winning the ideological fight than they are with saving our nation from economic devastation that few in this country are equipped to handle. The Republicans have disgusted me in ever-increasing ways with their grandstanding obstructionism; at the same time, Democrats have further convinced me why I will never join their ranks with their politically motivated power grabs and undemocratic governance of Congress. It’s all enough to make me want to throw up and simply give up.
It doesn’t seem to matter any more. Nothing that we say really makes a difference in Washington. Republican and Democratic politicians share at least one common purpose — to maintain and expand their grip on power and to pander to those who fill their campaign and personal coffers. Corruption is not the sickness of any one party. They are all mired in varying levels of corruption with very few exceptions. Money talks; constituent needs take a hike.
Meanwhile, the loyal minions of each wing war with each other in the blogosphere, discussion boards and chat rooms — unaware that Washington doesn’t care. Little that is said in the blogosphere changes anyone’s mind. Very few actually listen with an open mind. Fewer still take the time to truly educate themselves on the very issues they so passionately argue about. Misinformation, distortions and misrepresentations abound, which muddies everything to the point that it’s difficult to debate the merits of issues when the facts of those issues are so much in dispute. So often, it’s like arguing with a wall — pointless, fruitless and maddening.
To be honest, my break from the tit-for-tat spats in the blogosphere was refreshing. The absence did not make my heart grow fonder. Which is why I’m, once again, changing how I blog.
I’ll still opine about current affairs and politics, but certainly not nearly as often. In fact, my blogging over all will be much less prolific than previously. Instead, I’m going to go back to doing more non-political blogging. Yes, I’m indeed changing course once again. But as yesterday’s quotation by Heraclitus said, “Nothing endures but change.”
Stay tuned.
