For me today is like a holiday. After almost 2 years of trying like hell to convince our American electorate that the liberal/progressive vision of our nation is the right way to go we finally are on the threshold of deciding it. Most all the arguments have been made and remade, the dirty tricks coming mostly from republican operatives have been played out and the truth of how each party will effect the future of our lives and our children's is here, The time is upon us to make up our minds as to who to vote for and what policies we want. This is it folks, tomorrow the votes will be cast and tallied and the results will be known shortly thereafter. Today is a day for taking a breath and looking around us to see what we can still do to bring about the best chance for modernity to continue and improve.
I always think back to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave", which is a chapter in his book "The Republic". Will we stay in the cave and live our lives thinking that the shadows on the wall are reality or will we take off our blinders and crawl out of the cave and see the sun and the sky for what it truly is. Life as shadows or life as a sunny day. The story is an ancient one but it is relevant today. We can either accept that the wealthy are due more privilege and advantage within our democracy then we are or we can demand that all receive equal and fair opportunity. Wealth is a by product of commerce, not a by product of democracy. I do not begrudge the wealthy their ability to purchase commodities but I do begrudge them buying our democracy.
Tomorrow evening we will know for sure whether the wealthy will continue to own the process of government in a most unfair way or tomorrow evening we will know that we the mass majority of non-wealthy have just as much right to have our government work for us as it already does work for the wealthy. Today though is that final moment just before the decision is about to be determined and all of us who believe that the integrity of our democracy is more important than the destruction of it are anxiously waiting to see that our efforts to improve our society have come to fruition.
I always think back to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave", which is a chapter in his book "The Republic". Will we stay in the cave and live our lives thinking that the shadows on the wall are reality or will we take off our blinders and crawl out of the cave and see the sun and the sky for what it truly is. Life as shadows or life as a sunny day. The story is an ancient one but it is relevant today. We can either accept that the wealthy are due more privilege and advantage within our democracy then we are or we can demand that all receive equal and fair opportunity. Wealth is a by product of commerce, not a by product of democracy. I do not begrudge the wealthy their ability to purchase commodities but I do begrudge them buying our democracy.
Tomorrow evening we will know for sure whether the wealthy will continue to own the process of government in a most unfair way or tomorrow evening we will know that we the mass majority of non-wealthy have just as much right to have our government work for us as it already does work for the wealthy. Today though is that final moment just before the decision is about to be determined and all of us who believe that the integrity of our democracy is more important than the destruction of it are anxiously waiting to see that our efforts to improve our society have come to fruition.
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