Politics

When I was young, the difference in America's two political parties wasn't so large as it is today. Consequently, to win an election a politician might adjust his views to incorporate more of the "middle views" and fewer of the extreme views of voters. 

Today, the difference in our two political parties is so large that to win an election, politicans perceive that they need to win more of the extremist votes, and therefore they move their position further from the center. Republicans become more right-wing and Democrats become more left-wing. This gives us two parties that are farther apart than ever and also gives us the daily bickering that we see between the two major parties in Congress. 

That leaves Independent voters in the center of the political spectrum with influence that surpasses what one would expect from their numbers alone. Independent voters have become more important, not because they're going to budge the bulk of either of the two main parties closer to the center, but because throwing their much smaller weight to one candidate can decide the outcome of an election. 

Of course, a candidate still must win the votes of the "regular" voters, so he can't change his positions in a major way. But it's to his advantage to gather some Independent voters if possible. The Independent voters today are more important than ever, because Republican voters and Democrat voters are a given—we know how they're going to vote—and so the outcome of an election often depends on getting as many Independent votes as possible.

On the other hand, one could argue that, given that the nation's voting districts have been gerrymandered to hell, it might be in a candidate's best interest to ignore Independent voters and appeal to the extremist voters. Gerrymandering has, in effect, rigged the outcome of our elections to the point where voters can be forgiven for asking if casting a vote has much meaning anymore. Just pick an 'R' or a 'D' and roll the dice. 

Night Thoughts

I knew what I was getting into. I really did. And yet.

Long ago, long before I was born into this life, I was told what would happen. But, my advisors told me that this life was for the best. I would learn things I needed to learn. If I didn't learn them in this life, they would face me in another life. One way or another, I would have to learn them. They told me that this life was the right time to do that.

So I stepped into this lifetime. It took me a very long time to understand that my life wasn't merely happening to me. My life was what I chose. There were stones in my path: large ones, small ones. I needed them all. And finally, nearing the end of my life, I understand at last. I don't complain. I'm only getting what I need, and what I agreed to experience. 

The soul has goals and needs that transcend earthly lifetimes. "Why did this happen to me?" you may ask. The answer is: because you needed it. Maybe you needed poverty. Maybe you needed oppressive wealth. The list is endless.

I finish my glass of wine and go to bed, but not to sleep. I lie in the darkness and think. My companion lies beside me. I roll over and put my arm over her warm body. She does not awaken. She has chosen her life just as I have chosen my life. And now, as we both experience the final chapter of our lives, we have chosen to be together—a choice we made long ago, in that timeless epoch before we were born and to which we will return.

Young spirits will be puzzled at my words. To them I say, go and have fun, but remember that your destiny awaits you. Do not be surprised when it comes to you when you least expect it.

Tonight, sleep will not come for me. I rise and return to my writing task. I decide to finish the bottle of red wine that I began hours ago. It's the first wine I've tasted in three years. It's good and it warms my body and soul. I used to drink vodka. But vodka is mainly good for getting drunk. Wine is good for reflection, at least it is for me. I wish it would help me sleep. I sleep very little these days, and I lie awake in bed, in darkness, for far too many hours. But it's a part of the life that I chose.