Dream States

I suspect that the reason for our topsy-turvy world of socio-politics in America is that we are all really in a dream-state.  I mean that we’re all asleep and anything that disturbs our slumber angers us.  When that happens we come to semi-consciousness just enough to deflect the idea that intruded and we go back to sleep.  Obviously, it seems I’m using a metaphor – but wait – that response could also be a dreamlike defense. 

This is the only reason I can come up with for allowing the conditions that we have.  As you’ve probably noticed, dreams don’t make sense in rational terms.  Nor do our socio-political positions.  For instance: Don’t cut programs that benefit me but it’s okay to cut those that benefit others.  Even if you ignore the moral bankruptcy of that position, how could it be done? Here’s some more:  Allow the uninsured sick to continue to depend on the expensive care of emergency rooms but resist the healthcare reform that will save $250 billion in the next ten years.  Blame the president and the unemployed for their plight while corporations earn the highest profits in 60 years.  Resist tax reform while allowing the corporations’ share of the tax burden to continually diminish to the lowest point since the Great Depression.  Meddle in other countries’ business and get angry at our president for admitting that we did.  Call for transparency in government and then indict those who tell the truth.  Support the reduction of government spending that will eliminate over one million public and private sector jobs in the midst of a period of high unemployment.  Cut education budgets while the rest of the modern world is excelling in math and science – the keys to our future success.  Subjectively claim that America is still the greatest country in the world while the only thing that we objectively surpass others on is our military might.  Be the most religious society in the Western world and score less than 50% on a Pew Survey on religion.  Claim to follow the teachings of Jesus while defunding programs designed to achieve social justice.  Declare “war” on everything we don’t like about our society but never try to find and fix the causes.  Decry our trajectory toward socialism while enjoying our many social programs.  Claim to be a rugged individual while enjoying the contributions of millions of other human beings.  Destroy our only home, planet earth while claiming that efforts to save it are politically motivated.  Say we worry about the financial deficit we leave our grandchildren but don’t worry about our insatiable consumption and destruction of the earth’s natural resources, including clean air and water.  Is any of this rational?  If we say yes, we are in a deep slumber.  That doesn’t mean that we’re not up and walking around.  But I suspect that it’s a form of sleepwalking. 

There is an underlying principle at work here.  It’s called “having your cake and eating it too.”  I heard a joke based in this principle.  It seems that an Eskimo tried to light a fire in his boat to keep warm.  The boat went up in flames and the Eskimo barely escaped with his life.  The moral is that “he could not have his Kayak and Heat it too”.  In our dreamlike state, we don’t realize that actions have consequences.  We think we can heat our Kayak with political gamesmanship, partisan polarity and socio-political confusion.  But really, while we are being lulled into slumber by the lullaby’s of our political parties our Kayaks are on fire.  And if you haven’t noticed, there’s a finite number of Kayaks.

The solution:  Wake up and smell the fire!  As long as we’re asleep, we won’t act rationally.  The 2012 election cycle is about to begin.  I hope that the parties’ lullaby’s don’t keep us asleep.

Robert DeFilippis