Politics
I shudder to remember how strident and adamant I was.
Back in the day, I was very much a political animal. I held strong opinions and flirted with the idea of running for public office. At the time, I regularly listened to talk radio and often scanned both the AM and FM dials to find the talk I preferred. It didn’t take much to excite or frustrate me.
And then there were the cable news talking heads. Back then, the cable channels were limited to mainly two, and they were polar opposites. I’m not sure the media figures who inhabited those outlets could have agreed on whether it was daytime or night.
Whether on radio or TV, strident, loud, argumentative, polarized, and bombastic voices ruled the airwaves. I hate to admit this, but in total transparency, I was incredibly susceptible to the political manipulation by the voices I listened to. In retrospect, all those words I used to describe those voices could have described me, too.
Whether you were on my side of the political divide or the other, far too many of us were polarized, unyielding, and dogmatic. There were no gray areas, only black and white. There was no compromise, only winning, no matter the cost.
I shudder to remember how strident and adamant I was. The world needed changing, and if I could raise the volume, surely it would.
Thankfully, none of the above describes me anymore. I still have opinions, strong ones. If I listen to all those voices, I suspect I could become susceptible to the same manipulation again. But the truth is, the more I moved away from political discourse, the less opinionated I became.
How did this happen? I grew weary of all the anger. I grew tired of all the loud voices. But those things only began to happen after I shifted my focus and filled my time with something healthier, more wholesome, and more beneficial.
For me, it wasn’t religion per se, though as a minister I was and am deeply invested in religion, church, and service to others. Instead, it was more a matter of focus—a focus that reoriented everything.
Maybe the lyrics of an old hymn can explain how you, too, can change your life. Or, as financial guru Dave Ramsey might say, even “change your family tree.”
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
When you shift your focus to who and what matter most, the person who might have been your political nemesis begins to seem like someone you can relate to and serve. When you are serving others, you can’t help but see them in a much kinder, more compassionate light.
Wouldn’t that be good for our world?
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another. Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; , serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” (Romans 12:9-12 CSB)
Thanks for making the shift. I know it takes away some of the deceiving forces in our world. Unfortunately, many of those strident, angry voices are invading Substack, becoming officially promoted upon those of us who have asked to be spared.