Ignorance Is No Solution
“Just because you don’t take an interest in politics, doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.” – Pericles
Ignorance of the law is no defense. A police officer and/or judge doesn’t doesn’t care if you were aware of a law or not if you get caught breaking it.
For example, when you get a driver’s license you agree to know and follow the rules of the road. If a law enforcement officer decides to pull you over and ticket you for an obscure violation you’re wrong. You could contest the ticket in court, and possibly get the fine reduced, but you’re likely going to get dinged.
The same is true being a citizen (or a friend, or spouse, or an employee). The “agreement” may not be as explicit as something you sign when first getting your drivers license, but the implications are just as real.
We enter into many arrangements in modern life and, while we benefit from them, we don’t always maintain our responsibilities and duties.
Marriage is a easy example, but citizenry is just as apt.
Without getting into politics, we have, as a nation, (largely, but not completely) abdicated our responsibilities as citizens.
We, by and large: don’t vote, don’t educate ourselves as to the issues that concern us, don’t engage in constructive dialog with our politicians and those who hold differing views and don’t communicate our accolades and upsets to our elected representatives.
Sure, there all sorts of explanations for this, but, at the end of the day, they are bull-s*&t.
Just as many of our excuses are for how we don’t hold up our end of the “bargain” in other areas of our lives.
Until we take responsibility for participation and engagement in the areas of of life we benefit from we live some form of a parasitic life – and we suffer the quiet, nagging, gnawing feeling in our guts that we’re getting something for nothing, and that it’s wrong.
Oh, and as Percles so eloquently states above, just because you ignore your responsibilities in politics (or whatever… ), you will still be affected by politics.