Wise Man

“A wise man once said nothing at all”

This is something I was taught as a child. I dismissed it as nonsense because I have a big mouth and couldn’t even stop talking if I tried. But I know it’s true. I’ve seen countless people succeed in all dimensions of life, time and again, because they knew when to feed the fire and when to step away from it.

The reason it has been on my mind a lot is because of the turbulent period in history we’ve entered. People have become furious. People have become vindictive. People have become aggressive. And all the other people who just want to mind their own business feel like they’re under attack whether they speak up or stand down.

American values have changed a lot since the baby boomers came around in the 1950’s and 60’s. It used to be a commonly held American standard that it was impolite to discuss money, religion and politics. You just didn’t do it with people who weren’t your immediate family or closest friends. This is how American boomers were raised. And in their lifetime, they’ve seen this value take a full 180 degree turn.

Don’t know what I mean? Think about how common it has become for rich influencers (particularly singers and rappers) to tout their wealth. Even non-famous people will proudly wear symbols of wealth on their wrist or their feet. This is normalized. Think about how often an atheist might openly ridicule organised religion. Or how Universities overtly teach students to associate western faiths with imperialist oppression. This is normalized.

And politics? Well, we all know how that one goes.

Social media is now flooded with slogans such as “silence is siding with the oppressor” or “silence is violence” that deliver a pretty clear message: if you’re not with us, you’re against us. It is no longer considered okay to be a private citizen. Everybody, voting age or not, feels pressure to politicize themselves. The reason for this is that many Americans believe their political agenda to be existential. And when something is life-or-death, damn right you won’t let your friends or neighbors keep quiet.

But this attitude is a detriment to our country on multiple levels. Americans just want to mind their own business. With good reason! It is a part of our natural survival instinct to avoid identifying ourselves in public. Dating back to our tribal roots, human beings have been excluded, banished or murdered for their views and ideologies. It only stands to reason that an intelligent adult will often refuse to voice their views. It’s a reasonable safety precaution.

This is how we end up with things like “the silent majority” who voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Everybody I spoke to 4 years ago thought that Trump supporters were just an alt-right fringe group. I was convinced of it too. But when’s the last time you heard of a fringe group winning 50% of the popular vote? A recent Cato Institute (libertarian think tank) study shows that 62% of Americans agree that the political climate today prevents them from sharing their beliefs. They’re worried about losing friends or losing their jobs. This includes 52% of Democrats surveyed.

Take what you will from that. I know I’d be worried that the public discourse we actually see or hear has no bearing in the reality of 2020. And I want to know the truth.

Anyway, that’s the story of the modern American with views that they actively choose to hide. But what about the people with no strong opinions at all? How can you live in 2020 with no stance on the major issues? The reality is that most Americans are too preoccupied with making a decent living for their families to go and participate in a revolution. In fact, most Americans don’t have time to even consider where they stand on complex issues.

That’s not their fault and they should have the right to just go about their day if they choose. Having the time to deeply consider what’s best for your society on a macro-level is a privilege. Having the access to educational resources that help answer these questions is a privilege. Why do you think the most vocal people in political discourse come from prestigious universities that cost $70,000 dollars a year to attend?

A kid that grew up in a slum watching his family members go in and out of jail most likely hasn’t thought deeply about his politics. A kid that grew up in a rural wasteland watching his family members die from opioids most likely hasn’t thought deeply about his politics. Forcing these people to take sides often means they will choose the wrong team and make decisions that are poor for them and for their greater community. Not to mention if they decide to further promote these ideas themselves, then those ideas will be painfully misrepresented. True liberals don’t want that. True conservatives don’t want that.

There’s a lot of wisdom in Avatar: The Last Airbender. It’s one of my favorite shows. When the city of Omashu was taken over by the Fire Nation, King Bumi’s strategy was to do nothing. He kept quiet and waited patiently for the right moment to liberate his city. This is what he called Neutral Jing.

Neutral Jing is a rational and legitimate course of action.

Let’s normalize saying “I don’t have a stance on that.” Let’s normalize saying “I don’t know yet.” Let’s normalize saying nothing at all.

Filip, again.

**by the way, I think coming out to vote is very important and that’s a separate issue**