Weary of politics

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I know that political debate energizes some people, but I find all of politics to be a very wearying affair. The debate, such as it is, is endless; in many (if not most) cases, both sides in the debate have some good points to make, and a lot of bad points that each side willfully ignores. The truth is often somewhere in the middle, and it is rarely pretty.

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Just to take one contentious issue: immigration. Here's an issue I can see both sides on. Illegal immigration is, in fact, a violation of our nation's laws, and those who violate it are lawbreakers by definition. They're also desperately poor people, in most cases, who want a better chance to work their way to a better life for themselves and their families. So their desire to cross into the U.S. illegally is very understandable to me. But it's not without consequences. Illegal immigrants tend to work cheaper than native workers do, which depresses wages at the lower economic strata. But, they also work hard and contribute to our national economy. But, they also use a lot of "free" government services from cash-strapped states that many citizens don't have access to. And what of those who follow the law, who immigrate legally? Are they fools? What are we to say to them if we shrug at the influx of illegal immigration?

All of which to say that this is a very complicated issue, one that defies simple solutions. And there I'm typically left by all the debate, not sure what to think, frustrated and weary. I sometimes wish I were more of an ideologue, just to find some degree of comfort with a political position. But then, when I see friends who are—how much of their time and energy gets swallowed up by their politics—I'm glad I'm not.

And I'm not. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, that much I know and believe. And I have friends who also are who fall all along the political spectrum. I'm grateful for them all, and I condemn none of them, even if I happen to disagree with them. (I also have friends who are not Christians; the same applies to them.)

It seems to me that politics is a necessary evil, an endless debate over every imaginable issue that has no solution that works for everyone. There is a futility to it all that I ultimately run into, and in times of futility, I run to the Lord. In this life, all things, all times are ultimately futile; in His embrace alone I find hope and comfort.

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• Balko's Laws Of Political Debate (outsidethebeltway.com)
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