My Political Awakening
By Leo Gura - January 23, 2019
While we’re on the topic of politics, here are my favorite political channels on YouTube:
- The Majority Report
- The Rational National
- Secular Talk
- The David Pakman Show
- TYT
- The Humanist Report
- Democracy Now!
Please keep in mind that I do not necessarily agree with all of the ideas & opinions these channels espouse. These are stage Green channels. They are definitely biased and ideological. My view of politics is at least stage Yellow, so I have some important criticisms of these Green channels, but in an environment where stage Yellow political analysis is virtually non-existent, this is as good as you’re likely to find, for now. We have a lot of growing to do just to get society to Green, nevermind Yellow. There will definitely be some excessive and unhealthy manifestations of Green from time to time, but right now I’m not too concerned about it.
Rather than adopting my personal political beliefs, what I suggest you do with this domain of life is to study it (if you want). Become serious about understanding how government & society works in a systemic, non-partisan, non-culture-war way. Set aside your political prejudices and educate yourself. Be careful not to get radicalized and not to build a political ego. Be careful about confirmation bias. Diversify your news sources and seriously investigate the positions of your political opponents. But also don’t fall into the trap of false equivalency, splitting issues evenly down the middle, or automatically accepting the status quo. By not making a choice, you’ve made a choice in favor of the status quo. By not taking action, you’ve taken action in defense of the status quo.
When it comes to politics, you’re damned if you do, but you’re even more damned if you don’t.
If you are seriously working on enlightenment you might want to stay away from politics for a while so it doesn’t turn into a distraction. But overall, you should be well-informed about various political trends and what makes for good governance. You might want to subscribe to a serious journalistic new outlet like the New York Times or Washington Post and actually read their articles. Also, read books on politics and governance. You cannot understand this domain of life without some in-depth reading and a sense of history.
Above all, remember, proper politics and governance is not about what YOU need. It’s about what helps elevate the majority of mankind. Often times what’s good for the greater system may not be what’s personally good for you, your family, your ethnicity, your gender, or your company. Be very careful not to make politics just another survival game that your ego plays.
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