A Catholic Guide to Surviving Politics
Like all clichés, saying that we live in crazy times is an understatement. From pandemics to killer hornets, one might think we are in the midst of some Biblical plague as Moses foretold to the Egyptians. Adding to the strain are recent events in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. In the closing days of Donald Trump’s presidency, a small group of his supporters, not believing the veracity of the election results, occupied Congress in an attempt to stop the counting of the Electoral College votes. The point of this little treatise is not to condemn any of these actions, or even to make a political statement at all. To be sure, I have my stance on politics. Yet as I learned in graduate school, sometimes all you want to do is get along in a world of strong opinions and triggers. I am here to help my fellow young Catholics do just that.
1. Honesty is the best policy
Honesty really is the best policy, not just politically speaking but in general. Peace of any kind bought by being disingenuous about anything will not only be fake but fleeting. Read, I don’t know, all of history if you do not believe me. Jesus was always honest with his followers.
The method of delivery was sometimes harsh, sometimes gentle, but always the highest truth we can ever know. We are all merely dim reflections of His greatness, but honesty will show through as being substantive. Jesus’ way inspired a religion that is with us to this day in the Catholic Church. The best we can hope for is to instill respect in others. It does not matter (to me) what you believe politically as long as you are truthful about your stance.
2. It is not what you say but how you say it
Once you have revealed your true (political) colors, that is all you really need to say. I do not know about you but extremely low on the list of things I enjoy are political debates. There are some that thrive in those situations, and more power to them. For the rest of us, arguing over politics (particularly in this day and age) leads to tension and violence. As strange as it might seem, I do not completely blame the agitator. Do they bear a great deal of the responsibility for such difficulties past and present? Of course they do. However, we are also responsible for our own reactions to them. Further, when tensions boil over into yelling or physicality, quite often it is the result of one side or another not being fully informed. Frustrations arise when people feel like another group just . . . is not . . . getting it. Take the time to understand another side of an issue. You do not have to agree with it, but understanding is always a good thing.
3. Show compassion for your enemies
One of the cousins of understanding is compassion. You may look at somebody on the opposite side of a political issue and see that person as your enemy. Yet, what was it that Jesus said about one’s enemies? Oh, yeah, that we are supposed to love them. Let me say that again: we are called to love our enemies. Love can take many forms. I do not typically enjoy arguing because I have a temper that can lead to me flying off the handle. I always regret it when my anger with somebody, even people with whom I do not get along, becomes an outburst. When we are ruled by such negative passions, we say things designed to wound. When we are ruled by such negative passions, we can lash out in physical ways as well. One way of avoiding these kinds of moments is by looking at an issue through the eyes of your perceived opponent. God understands us better than we can ever understand ourselves. Trying to understand others is a part of following God and His example.
4. Find common ground
There are a few hot-button political issues that for us practicing Catholics, especially younger ones, gets our goad. The most obvious one, of course, is abortion. To his credit, President Trump did some things to help stem the tide of babies being killed in the womb. And yes, President Biden (born a Catholic) is now our chief executive. Why is that? There are millions of Catholic voters in our country, young and old, and supposedly the Republican Party is the side that cares more about pro-life issues. I have friends that are devout members of our Church that are professed Democrats. I have friends who would say that such people should be excommunicated from the Church. Do you see what I mean about political debates? Who wants to be told that you should be banned from being a Catholic because of who you voted for in the presidential election? Clearly, there are reasons for denying certain members Communion. Nonetheless, we do not get to decide such matters. And at the end of the day, the one thing all such people can fall back on is the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist (I hope).
5. It is about all of us
Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, a Libertarian or a member of the Communist Party (that actually exists in the United States), politics are about issues that affect all of us. There may be disagreements as to how to achieve these ends, but every person that votes does so because they want on some level to see the country get better. Much like our faith journeys, this is a process that is going to be evolving forever. What looks like utter defeat and ruin today can turn into triumph and happy times tomorrow. Taking such a long view of politics helps. Shortsightedness leads to placing your individual problems over all other concerns. I have no job. I do not believe in abortion. I think we should not be fighting in Iraq. I believe that Black Lives Matter. When someone comes along and says the opposite of these stances to us, we take it as a personal assault. But at the end of the day, no matter if one of these issues or all of them turn out in a way we do not desire, we are all citizens of the same country and will have to deal with the consequence together.
I offer these tips, but they are not intended to be the final say on surviving the hyper-political world we live in. But I hope they help. It seems like the stakes for politics get higher every year. Recently I heard that scientists believe that humanity is closer than ever to an apocalypse. That sounds scary. I am reminded of Matthew 24:6, “You will hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end.” In that I take comfort. So, if you ever find yourself drawn into a political debate that you probably do not want any part of, just smile and remember that God is in control.
