An eye in the mind of a world-weary traveller blinked twice,
Dust from its lashes and dark, imagined flecks in its periphery.
It had been a long time since it had first slept.

Looking out at unfamiliar scenes, it found what it sought:
A tale as old as time still weaving sea and sky together.
It returned to studying its thoughts.

A man lost in the waves stood and cried out as he clung to his raft—
Delirium sinking him quicker than the waters.
The cold had toyed with his sanity; his mind now lost.

Though his mind was fogged, his vision pierced layers that were once opaque.
Could insanity be so enlightening?
He fought to stay afloat as he was slept through waking dreams.

God found a hole in reality once more, and peered into creation.
A lot had changed since last an eye was opened.
With a soft smile on the lips of a drowning man, something long-forgotten returned to the world.

For a moment, all eyes were open,
The man would soon fall through thick darkness, and all would once again be forsaken,
But for the moment, with all eyes open, heaven appeared on Earth.

I’ve decided to start including random snippets of creative writing pulled from my notebooks into these Sunday Pages. Or—at least I decided to do it today. The current plan is to keep doing it, but you never know what will happen next week. Perhaps I’ll be too fired up about something to take the ten minutes required to peruse my scribbles.

For now: enjoy this one! I don’t know what it’s about. I write most of these poem-like things while propped up in bed. I try not to judge them. I try not to do anything, really. Some writers will tell you they aren’t responsible for the things they write—that the ideas or the muse simply hands them the words. This is that. When scribbling these random things in bed, the only effort I put in myself is getting out of the way.

Sometimes that leads to utter nonsense. Here’s an example of that. But I’m going to start sharing them with you. ‘Cause why not.

Now: on to the rest of the pages:

Why do certain topics become “political?” Or…why does every topic become “political?” (I’m struggling to think of one thing that isn’t…)

Concession: I guess something becomes “political” when policy changes or government decisions have the power to change them. So maybe that’s not what I’m really talking about.

What I’m talking about are the things that become so charged and almost…taboo. Why are athletes not “supposed” to talk about certain topics? Why must some topics be avoided at family gatherings?

Better question then: why are some things partisan issues? Why is climate change a left/right thing? Why is police brutality? Abortion? Racism?

Why not speed limits? (I guess speed limits are boring…)

Why do teams form? Why do people get so divided?

Because people decide to put us into teams.

I don’t believe that the different camps on these issues are consistent with left- vs right-wing philosophies. For example: it’s not just that the right is more religious and fiscally conservative than the left. They don’t just approach every issue through a Christian/tight-pursed lens. So much of what they fight for flies in the face of their religion and ends up costing more money in the long run (ex: preventing crime through social programs is cheaper than caging criminals). So why do they choose the sides they do?

Because someone, somewhere, told them which side to take.

That’s the society we live in. Politicians and their associated media outlets decide what you’re supposed to be mad at. Why the hell would a forty-year-old man in Texas care about trans athletes playing sports in a high school in Carolina? Because Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz told him to be mad about it. Because kids playing sports is some extreme left-wing ideology that they can’t let get out of hand! They have to oppose everything the left wants because…that’s what they do.

It feels more and more like political parties exist for no other reason than to oppose each other.

I could put on my tinfoil hat and theorize about them “making us fight each other as a distraction to maintain the status quo which relies on the exploitation of cheap labour.”

I won’t (today). At least, I won’t theorize about the intention behind it—but there is absolutely a deliberate attempt to divide people into teams.

The simple explanation is just that it gets consistent clicks. When people are angry, they consume content like maniacs. When people join a team, they become vehemently loyal.

So, there are clear incentives for both politicians and news outlets to “politicize” everything (turn things into a partisan issues).

Now, 30% of the world’s population hates another 30%. Why? Because someone told them to.

(I’m leaving 40% out who don’t get sucked in. Maybe my #’s are off, but this big group of indifferent’s exists—despite often being ignored.)

Okay…what’s the point? I’m definitely getting to the point where I should make a point…

We need to realize that these teams we’re in are made up. I think I’ll stop identifying with any party going forward. I obviously skew left, but I don’t want to reinforce the sides by acknowledging my participation in one.

I think we need to stop seeing other people as members of another party as well—stop painting Uncle Tom as a conservative; stop calling cousin Jan a left-wing extremist. If anything, you’re better referring to them by the media they consume. Tom is a fox-news guy; Jan likes MSNBC. (Is that left? I don’t even know…I watch socialists rant on Twitch.)

I think we need to see the leaders of both political parties and media outlets less as “champions of the cause.” They’re actors and shills; they don’t really stand for the issues they rant about. They’re con-artists; they manipulate their audience to reinforce the team mentality.

That’s hard to do. As I said, I skew left, so I see “my” champions as honest, and Fox News’ champions as cartoonish. I think John Oliver is great; Stephen Colbert is perfectly rational; Hasan Piker is genuine. Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, and Candace Owens are insane.

I’m indoctrinated too.

So while I’m so tempted to just declare: it’s the right who needs to get their heads out of their asses and realize how ridiculous their demagogues are, I’ll try to lead by example and denounce my own party affiliations.

I’m just a guy trying to figure stuff out. I’ve got my own set of philosophies and priorities that aren’t confined to left-or right-wing ideas.

I’m not joining that group of indifferents though. I’m going to hang out in no man’s land.

Join me?

Did I just write 1,000 words just to say, “be a free thinker?”

…welp, happy Sunday! <3