Zen and the Art of Optimism

I don’t know about you, but this election season is damned stressful. Even as George Bush rolls out television ads with wolves lurking to terrify Americans into voting for him, it’s the idea of a second Bush term that scares the crap out of me. I truly am worried about the future and what’s happening to American freedoms during this arc of history.

I’m worried about what Bush and Cheney will think up next without threat of re-election hanging over their heads.

I’m worried about the Supreme Court justices Bush will try to appoint with the express purpose of instilling conservative activism and rolling back years of civil rights and liberties that were so hard fought for.

I’m worried about losing more soldiers and civilians and contractors in a war that was not well-planned or executed.

I’m worried that it will become even harder to dissent. (In the last week, I was told to take down a Kerry sign in my yard and to “keep my views to myself”—sorry—and one Jackson man cursed, F-word and all, one of our employees because Todd personally endorsed John Kerry last issue.)

I’m worried about the deficit that may saddle our younger readers for the rest of their lives.

I’m worried about a draft being re-instated and, no, I don’t buy that it won’t happen because Bush says it won’t.

I’m worried that Americans are going to lose their freedom of religion because zealot politicians ignore the founders’ wishes and establish one religion, thus squelching freedom for everyone. (Common sense, guys, common sense.)

I’m worried that more and more jobs are going to move offshore, leaving more American workers in the lurch.

I’m worried that the federal government will keep trying to starve public education by passing more costly mandates and then withholding funding.

I’m worried that the motives behind No Child Left Behind will continue to play out with more and more schools, especially in our cities, starting to close their doors.

I’m worried that Social Security will be privatized as Bush has promised donors.

I’m worried that one day Americans are going to have no leverage left against big industry and bad doctors because the U.S. Chamber manages to keep fooling media into believing the “lawsuit abuse” mantra.

I’m worried that the FCC will allow big media to do anything they want, leaving states like ours with even worse and more superficial mass media than we have now.

I’m worried that the country I love is going to lose her place in the world, along with the respect of other nations.

I’m worried that voter intimidation and fraud will be rampant this Election Day, leaving even more less-likely voters frustrated and left out of the season.

I could go on, but I’m worried you might think that all I am is worried. That’s simply not true. I’m actually bizarrely optimistic, considering the pivotal moment in history that we’re facing. It could be much worse: We could be at a point where no one cared that our freedoms are in trouble.

Instead, though, Americans are involved and engaged like I haven’t seen them during my adult years. And that includes young people. For instance, the Jackson hip-hop community is on fire over this election (“Vote or Die,” as Puffy says). I think of rapper Suede1 at our voter rally, walking around registering voters. He’d told us that even if he couldn’t perform (he did) he would come and do everything he could to help. Or, I think of Collective member Jay Lossett, working tirelessly for the Capital City Convention Center and to get young people involved. He even registered voters at his own garage sale. Top that.

The truth is, no one really knows what’s going to happen on Election Day. Even Mississippi is considered a “weak Bush” or “pink” state, which the corporate media will barely mention, much less report that in September Bush was only polling 51 percent in the state. Why are they afraid of the news? (We predict that The Clarion-Ledger will, like The Times-Picayune, choose not to endorse a candidate because they do not have the courage to reject a bad president. You watch. Or they’ll just endorse Bush. He wants tort reform, you know.)

But as worried as I am—and angry when I hear revelations like the explosives that the U.S. “lost” in Iraq that may now be killing our soldiers—I am also hopeful and optimistic. I find my zen right here in Jackson, in the developments I see around me, the engagement of Jacksonians of all ages. The hope and determination is palpable. The world may be falling apart around us, but we’re picking up the pieces and making Jackson into a more special place. Hope doesn’t get much better than that.

In so doing, Jacksonians are starting to reject negativity and naysayers. I can’t tell you how many times now I’ve been surprised by one or another business owner or politician who has recently rejected the status quo that has had a stranglehold on Jackson for so long—whether it’s to praise the city for falling crime, to speak out against racism (even to their own customers), or to support the Convention Center.

In fact, I get a bit warm and fuzzy about the Convention Center campaign. It’s probably apparent to all that Todd and I don’t think the Convention City is the sole key to Jackson’s future. However, the coalition—of various races, ages, backgrounds, parties—that is coming together to support it is the key. After careful consideration, we are joining this campaign; it is worth tacking on 36 cents to your steak dinner at Nick’s to see forces congeal around this project. We’re going to keep an eye on it, and other downtown actions, to ensure that it stays on track, but we have decided that this effort is positive for Jackson. And we fear that some of the loudest of the center’s critics simply do not want Jackson to succeed. They’re hurting their own case, as a result.

So, yes, this passionate progressive is a bit worried and a little angry. But I’m also damned optimistic about this city’s, and this state’s, future. And that makes it all OK.

Now, please go vote in this, the scariest election in history. It matters like it never has. Namaste.