Some Wise Men about Politics*
OP-Ed
In the wake of the recent unbelievably animated parliamentary elections in Georgia, here goes a little tongue-in-cheek story, totally built on other people’s wise-cracking efforts about politics. Apologetically, in this text I am not mentioning any names, carving this lampoon for my esteemed readership only because I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to politicians. After all, it is even more difficult than physics. On top of that, there is an ethical streak to it too: being a true politician is as hard a thing as to be truly moral. And still, when it comes to politics, I remain optimistic because they say politics is the art of the possible, and if this is true, then there is always a chance to make it work.
When I was little, grownups used to tell me that anybody could become a leader of the nation if we embrace democracy tightly enough. Frankly speaking, I'm beginning to believe that this wise statement is true, because I have also heard that politicians are the same all over, usually united by one great idea to build bridges where there is no river at all.
Politicians are always in the middle of campaigning, even if they are not running for office at the time, and they are into agitating the public for something that they need to acquire as soon as possible. Well, to stop beating around the bush, I will put it straight: politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other. Well said, but not comprehensively enough and not with utmost frankness. There is some rationale missing here about their perpetual readiness for sacrifice. Let me put it this way: a politician is a smart fellow or a stylish lady who will readily lay down your life for his or her country, and they will take the move for granted, because the politician poses as the servant in order to become the master.
Amazingly, politicians have no fun, because they are always aiming at something beyond political life itself: power, glory and happiness. All of these precious politicians are intelligent and educated as far as these notions go in terms of evaluating a political animal. Otherwise, they might feel terribly uncomfortable in the professional field, but some of them are simply overqualified for their prestigious jobs, distinguished for their outstanding wits. To show the brilliance of their intelligence, I would like to throw in a quote which can smite a politician of any strength and caliber. Listen to this: ‘I offer my opponents a bargain: if they stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them’. Wow! This might be considered the acme of an opposing skill, expressed just in a single catchphrase during a political controversy. Notwithstanding their illustrious brain power, politicians may rarely be trusted with their words and actions. The most widespread understanding of how much confidence an average politician deserves is nut-shelled in the following figurative interpretation of their generalized character: instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks. A smile, if not a laugh, may follow, having heard and fathomed the thought buried in this turn of phrase, but in fact, there is nothing too facetious about it: the politicians who match this wisdom are often found in high places, controlling our everyday life, feeling as smug as a bug in a rug. And you know why? Because we usually tend to hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. That’s exactly how it is everywhere, but God forbid in Georgia, especially in the hopeful aftermath of these bygone elections, which we can duly enjoy provided absurdity is not a handicap in politics.
*Courtesy: Aesop, Aristotle, Napoleon, Bacon, Bismarck, Einstein, Stevenson, Khrushchev, De Gaul, and others
By Nugzar B. Ruhadze