Feel ambivalent about politics? Me, too.
Is politics...
- virtuous or corrupting?
- empowering or disempowering?
- unifying or divisive?
- effective or ineffective?
It's both because of several paradoxes inherent in politics:
- Power: you need it to change the world, but once you have it, are you still going to do that?
- Aspiration: idealism paints a hopeful future, while realism anchors us in the present
- Duty: being responsible for the outcomes as well as our means of attaining them
- Change: personal growth and societal change - is one viable without the other?
- Humanity: politics is a distinctly human activity, in the best & worst sense
- Progress: competition fuels innovation, while cooperation builds bridges
The alternative to deciding if it's this or that: both-and-thinking.
2 ways to do this:
Creative integration aka 'the mule':
How can I combine both sides for a better outcome?
Consistent inconsistency aka 'the tightrope walker':
How can I maintain balance over time, even if it looks imbalanced in the moment?
Paradoxes are what make politics so interesting and difficult.
What paradoxes did I miss?
p.s. 👇 below, find the latest podcast, what I'm currently reading/listening to and my favourite quote this week
🎙️ My latest podcast
This is a book review of "7 Rules of Power" by Jeffrey Pfeffer, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University:
Daniel Matteo
📚 What I read & listen to
Do you feel skeptical about what the future of AI has in store for us? This conversation with Marc Andreessen (software engineer, venture capitalist and one of the big names in Silicon Valley) might make you more optimistic:
lexteam
🖋️ My favourite quote
"The question isn't who's going to let me; it's who's going to stop me." -
Ayn Rand