It seems clear to me the people who are most active in political issues are dissatisfied with the current state of politics. It’s not that they feel we are headed in the right direction, just at a slow pace; they see our politics as fundamentally broken.

Why don’t these people become completely black pilled like so many others do and opt out completely? The truth is many probably will burn out with disillusionment like the others. Still, some will continue to persist. Why? If they know the political landscape is deeply dysfunctional, and they are one person, then why persist?

I would say there is a key difference in worldview with the persistent. They have a strong belief in a meaningful, purposeful, intelligent world. This is why, when they notice injustices, they can’t just accept them because this is not how the world is supposed to be. Further, they feel a sense of responsibility to intervene.

I see the people who hold this worldview as both admirable and aligned with truth, but at the same time, I see them making a grave mistake. They error by not taking the time to dive deeper into their worldview. They sense that their optimism about the potential of the world is true and then they use the impulsive motivation from their sense of duty to thrust themselves back into the political morass.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean these people are not pessimistic, even deeply so. Though, I would say they are pessimistic about the current state of the world precisely due to their optimism about the world’s potential.

Thoughts?

Maybe through opting out - knowing the current state of wtf politics is to be empty noise - they can live better. Focus on themselves and their local community, and how they can be an example via interaction with others. You can stay somewhat politically abreast, but there's really nothing profound to the modern landscape other than its exactly similar nature with the past.

......behind his head on the telescreen there marched the endless columns of the Eurasian army -- row after row of solid-looking men with expressionless Asiatic faces, who swam up to the surface of the screen and vanished, to be replaced by others exactly similar.

I guess I’m wondering if people have thoughts on the worldview I’m attributing to them: the pessimism layered on top of optimism. I see that tension as the initial driving force of the politically persistent.

Of course, political identities form and you get tribalism. The underlying optimism erodes away. When that happens, it all becomes toxic.

In my experience, the underlying optimism requires maintenance through introspection. It requires a step back to reflect on the big picture worldview.

War is a force that gives us meaning.

And the introspection - weighing one's thoughts, balancing one's thoughts(the optimism/ pessimism) - is distinctive to each individual.

Makes you think of how important influences are, circumstances, genetics etc etc. Innumerable variables

lmao we need a psychohistorian