The cranky old guy at the end of the block = me
Just had a moment of shaking my head sadly at something Elijah (yes, that one) retweeted. And in the middle of responding to him about it, I kinda lit on a little epiphany. Mostly about politics, but it can apply to other things, too. In a nutshell: when you're young and have a crapload of energy, a year seems like forever. And when you're righteously indignated by something, you tend to spend every ounce of that energy trying to correct it RIGHT NOW, DAMMIT.
But then--and this is the sad/frustrating part--eventually it becomes clear that revolutions don't usually create results, and definitely not overnight. You look at all the energy you spent trying to fix things, and look at how little seemed to have been changed in (what seems to you like) a very long time, and you get dejected. And then apathetic.
In the worst cases, people then decide that if all their effort was for (seemingly) naught, then there's no point in expending any effort at all. They end up like those sad, bitter people who sit in front of their TVs and bitch about poor sports refereeing, and never bother to vote because they think it's a waste of time.
In the REALLY worst cases, people end up as nihilists, and start merrily destroying everyone else's lives just because their own didn't come with sparkles and porn stars by the time they were 25. If they didn't get what they "deserved" and "worked for", then dammit, no one else should get anything, either. Gnarrh!
The problem with this, of course, is that it's not just sad to see people wasting a perfectly good life being bitter and hateful, but the ripple effect of their go-eat-worms tantrums actually makes it worse for everyone else, and even harder for the rest of us to work within existing structures to create lasting, sustainable change that benefits everyone.
There's always a moment of awakening when you're young. When you're old enough to get your family blinders off and see the world for what it really is, but young enough to still feel relatively powerless to create change, there's a serious shock to the system. Depending on where you are at the time and what personal injustices you've suffered, the next step is usually going completely apeshit on whatever group or system you've decided is ultimately repsonsible.
What influences you get around this time can shape your politics for years to come. Read Ayn Rand? You're going to assume that you're one of the Special People who are being beaten down by the drooling masses, and either go full-on misanthrope, doing your best to make everyone else's life miserable, or drop out of the system, thinking that, as you're so incredibly special, your absence will undoubtedly make a statement. (Hint: you're not, and it doesn't.) If you're poor, the overall political landscape where you're at will lead you to either blame government or blame capitalism. (Rarely, some folks learn to blame both, and even more rarely, a few very bright people figure out that the real problem is the marriage of capitalism and government, which should be separated as cleanly as church and state.) If you're in a marginalized group, you can easily end up angry at and suspicious of anyone who even remotely resembles those who have oppressed your people, and end up isolating yourself.
Whatever your particular quirk, though, personal injustice + charismatic cult leader = rageflail. And, when the rageflail has spent itself, and one sees so little change, the disillusionment sets in. Next thing you know, midlife crisis, substance abuse, your kids think you're messed up, blah blah.
The moral of this story is probably something along the lines of tortoise and hare, but I don't necessarily agree that's the only way to create lasting change. Personally, I've found it most effective to do life in a series of hardcore sprints, with long rest periods in between. That may be my ADD talking, but hey, it works for me. Whichever method works best for an individual, though, the principle is the same: don't burn yourself out expecting to create large-scale change overnight. If you keep working at it in useful, practical ways, either slow and steady, or in bursts, or whatever, change WILL happen eventually. Eventually, you'll turn 40, look back at where you came from, and say, "Whoa. Holy shit. Nine years ago, having gay sex in Idaho could get you life in prison, and now same-sex couples are getting married in several states. Who knew?"
Keeping your spirits up when the inevitable setbacks occur is hard, definitely. But if you factor that in, and also factor in your own rest periods to rebuild your strength, eventually, you'll get there. Two steps forward and one step back is still a step forward. I truly believe that, outside of a few true sociopaths (many of whom have disproportionate political and/or economic power, dammit) most people really do want to see the world become a better place. Not just for them, but for everyone. Where the problem comes in is if, in our frustration at that not happening how and when we want it to, we either stop making any effort, or start throwing our anger and frustration into destruction.
Which, of course, will just end up disillusioning more energetic kids down the road.
But then--and this is the sad/frustrating part--eventually it becomes clear that revolutions don't usually create results, and definitely not overnight. You look at all the energy you spent trying to fix things, and look at how little seemed to have been changed in (what seems to you like) a very long time, and you get dejected. And then apathetic.
In the worst cases, people then decide that if all their effort was for (seemingly) naught, then there's no point in expending any effort at all. They end up like those sad, bitter people who sit in front of their TVs and bitch about poor sports refereeing, and never bother to vote because they think it's a waste of time.
In the REALLY worst cases, people end up as nihilists, and start merrily destroying everyone else's lives just because their own didn't come with sparkles and porn stars by the time they were 25. If they didn't get what they "deserved" and "worked for", then dammit, no one else should get anything, either. Gnarrh!
The problem with this, of course, is that it's not just sad to see people wasting a perfectly good life being bitter and hateful, but the ripple effect of their go-eat-worms tantrums actually makes it worse for everyone else, and even harder for the rest of us to work within existing structures to create lasting, sustainable change that benefits everyone.
There's always a moment of awakening when you're young. When you're old enough to get your family blinders off and see the world for what it really is, but young enough to still feel relatively powerless to create change, there's a serious shock to the system. Depending on where you are at the time and what personal injustices you've suffered, the next step is usually going completely apeshit on whatever group or system you've decided is ultimately repsonsible.
What influences you get around this time can shape your politics for years to come. Read Ayn Rand? You're going to assume that you're one of the Special People who are being beaten down by the drooling masses, and either go full-on misanthrope, doing your best to make everyone else's life miserable, or drop out of the system, thinking that, as you're so incredibly special, your absence will undoubtedly make a statement. (Hint: you're not, and it doesn't.) If you're poor, the overall political landscape where you're at will lead you to either blame government or blame capitalism. (Rarely, some folks learn to blame both, and even more rarely, a few very bright people figure out that the real problem is the marriage of capitalism and government, which should be separated as cleanly as church and state.) If you're in a marginalized group, you can easily end up angry at and suspicious of anyone who even remotely resembles those who have oppressed your people, and end up isolating yourself.
Whatever your particular quirk, though, personal injustice + charismatic cult leader = rageflail. And, when the rageflail has spent itself, and one sees so little change, the disillusionment sets in. Next thing you know, midlife crisis, substance abuse, your kids think you're messed up, blah blah.
The moral of this story is probably something along the lines of tortoise and hare, but I don't necessarily agree that's the only way to create lasting change. Personally, I've found it most effective to do life in a series of hardcore sprints, with long rest periods in between. That may be my ADD talking, but hey, it works for me. Whichever method works best for an individual, though, the principle is the same: don't burn yourself out expecting to create large-scale change overnight. If you keep working at it in useful, practical ways, either slow and steady, or in bursts, or whatever, change WILL happen eventually. Eventually, you'll turn 40, look back at where you came from, and say, "Whoa. Holy shit. Nine years ago, having gay sex in Idaho could get you life in prison, and now same-sex couples are getting married in several states. Who knew?"
Keeping your spirits up when the inevitable setbacks occur is hard, definitely. But if you factor that in, and also factor in your own rest periods to rebuild your strength, eventually, you'll get there. Two steps forward and one step back is still a step forward. I truly believe that, outside of a few true sociopaths (many of whom have disproportionate political and/or economic power, dammit) most people really do want to see the world become a better place. Not just for them, but for everyone. Where the problem comes in is if, in our frustration at that not happening how and when we want it to, we either stop making any effort, or start throwing our anger and frustration into destruction.
Which, of course, will just end up disillusioning more energetic kids down the road.