Three Seats

[H2O Man]

32. Thanks, Martin.

I think it is the way to help to release the other inmates from their shackles, too. It involves a process, I suppose. One of my old co-workers who was once a good Democrat with an open mind, married into a semi-wealthy republican family. Living on a steady diet of Fox News for years changed him in ways that made it difficult for others in the old gang to recognize him. A number of them blocked him on social media. He and I remain close friends, and one of the things that became rather common was to see him debate with my children, both on social media and in person.

Now, all four of my kids are very capable when it comes to debating. One afternoon last summer, when he stopped by to see me, my younger son was here doing yard work for me. Within a short period of time, the two of them were debating politics, so I excused myself. Let them go at it for a while. When they were done, my friend told me he was impressed at how wise my boy was at such a young age. But then he began complaining about the young people in Black Lives Matter and antifa.

I reminded him of our generation's experiences in the 1960s - '70s. We were sincere, which many older people appreciated ..... yet we were self-righteous, and certain that we knew everything, which many older people resented. He agreed, and we shared some old stories and had a good laugh.

In the context of those two wolves, my message to him was that we chose not only which of the two internal ones we feed, but which one we feed in others that we encounter. I live in a very republican area of upstate NY. Registered Democrats are outnumbered by both republicans and independents. Having grown up with these people, I do understand their frustrations with the direction this country is going in. But they have been tricked into believing that it is the non-white people and liberal whites who are the cause of their problems. Most of them view me as a radical leftist, which may or may not be accurate. So my goal is to communicate to them that I'm not their enemy, that we actually still have much in common, but that the forces that are threatening this country are not who they have identified.

It takes patience. But I remember when, in 1973, Rubin told me that with patience, the smallest creature can climb the highest mountain.