Nothing never changes

I was thinking the other day about politics, but also about vampires; specifically, how, according to legend, vampires can be held at bay by presenting a symbol of faith. For Christians that would be a crucifix, but I imagine that a yin-yang symbol or the Star of David would work as well. Yet, as Peter Vincent learned, the symbol works only if you have faith; otherwise, you're just holding a piece of wood, or plaster, or tin. Vampires, who create nothing, believe in nothing, and exist only to consume and corrupt, are the ultimate nihilists. Faith, being the conviction that some things matter, is the antidote to nihilism; thus, vampires cannot abide it.

Much has been said about what's gone wrong with the American political system, and it's easy to blame our leaders--okay, really easy in the case of Marjorie Taylor-Greene--but they don't have magical powers that enabled their rise. They got to where they are because the voters put them there, and they remain in place because too many Americans think nothing matters. 

All politicans lie, but Donald Trump just got caught. 

Both parties are the same, so my vote is meaningless.

Nothing ever changes.

To this mindset, no belief is sincere, no effort is earnest, and no desire for reform is trustworthy. Everyone is on the take, or biased, or just out for themselves, and anyone who claims differently is either lying or stupid.  There's a comfort to thinking this way, because it means we no longer have to try. Instead, we can adopt a phony world-weariness that says it's wise to be jaded. That's a fool's belief, and it leads only to a fool's end.

When we view the world as a place of corruption, we corrupt ourselves. When we lose ourselves to cynicism, we lose our power. When we insist that nothing can change, we ensure nothing will change. We give ourselves to the vampires, who devour everything we have and leave us with nothing. This is the space in which the Donald Trumps, Matt Gaetzes, and Marjorie Taylor-Greenes thrive. If these people can make us think that everyone is phony and everything is rigged, then we will endure anyone and accept anything.

Faith is the conviction that some people are earnest, that some intentions are basically pure, and that it's possible to do the right thing. It's the confidence that we really can drive away the vampires if only we believe we can.