In the first post of this trilogy, we saw that our pervasive political truth is that it is “office politics” writ large, about fighting each other. In the second, we saw that it’s not really true, it’s a context. Can we choose what political context we’re living in?

The poet Edna St. Vincent Millay said: “It is not true that life is one damn thing after another. It’s the same damn thing over and over.” It’s the bad kind of politics over and over because we mistakenly see it as true. Occasionally we doubt it, or see something else. But then something happens and we stop. We then refuse to see it’s a choice. So we keep choosing it. And then we say, “That’s life.” As if it’s true.

What if we become aware that it’s a choice? What if we see that we can make another choice. What if we invest a little bit of time, effort and even money into another choice, a new choice in which people count? If you invest in it, it’ll become a bit real, a bit true. Living into it and creating it will help make it real for all of us, truer and truer.

What if we build a structure that supports people counting in politics? We design the roles and responsibilities and rewards so it supports us continually creating a future where politics is simply how we work together constructively to guide government and hold it accountable? We’ll give it an organization and rules that support its success. We can make it empower citizens, elected officials and even candidates running for office, so it can grow and become stronger.

It’s really just a choice. But we choose. Until you choose a solution and act on it, you’re choosing to perpetuate it. I suggest you choose a solution that delivers real political accountability.

You’re either part of the solution, or part of the problem. Choose.