I remember seeing Elvis Presley perform at the old Hartford Civic Center. He was a white-winged moth circling a stage so very far away. Colored lights made it even more surreal. Each time I took hold of the binoculars from my sister for a turn, I found myself gaping instead at the audience standing closest to the stage. It was a fascinating revelation of perspective as they responded to him.
Once again, the presidential election is upon us and offers a wide variety of contestants. We see the full range of political innuendo and speeches that can be called inspirational by some, meaningless tripe by others. There is the tendency to view the hero and the adversary in different ways; one is a liar as the other comes clean. There is never such a stage set for hypocrisy not only for the candidates, but for the electors, and I find it more intriguing to focus on the latter to truly learn about perception and the difference in what is interpreted by the masses as individuals, or at the the very least, a sector of like-minded folk.
Thank God for the liberal and conservative views; thank Allah and Yahweh and the Big Bang itself for creating a world where people are different. For diversity is not celebrated based on race and religion alone, but on individual opinion and a right to that opinion because we all see things with different eyes. What better chance to see the passion of the other view as reasonable; what better arena to realize the opposition holds a strong point too. Power is in numbers and majority rule; yet even a few still hold validity in their different values. What better time for a writer to observe and draw from that his characters.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology