Until November: duck and cover

Politics is a blood sport, as a friend pointed out today. Campaigns are a lot like a bloody boxing match, a dog or cock fight: crude, primitive, vicious.

Though they are always nasty, my perception of this U.S. presidential campaign, now in damn-the-torpedos mode, is that it is one of, maybe the most, toxic I can remember. My friend said it feels epic, like a mythical battle between the forces of good and evil. The energy, to me, feels carcinogenic, radioactive, fiercely poisonous.

For the John Qs and Jane Does, I mean those of us who feel it is our civic duty to listen to every hateful message, it is literally toxic.

In a world that was sane, we citizens of the U.S. would not need advertising or political analysis. We would check the voting, educational and business records of the two candidates, read what each man has actually said, not what is the result of news media analysis, then vote according to our ethical and moral values. After the election, if our candidate did not win, we would be good sports, understand that both parties want what's best for the country, we simply disagree on how to get there.

The world is not sane. Hence what I advise is to learn as much as you can, IF you can find a neutral source, decide for whom you will vote, then turn immediately to more vivifying pursuits. I have yet to find any truly neutral news source, but I'm not saying there isn't more or less objective reporting going on out there somewhere. Most of what is sold as news is egregiously biased, maybe purposefully confusing, and sadly, too, it is perhaps purposefully crafted to enrage those who take it in.

Stress, outrage, fear and anger are very unhealthy psychically, physically and emotionally. Tuning in too closely to the campaign will set anyone's liver on fire, no matter who or what you support. If you are one who needs to vent your spleen, tune in, vent a little bit, but then get out before you do yourself any lasting damage.

I am methodically hiding every political post on FB, no matter whether it supports the man I will vote for or not. I'm googling "ten cutest cat videos," watching silly movies, taking in beauty and listening to a lot of music in an effort to counter the bad mojo.

Though as citizens we are obliged to try as best we can to stay well informed, when the gloves come off as they have, from now to November, I think it does no one any good to be subjected to the poisonous, bloody sport of politics. You wouldn't purposely eat rat poison, right? I hope you wouldn't!

The ugliness is bi-partisan. There is no escape unless you purposely tune out.

May the best man win. Salaam, Shalom, Peace.