Jeremy C Kester

There’s something that happens as I start to write anything political. It normally happens at about 300 words into it. As I continue to write, I wonder what the point is. Whatever I write is only my opinion, and opinions are absolutely like an asshole.

Why the hell does it matter to write down my opinion? And why should I as most of what I write in the political sphere is fluid, changing as more information comes in, which is continuous. Why should I write when in fact I say the answer to every single political problem is “it depends”. Depends on the facts of the events, depends on the end goal, depends on the people involved, the consequences, etc etc etc. It means that there is never a one-size-fits-all solution to political problems… and I don’t give a fuck what political alignment one is – Democrats, Libertarians, Republicans, etc simply don’t hold all the answers. But that’s also a big reason why we need a constant back and forth. Then again, it requires a scientific approach coupled with humility, both concepts which appear to be completely dead in politics.

So as I write anything, I start to look at what I write and I begin to doubt. As a writer, doubt is dangerous. Doubt stalls the writer. What does it matter what my opinion is on any matter as there is no guarantee that whatever I say is right? Thought. That is what I have to remember: the goal is thought.

What matters of the opinion that anyone spits out (or shits out in keeping with the “asshole” analogy) is that there is an opportunity for debate and thought. I have to remember that as I write whatever it is that I write. There may be a great chance that what I write will be wrong, and a greater chance that others will disagree, but if that’s the cost of getting people to think… I guess then my opinion might be worth offering.