I’m writing this at 9 p.m. on election night, so I don’t know who’s going to win, but by the time you read this, you’ll probably know. I’m watching people meltdown on Twitter and Facebook, and it’s making me think about the relationship between politics and culture. No matter who wins, many of my readers will be thrilled, and just as many will be depressed. Either way, it’s worth remembering Scottish politician Andrew Fletcher’s quote: “Let me write the songs of a nation: I don’t care who writes its laws.”
Whatever happens with the election, if you’re an artist, filmmaker, pastor, writer, teacher, business person, leader – whatever, keep moving forward. Create. Spark visions. Inspire people. Speak the truth. The influence of culture is far more significant and life-changing than whoever sits in the White House.
Politics are important, no question. The direction of the country, the national debt, and national security are all critical issues. But as Confucius said: “To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.”
Start where you are, and make change happen. As R.R. Reno said in the magazine “First Things”: “At the end of the day, elections don’t shape or influence our cultural imaginations. It’s worth remembering that the future of America will turn on culture, not politics: the poetry of our moral and social imaginations, not punditry. So by all means vote, but don’t neglect the real and deeper sources of public life.”
Now get back out there in the fray and start creating …
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