Stop Worrying About The Country
An argument for localism and moderation of temperament. (6 min. read)
My argument: at most margins, you should NOT worry about the country.
The impetus for this argument was of course the comedian Chris Rock. By way of Michelle Obama.
At the beginning of Rock’s Netflix comedy special, Chris Rock Total Blackout: The Extended Tamborine Cut, they show a clip of Rock on Jimmy Fallon’s show talking about the last party at the Obama White House. Long story short, Michelle Obama was worried about the direction of the country post-election of the host of The Apprentice. (Is former NBC stars where we should be looking for 2024 candidates? My top three choices would be Steve Carell, Jerry Seinfeld, and Will Smith. Smith to intimidate our foreign enemies of course.)
My point is not to criticize the former first lady for being worried about the direction of the country under President Trump. But the framing of concern for the country as a whole is too broad. It obscures specific problems. While also combining together federal, state, and local issues into one big problem. And it leads to proposing aggressive changes and policies that would make things worse rather than better.
One better way to reframe these issues is with a conservative lens. One that offers localism over nationalism, and moderation of temperament over dogmatism. I personally don’t worry much about the direction of the country under President Biden. Even though his overall managing of the economy leaves a lot to be desired. Examples being limiting domestic drilling of oil and natural gas and too much fiscal spending contributing to inflation. But I’m most concerned with my own life and what’s in my control. This is a stoic philosophy, but also one that doesn’t lead to more polarization and partisanship.
A critic would reply: “It must be nice to not have to worry about poverty, medical debt, and climate change.” But what is the better choice at the margin, worry or indifference? The answer is simple. Whichever leads to a more positive change.
Back to Chris Rock. Rock responds to Michelle Obama’s worry with a you’ll be alright. I think you’ll be able to get your choice of jobs. To which Obama obviously responds, “I was talking about the country.”
But Rock is unintentionally making an important point. That we should not worry about things we cannot affect. Michelle Obama, unlike most, is in a position of influence and relative power. So when she’s worried about Trump, she actually can do something about it. But for the average person our political influence is limited. (And unfortunately voting is not really how change happens.)
Two more reasons to be more concerned with yourself then the whole country. One, that’s how we can get better policy outcomes. Two, that’s how you can have more of a positive effect on your life and therefore the direction of the country.
One of my problems with people lamenting the polarization of our country is that not everyone is polarized. Maybe not even a majority of the country is polarized. If you care about polarization then the first step is for you to stop being polarized. Start by turning off cable news. Then respect people with different viewpoints. Be open to changing your mind. Find the best in argument’s that the other party or ideology makes. If everyone did this, especially media members and politicians, most of polarization would be gone. Unfortunately that’s not realistic. The media knows that polarization sells and politicians know that polarization wins elections. (This isn’t entirely true, see the median voter theorem from Tyler Cowen.) Hence, the easiest avenue for change is the individual.
One of the best ideas I’ve learned from Jordan Peterson (take or leave him as a public intellectual), is to get your own house in order before you try to change the world. This philosophy starts with the deceptively simple initial instruction: “make your own bed”. When you make your bed (which I don’t really do by the way), you’re not just keeping your room organized. But are starting you on the path of order in your life. It is easy to be outraged at the trolls on Twitter who spew vitriol and hate in the name of a righteous cause. It’s harder to get your entire house in order one small action at a time.
When people in power make bad decisions, somewhere along the line their house or life was not in order. A bad financial decision leads to accepting a bribe. Or their ideologically blinded by a friend or lobbyist who convinces them to go along with a bad piece of legislation.
Those who care about the direction of the country are wasting time and energy that could be spent on the direction of their local community. Or even more important, their families.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said in a 1987 interview:
“They are casting their problems at society. And, you know, there's no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves and then, also, to look after our neighbours."
This quote has stuck in my head because today, not enough people are concerned with themselves and their families. Concern for yourself and your family is not selfish. It’s the best way to be unselfish and give to others. For example, a teacher has little effect on the world but a lot of small, intangible, and far into the future effect. These small local actions are going to help the direction of the country more than most political actions one can take.
Thatcher is implying if everyone took responsibility for their lives, helped out their families, and treated people in their local communities like true neighbors and friends, there would be much less need for government in the first place. Unfortunately, when this gets suggested it gets labeled as, “you don’t want to help poor and suffering people.” The context here is key. Different time periods need more government (1929 Great Depression), and today we need less.
I hope that we can reach a point in our political discourse and then are public policies where the government can help those who need help, but not overstep their bound. Either financially or socially. The more you learn about welfare spending and the legacy of The Great Society the more you see there is no monetary substitute for individual purpose at work and a strong family.
The next time you’re worried about the direction of the country stop and think about what kind of change you can create. On the margin, most of us can only do small things that will ultimately not impact these issues at all. But a lot of small choices can change the world. And politics is downstream of culture. More importantly, good individuals, good families, and good communities will make the country a better place to live in.