Anti-recreational drug use activists love to talk about the debilitating impacts of the abuse of drugs, most notably amotivational syndrome. But I would argue there is no more serious cause of amotivational syndrome than politics.

Politics as commonly promised and promoted is either a bunch of meaningless, feel good actions or dying for your country in part or in whole. Politics too often is about ignoring the problems in your own life with the belief that the government is benolevent and will make your life better, contrary to all evidence.

I’m a political director. I have supervised and managed political campaigns and communications for my whole career. Politics has always been for me a source of income and entertainment but nothing more. Like so many Americans I used to be angry when I disagreed with the policies government pursued and sometimes I would attend public hearings and protests. But I realized such protests and anger are misplaced, as many cases I don’t really have a dog in the fight and even if I do what is my lowly voice going to do?

People think I must have really strong political convictions or follow the news carefully. I don’t. Having spend two decades in politics, I’ve learned it best to operate solely on a need to know basis. When I’m actively working for a candidate, I’ll study the local news for messaging possibilities and how the local power brokers interact and nothing more or less. I don’t take sides or really care about the local shit storm if it’s not relevant in the battle over raw power.

It really bothers me when people choose to turn on television and get all worked up about the politicians. Or waste their life running for and holding office, sacrificing what could have otherwise been a meaningful life. I’m not saying that being a power broker is not a career and source of income for some people. Indeed, government service can be a lucrative career for many especially in areas without significant other industries. But I don’t think politics is a worthwhile hobby or interest for anybody not in the money side of the businesses.