Politics matter, but politics can't come first. If politics come first in your life, something is wrong with you. It's a sad thing.
Interpretation
Politics should be secondary to fundamental values and personal well-being.
In this quote, Ben Sasse emphasizes that while politics is important in society, it should not dominate one's life or identity. Prioritizing politics above all else can lead to a misguided life, missing out on deeper, more meaningful aspects of existence such as personal values, relationships, and well-being.
In practice
During a lecture on civic responsibility, this quote can be used to highlight the importance of maintaining balance in life.
Among the responsibilities of each citizen in a participatory democracy is keeping ourselves sufficiently informed so that we can participate effectively, argue our positions honorably, and hopefully, forge sufficient consensus to understand each other and then to govern.
Becoming a reader grows our horizons, our appetite for the good, the true and the beautiful, and our empathy.
The health of our republic depends on shared principles like the First Amendment, but it is also built on the Teddy Roosevelt-like vigor of its citizens and local self-reliance.
Being stuck in adolescence - that's a hell. 'Peter Pan' is a dystopia, and we forget that. Neverland is a bad place to be.
Rising political tribalism, shamelessly exaggerating our opponents' claims or behavior, is leaving us vulnerable: No one loves America's internal fighting - and our increasingly siloed news consumption - more than Vladimir Putin.
Good history is good story-telling. And good story-telling demands empathy; it requires understanding different actors, differing motivations, competing goals.
There is one catagory of advertising which is totally uncontrolled and flagrantly dishonest: the television commercials for candidates in Presidential elections.
Those looking for ideology in the White House should consider this: For the men who rule our world, rules are for other people.
You know that Republicans will yell about the evils of partisanship whenever anyone tries to make a connection between the rhetoric of Beck, Limbaugh, etc. and the violence I fear weβre going to see in the months and years ahead. But violent acts are what happen when you create a climate of hate. And itβs long past time for the GOPβs leaders to take a stand against the hate-mongers.
I believe that Brazil was prepared to elect a woman. Why? Because Brazilian women achieved that. I didn't come here by myself, by my own merits. We are a majority here in this country.
When you have armed militants, aided and abetted by a major country like Russia, able to use surface-to-air missiles to bring down a commercial airline, that is a form of terrorism.
There are some militarists who say: βWe are not interested in politics but only in the profession of arms.β It is vital that these simple-minded militarists be made to realize the relationship that exists between politics and military affairs. Military action is a method used to attain a political goal. While military affairs and political affairs are not identical, it is impossible to isolate one from the other.
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