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The progressive philosopher and Democratic candidate Gore Vidal once wrote in an essay, “At any given moment, public opinion is a chaos of superstition, misinformation and prejudice.” How true those words ring, especially as we see tumultuous events happening in the world around us. 

For my younger readers, count yourself lucky if you were born in the year 1990 or later. For the most part, the news cycle has not been this chaotic for a very long time, nor has our politics been so agitating, divisive and confusing in a very long time. 

In just the last few months alone, we’ve seen a former president found guilty of 34 felony counts for private actions taken before and during his time in office. Then, just a few days ago, that same former president  from the U.S. Supreme Court that gave him “absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority” and entitled him “to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts.”

“In every use of official power,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented on page 30 of the court syllabus, “the President is now a king above the law.” 

Then, following an anemic CNN debate between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic incumbent president Joe Biden, we witnessed an implosion of confidence in Biden, so much so that pundits, some members of Congress and  have demanded he either step down as a candidate, or even resign as president.

What was shocking for many was that up until the debate, many media and political personalities had given Biden cover that there was nothing wrong with his mental fitness.  by the Al Jazeera network released last week catalogues the sudden flip-flop and mass turning against Biden, posing a question to viewers how is it possible that only now people are making a point about the president’s age and competency? ? 

The sense one gets from the last week of punditry is that President Biden is here to stay (at least for now) but there is also a political game of fantasy football going on between media and pundits suggesting he must go (or could still go). 

Speaking hypothetically: If Biden chose to drop out, he would be exposing American voters to something they haven’t seen  he would not run for reelection in 1968. If Biden went a step further and resigned from the presidency to allow Vice President Kamala Harris to take over, he would be doing something Americans haven’t seen .

Now add to that the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Houthi shipping crisis, the Israeli/Gaza/Lebanon/Iran conflict, the China-Taiwan tensions, the bad economy, the climate crisis and all the other crazy things going on in the world right now. 

We’re back to monarchy! War in the Middle East, Armageddon! The oceans are dying! 

Are you feeling anxious, nervous, confused, even intimidated by all these developments? You’re not alone, and you’re certainly right to feel that way.

Now for transparency, I supported former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley in her unsuccessful race to be the Republican nominee. You vote for whoever you want this election. That is your right. But as we consider our choices, voters should realize that this moment in time calls for an enlightened response to the news and events we see around us. The crazier things get, the saner and more level-headed we need to be to preserve democracy.

Democracy is only as good or bad as citizens are informed or uninformed, and I am concerned that we lack mature information processing skills in what is clearly a very tense and dangerous moment.

To begin, the first thing all of us need to do is to start considering sources of information and weighing them based on their credibility rather than their hype. Not everything that is persuasive is credible, and just because everyone is saying something does not make it true. Further, popular voices do not equal trustworthy voices.

One of the reasons we’ve become susceptible to excesses in our political alignment is we’ve allowed innuendo, rumor and knee-jerk to guide our interactions and voting. Stop. Think about the news and talk about it respectfully with your family, friends and neighbors often so that you cross-pollinate one another with observations.

Sometimes we need to be told “no, that’s wrong, you haven’t heard all the facts, so listen up.” The more diverse your interaction, the more balanced your worldview will be.

Next, there is a real problem with people just giving up and quitting engagement. I know more than just a few in my personal and career circle who are so intimidated by how crazy the news is that they shut down and say they’re not qualified to vote. 

If you don’t understand the world issues or the various candidates, don’t exclude yourself. If you have literacy issues, don’t exclude yourself. Instead,  and ask the librarian there if they can help you find content that is easy to read about the topic or person you want to know more about. 

When I was in high school and college, I would always go to the library help desks and ask for advice. Unlike the last century, libraries can direct you to a plethora of multimedia and online resources that can build your knowledge and confidence quick. And if they can’t assist you, every librarian will almost certainly give you a referral to someone who can elsewhere for free.

We also have to be careful about indifference. Some people look at the chaos and noise swirling around us and say that it’s always been like this, so there’s nothing we can do about it. Some retreat to saying everything is OK and nothing is worth ever getting excited about. Others still insulate themselves from the responsibility of being alert by making fun of everything, insulting everyone and reveling in the entertainment complex that politics has become.

People who retreat to that safe harbor of “not my concern” or “this is all a joke” are largely the reason the establishment always stays in power.

We are more than just “the masses” to be targeted for marketing or programmed for manipulation. We are shareholders, stakeholders and most importantly voters for the future of this nation. It’s time to step up, because it’s only going to get worse so long as we don’t do the heavy lifting as voters.