It wouldn't take much of a search through the recent archives of DailyKos to discern that, to put it kindly, I have been relatively disappointed with the first (almost) full-year of the Obama administration. My comments have largely expressed disappointment, and I've felt disillusioned enough not to contribute but a single diary to this website in the past dozen or so months. On the disappointment side of the ledger for me and not necessarilly in this order: (1) the waste of political capital bailing out the Wall Street criminals; (2) the fruitless and futile and all-too lengthy public pursuit of GOP support for the health care measure; (3) the failure (in my view) to fight hard enough for a public option in the health care bill; (4) a continuation of some Bush era policies that heavily weighed in favor of national security over privacy issues. I wasn't happy with much of this. I'm still not.
I was fortunate, however, recently to have come across the following antecdote that has caused me to rethink some of my impulses and assessments, above, and to reconsider and attempt to reconcile how it is I should and will approach the important political year of 2010--and beyond:
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
The one you feed. That answer touched what was becoming an increasingly hard political heart. For me and I think for many other progressives here at DailyKos who have shared my disappointment, the terrible battle has been between two wolves--the evil wolf (anger that the money interests still control this country, disillusion that we've still yet to see real reform on Wall Street, disappointment with seemingly broken promise re: a stronger, more Kennedyesque healthcare bill--seasoned by an over-riding sense of betrayal and disbelief on the Obama administration's handling of other issues) and the good wolf (happiness with the tangible signs of improvement in U.S. environmental policy, humility--the recollection that I don't know everything) and, in general, hope that the economic worst has passed and that jobs will begin to be created that will put good and hardworking people like my cousin back to work.)
This diary is not intended to make a point re: any specific issue. A thousand and one diaries were written here at DailyKos in the past year intelligently debating the merits of these and other issues. This diary is intended to make a point about where we've been as a country during the past decade--8 years of political hell, essentially. It is intended as a commentary on how we progressives should attempt to assess the true state of the political road we now find ourselves travelling.
Which wolf will we feed in 2010? It's an important question because, all of us here--I have no doubt--can recognize and agree that there is still much work to be done for the poor, the unemployed, those who still continue to not have health insurance, to save our planet from mankind's and corporate abuse, to help our fellow citizens of the world whose lives are almost unimaginably different than our own because of corporate greed and self-interest and inequity.
The desolate political landscape from the past eight years is still in sight of my rear-view mirror. It is a soul-less and heartless place. The land at hand is better by far, but many good roads remain to be traveled and much of the good fight remains to be fought. The battles ahead will not be won if we do not choose to feed the right wolf in 2010. It is a conscious choice I am making--one I would hope we would all choose to make.