Most of us here in the US have never heard of Reem Sahwil and I want her to meet you, that’s why I am writing this post. In 2015, a 14-year-old Palestinian refugee in Germany burst into tears in front of the camera, midway through an encounter with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as she begged Merkel to spare her family from deportation.
Merkel, visibly startled, tried to comfort her. It was a touching, short moment captured on camera for a lifetime. The girl was a shy child, with a protective family. She had a disability that had brought them to seek medical care in Germany. The girl spoke flawless German, surprisingly with a slight German accent.
Reem Sahwil showed her sadness openly, and many people all over the world felt empathy and sympathy with her. I always wondered if maybe that encounter was the reason that Angela Merkel one year later in 2016, decided to take 1 million Syrian refugees in. I wish I could ask her.
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Angela Merkel was born and raised in the former DDR, the Eastern part of Germany, a socialist state that existed from 1949 to 1990. I was formed -and controlled- by the former Soviet Union. Merkle, while born free in Hamburg Germany, was brought to the DDR as an infant. She lived there until the fall of the Berlin Wall, obtained a doctorate in quantum chemistry in 1986, and worked as a research scientist until 1989. Angela Merkel has a heart and she showed it.
Political sadness. For example, after elections or when it comes to political violence, like after the death of George Floyd. Sadness when politicians fail to solve problems that citizens face in their daily lives, such as housing or health care problems, for example. Yes, politics can be a source of sadness for many people.
We all know that politics makes people angry, this seems to be now the norm – but we forget the quiet ones, the ones who feel sad. Why do they feel sad? This is due to the nature of the loss we feel and I believe sadness could actually be very important for our understanding of politics.
We see anger often displayed publicly, but sadness is a very private feeling. We are sad at home, with friends, and with our family. In public, sadness is largely hidden. As a political emotion, it is easy to overlook, and unlike fear or anger, it is a demobilizing emotion. People turn away from politics when they feel disappointed. They do not vote or identify less with a party. I have met a lot of sad women in my MAW group (Middle-Aged Women), and it seems we find each other.
I (still) believe the task of any democracy is to create social well-being. Any excessively sad policy is failing, extreme politics from each side, will never work in the long run.
Politics is most depressing for those who lack power and resources. Those who have fewer resources – be it money or even a stable network of friends and family – are less able to assess the consequences of unpleasant political decisions or even take action against them. The loss then feels even larger and irreversible.
Sadness is a reaction to a loss. One type of felt loss is when our political preferences can no longer be realized. If for example, a preferred politician is elected out of office or the government decides on a policy that we reject. We can also experience concrete loss when politics gives us things from personal value or does not protect us from loss. If we have to pay more taxes or we can no longer afford the apartment in our favorite neighborhood. And it’s also a loss if we get involved politically, but our goal is not achieved.
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What could politicians avoid making people sad?
One thing would be to lower the temperature of the rhetoric. The recent election campaign – both, Democrats and Republicans – sounded as if it would be the end of the country if the other side won and so it’s logical, that whoever loses feels an immense loss. Of course, there will always be winners and losers in political competition. But it’s important that candidates, elected officials, and parties find a balance between distancing themselves from the other parties and painting a catastrophic scenario that would occur if the other party won.
That’s one way politicians can make politics a little less depressing. And then the electoral system also plays a role. In the US, we have a winner-takes-all system. That’s very disappointing for the losing side. In many other countries, people find it easier when their party loses an election because, in a representative democracy, every vote counts in the end— including theirs.
It’s hard to avoid feeling disappointed, sad, or depressed when experiencing an irreversible loss in politics. But we can deal with these feelings as they arise. We can limit our news consumption, seek support from family and friends, or take care of ourselves. These coping strategies can help lessen the intensity of the feelings.
What makes me sad?
That people on the other side are being demonized. The unnecessary hatred, arrogance, ignorance, and the lack of empathy and compassion.
We are all in the same little boat, it floats nicely, but a big wave from the big yachts sailing by can topple us any time.
What do I do against the sadness?
I find things to laugh about. I get actively involved in my community. I try to spread a tiny little bit of joy every day. I try to find a little bit of joy every day.
Sadness makes people sick. I don’t like being sick.
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Except for everthing, we are all fine.
That’s bad and good. 🙂
I think one of the toughest things is that most politicians lie. One way or another they promise things that they can never deliver on or just flat out say things that aren’t true. It is the lies that has driven me away from staying up to date with all the political nonsense. Bring back honesty, even if it is something we don’t want to hear, maybe then I could trust again. Once we get honesty, then we need to work on respect.
I couldn’t agree more. Just tell people that we are broke and we need to pay our taxes to make sure we can pay our dept. How much simpler an life would be with honest politics and honest policies.
Have read your words twice or thrice . . . sat back and tried to work out how to describe my own feelings. Analyzing myself, methinks ‘sadness’ does not enter my own vocabulary, except in cases of death amongst friends – with me it is more anger, frustration and a strong compunction I have to do ‘something’ to make ‘things better’ or otherwise I am not ‘pulling my weight’ in this world. Ipso facto I DO often feel I have an ‘obligation’ to see and hear, make up my mind and act . ., , and not be ‘useless’ on the sidelines . . . ???
I often feel a profound sadness for this country, for the world, for victims of violence, for all the innocent victims of war.
There is often sadness before anger. I don’t think it works the other way around.
First I get sad, then I get angry. Ultimately the anger turns into action.
“I can make a difference and may it be tiny and small and perhaps only reach one person.”
This is an important message you’re conveying, Bridget, and Angela Merkel is an excellent example of someone who served her country – and the world – with intelligent, decency, and courage. I believe we have that in Canada at the moment. It is true that there is division and anger in most places, but if the country’s leader serves as a role model for mutual understanding and respect, as opposed to inciting further division with vitriolic language, it helps quite a bit. Sigh.
Leaders should be role models and I wish they all would be aware of it. Mutual understanding and respect, so much of this is missing in today’s world, especially here in the US.
The demonizing of ‘the other side’ the language, the offenses, the belittling. It’s all but healthy and we see it now every day.
Politics has become a seesaw affair in most countries now, where we often swing from one extreme to the other. One party destroys much of what the opposition has built, builds its own policies, which are then destroyed when power changes. Political debate rarely occurs because argument, name-calling, and blame have taken their place. Politicians are often seeking to enhance their power and influence and enrich themselves, often by questionable means. A coalition government has occasionally worked well in the past, but two-party politics have so advanced that it seems unlikely such tactics would work today. We are very much in danger of becoming so disillusioned with politics that we cease to hold our politicians to account and thus allow a more dictatorial system to succeed. I fear we have already seen the start!
You are so right. I have the same fear. It’s like I watch an avalanche going down and there is not holding it back. You know ultimately it will cost destruction and there is nothing you can do.
I’ve adopted the attitude of “divine nonchalance” towards US politics. I liked Angela Merkel but didn’t know the historical details you just gave. No wonder I had a good feel about her. My personal preferences guide most decisions. Yor blog is on the list.
“Divine nonchalance” I like that.
The history of Angela Merkel is very interesting and I truly enjoyed to learn more about her in the book. She is a very special person.
Thank you for the nice words.
Political Sadness is certainly not limited to one part of the world. When we finally migrate to other parts of the universe, our baggage must be thoroughly checked and any sadness tossed out. Left behind.
Sadness plays a role, too, in the human experience. I’m sad that so many create suffering for reasons I don’t understand.
Yes, you are right about sadness and the human experience. It is amazing how some are able to lift that sadness from the shoulders of others.
Gosh, I wish I would have this capability. You are absolutely correct, some have a gift.
I love your comment. “Tossing out the sadness…” what a wonderful thought.