Since the declaration of martial law on December 3 last year, many citizens have been living in political instability and turmoil. Everyone has their own opinions regarding the conflict surrounding the president's impeachment and the early presidential election. Anger and hatred sometimes appear unfiltered. When exposed to strong, sharp language for long periods, people feel tired and want a rest. That’s why they say, “Please don’t talk politics.”
What exactly is talking about politics? It's never limited to supporting or criticizing a specific politician's policy. Sometimes, in the midst of confusion, we cannot separate policies from politicians and are trapped in the language of hatred.
However, some policies are far removed from the agenda of mainstream politics. This kind of agenda is sometimes categorized as a ‘progressive’ or ‘leftist’ agenda. Without examining how much it actually connects with progressive or leftist thinking, when unfamiliar and uncomfortable, it is often considered ‘progressive, leftist, or communist.’ Environmental issues generally fall into this category. Preserving the environment can be extremely anti-progressive on the one hand, a minority agenda.
Small agendas have few people who speak up, so you are not heard unless you shout. Why would you occupy a stage, pitch a tent, and protest without following the procedure? If you follow the procedure, you will be blocked every time. It is natural that it can be tiring to hear the same story over and over again. However, urging such people to “stop talking about politics” is a political act in itself. It is an act of those who do not have to shout and want those who need to be heard to keep quiet.
In environmental issues, creatures who are the subject of the agenda cannot speak for themselves. Therefore, those who sympathize with their suffering speak on their behalf. Their voices can be tiresome and noisy. When Bartimaeus, a blind beggar in Jericho, cried out to Jesus’ companions as they passed by, “Have mercy on me,” someone scolded him to be quiet. But he cried out repeatedly, and Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
Shouldn’t we listen to why the ones who are shouting are angry? The ones who should stop talking about politics are not the poor, the suffering, and the alienated, but those who make hatred and exploitation look politically plausible. And it is precisely this politics of hatred that we can guide and sometimes rebuke to pay attention to the suffering of our poor brothers and sisters. That is the politics we can do.
The 21st presidential election is approaching. Let us not hesitate to correctly identify and speak out to create a world where the voices of the little ones are not stifled, but where there is hope and a better tomorrow.
