it's all politics

you've heard the saying, "you scratch my back and i'll scratch yours." you do something for me and i'll do something for you. it's been going on for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. it's for three simple things; money, control and/or power.

i recently read pillars of the earth and am finishing the follow-up book, world without end, by ken follett. the historical fiction books take place during the 12th and 14th centuries, respectively. without going into the details of the books, i can say that a large portion of each of the books is about politics, specifically doing something for something in return.

while these books are fictional, we know that this was representative of the times. and like practices have continued for centuries since. people are all about gaining power, control, or money. perhaps all three. as a result, others suffer.

a nameless friend of mine works in an office with a CEO and director who are inefficient at their jobs. they remain in their positions because they rub each other's proverbial backs to make themselves look good, many times at the expense of others.

i don't even have to get into political examples for us to know that it exists at the local, state, and national level of government. hell, i live in chicago - the capital of corruption.

i lost my job for this very reason. my principal got her promotion because she promised favors to the local school counsel, the ones responsible for giving her the job. she didn't like those who questioned or jeopardized her authority. she needed the power to run her agenda. she sided with those that supported her cause and helped them with whatever they needed. the rest of us, well, we lost our jobs.

i'm sure that it's happened to us all on some level or another. it's wrong. but sadly, it will probably never change. and what's worse is that if you speak up against it, you'll be punished even more.