Pardon my politics: The importance of politics

Politics, in the most generalised fashion, is often spoken about in a very negative way or with a complete lack of interest by the ordinary South African.

Over the next few weeks, I intend to discuss the fundamental concepts of politics for the average Benonian, helping you understand the core ideas and foundations which make up this thing called politics.

I aim to teach you about the essence of politics and what we teach to first year’s at university.

Enabling the average person to understand what politics is actually about allows the citizenry to be far more involved in their society and to make their leaders accountable.

So, if you are looking for analysis on current affairs or a political position, then this isn’t for you – but if you want to learn something new, this is for you.

It was the Greek philosopher Aristotle who said: “Man is a political animal”, because of his socialising nature.

Socialising and being in contact with humans is a given, whether it be at home, work or play.

During these interactions, we willingly or unwillingly engage in politics.

When you have a family meeting at home over who does what chores, this is politics in action.

Politics at universities all around the world is one of the core subjects in humanities, the study of people and society.

Essentially politics is a way of organising society; it shapes all aspects of life.

Without politics, society as a whole could collapse into a state of anarchy, lawlessness and chaos.

I know this sounds dramatic and is maybe an over-emphasis of the necessity of politics, but let me use a little analogy to explain my point better.

Imagine a little farming community of 10 families situated on a sloping hillside near a river.

Each family has an area of five square metres to farm, but each little plot of five square metres has three to five trees on it.

This reduces each plot to about three-and-a-half square metres of actual land to use for planting.

On each plot, each family plants whatever agricultural product they want to sell and live off.

Then, one day, one family decides to remove trees from their plot, to increase the area in which they can plant.

By doing this, they can plant a lot more and increase their income and production.

Once they do this, the other families see this and do the same, and remove all the trees on their plots.

During the harvest seasons, all the families are extremely prosperous.

However, the rainy season arrives, and without the trees to hold in and protect the topsoil, the rain washes away all the good topsoil into the river. Thereafter, one good season of produce is succeeded by seasons in which none of the families are able to grown anything, thus plunging the entire community into a dire situation.

As you can see by this analogy, it was positive on an individual level to remove the trees, but not beneficial for the collective good.

Politics aims to balance individual rationality versus collective rationality.

It’s the management of disagreements, where there is always someone out there thinking in terms of the collective, and the betterment of society.

To use a more practical example, think of the rules of the road.

Let’s say you are running late for a meeting and you decide to speed; you are making an individual choice.

However, the speed limits on the roads are there for the collective benefit of society.

If everyone made an individual choice and decided to drive at whatever speed they liked, then the roads would be chaotic.

Thus, politics is seen as a tool for organising society and a way to attain the ‘good life’ for everyone – it’s a necessity.

So, next time you are engaging and socialising, look at the situation and you will see the use of politics.

Do you agree?

Let me know if you think it’s a necessity or a just a waste of time.

About the author:

Proud Benonian Jervin Naidoo (26) is a Rynfield resident. He is currently doing his master’s degree in military and security studies. He is a junior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies and a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, at the University of Pretoria.

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