Poly- Ticks
How to explain it
.
While driving one day, A small voice from the back seat, who was my grandson, he asked,
“Grammy… what are poly-ticks?”
“Oh, that’s an easy one,” I said. “They’re blood-sucking insects you pick up when you go camping. Poly means many—so… lots of them.”
Silence.
Then, cautiously:
“Grammy… I don’t think that’s what I meant.”
I paused. Adjusted course.
“Do you mean politics?”
“Yeah,” came the small voice.
“Ohhh.”
A longer pause.
“OOOHHH.”
Now we were in trouble.
How do you explain politics to a child? You can’t very well say, “Well, it’s a complicated system where grown adults argue, spend other people’s money, and call it leadership.”
Hmm, nope that won’t work…
I kept thinking….. Politics is how humans organize power, argue about it, and try to influence outcomes in their favor. Because politics isn’t just information, it’s identity, values, and power all rolled into one.
People say “don’t talk about politics” for three practical reasons:
It gets personal fast. Politics touches beliefs about money, morality, religion, and fairness—so disagreement can feel like a personal attack.
It escalates. Unlike sports, there’s no final score. No referee. People argue to win, not to understand.
It damages relationships. At dinners, holidays, or work, the cost of being “right” is often losing goodwill.
I began to get mad; I don’t know why, I guess I was watching too much news. I began to think about all the people who avoid politics in casual settings because it has a high chance of turning a pleasant moment into a tense one—with no real payoff.
He was still waiting for an answer. I let out a sigh….
Still Thinking…. “Nope those explanations wont work either, I have always been accused of giving someone a gallon of information when they only asked for a teaspoon.
Maybe somebody else has a better answer: . I searched my mental data banks,
Thomas Sowell “Politics is the art of making your selfish desires seem like the national interest.” That might work if he were two years old.
Plato “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” Hmm, I really like this one but it might not land right with a child under 10.
Jesus? Matthew 22:21, Renter to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are Gods” Nice but to spiritually deep.
I think to myself, Okay forget the writers and economic philosophers… I look back and say
“If a bunch of kids are trying to decide what game to play, who gets to go first, or what the rules are—that’s politics. Everyone has ideas, some people try to persuade others, and then a decision gets made.”
Or look at it this way, Politics is how people decide who gets to be in charge… and what they’re allowed to do once they get there.”
Silence again. Then:
He says, “sounds a lot like those Poly- Ticks you were talking about before”
Things Worth Slowing Down For
Books for the Journey- The Funny Stuff by PJ O’Rourke
Food for the Road– Asparagus with olive oil, lemon served alongside eggs or SalmonSights for the Soul- Daffodils
The Latin Lane- Salus populi suprema lex esto”- The welfare of the people shall be the highest law.
Political Potholes- “. Not much to say about the current situation today, other than while our President plays three-dimensional Chess, other play Chutes and Ladders.
“And that, my friend, is One for the Road.”
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