Is Happiness the Answer to Tolerance of Fanatics?

It does seem as though the most fervent nutcases are also the most dissatisfied with their lives.

The fanatics do not appear to have fulfilled lives, it is true. It has been pointed out that the most committed of those in the Women's Movement of the 70s were those females who had experienced less joy in their personal lives, whether that disappointment was personal (Bettye Friedan) or professional (Gloria Steinem), to give just two examples.

The women - and it's largely women who work in high numbers in these organizations - are either unhappy with their personal lives, or miffed that they cannot break into the top tiers professionally. That last group includes those who, like Sheryl Sandberg, "achieved" their position through connections with powerful men. Lawrence Summers was an early mentor, and, later, Mark Zuckerberg took a personal interest in her career at Google.

Few of the fanatics have children. Children, by their inborn tendendency to soak up all their parents' free time and attention, generally preclude an intense involvement in time consuming activism. Worse, because they function as  course of amusement and joy, children can lead to outbreaks of happiness.

I'm on the sidelines this election season. I failed to get moving on my driver's license soon enough, and was not able to get my voter registration done in time. That's a first for me EVER.

I had to make a choice - either get my insurance certifications completed on time, or work on Driver's license and voting. I chose what would make me money. I have no regrets.

I have gradually come to realize that I can't do everything. I have to make the most of the important things in my life, and learn to walk past time-wasters. 

Frankly, I'm beginning to think OH is a lock. People may not be all that enthusiastic about JD Vance, but they really distrust Ryan. There are enough 'Normals' in OH - to use Kurt Schlichter's phrase - to tip the election, if they are motivated.

There are aspect to election that I have NO control over - for example, voter fraud and bloated registration lists. I'm willing to put SOME time into adding my influence to clean up the lists - write letters, sign petitions, support efforts that have the possibility of real change, such as this one.