THE POLITICAL PERCH
Moby Dick, Richard Nixon and Cohasset Politics
Revenge, and what it can result in, is one of the main themes of “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville. The great white whale Moby Dick attacked and maimed Captain Ahab on a previous voyage – tearing off one of his legs in the process. Taking revenge and killing Moby Dick became a lifelong obsession of Captain Ahab. In the end, Moby Dick won the final bloody encounter with Captain Ahab, dragging him to the bottom of the sea and sinking his vessel the Pequod – leaving only one survivor, Ishmael.
One view on this epic adventure is about evil and what to do about it. If the killer whale Moby Dick symbolizes evil then Captain Ahab represents those that see evil in the world and fight it or seek to correct it. But the caution in this tale is that if you fight evil you must be prepared to accept the potentially dangerous consequences. For evil, like the great white whale Moby Dick, can lash out at you with a dangerous or even deadly strike of its sweeping tail. There may be something noble about fighting perceived evil, as Captain Ahab did – but one must be very brave and always remember – evil can strike back fiercely.
It’s no secret in Cohasset that our politics has gotten nasty and perhaps even down right evil in many ways nowadays. Those who are see this disturbing political environment, and enter the political arena in one or more of the many ways one can participate in local politics and government, are brave in my view. Hopefully they do not get obsessed like Captain Ahab did, especially if they get hurt trying to navigate the too often irrational and mean seas of Cohasset politics. But fighting the good fight and trying to make right what is too often wrong in our political arena has a certain noble ring to it – as long your eyes are wide open to the dangers and you don’t let it become the kind of maniacal obsession that finally doomed Captain Ahab, his ship and the entire crew – except Ishmael.
Moby Dick had sunk other ships and maimed other captains, but most of them chose to move on with their lives and not pursue the evil giant. Apparently they were willing to accept the presence of evil and hateful things in their lives as an inevitable part of life. But not Captain Ahab, he never let go of his obsessive hurt and it finally brought him down. In a way, this reminds me of Richard Nixon’s final words upon leaving the White House after he resigned office: “Always remember, others may hate you. But those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.” The lesson for me in Melville’s classic novel is that emotions can be good, we need them to be human, but they must be controlled by our reason or they can destroy us and those around us.
Captain Ahab’s mate Starbuck and others tried to steer Ahab away from his fanatical pursuit of Moby Dick. One of their arguments was that, while Ahab may have hated Moby Dick, the hatred was not returned. Moby Dick did not hate or pursue Ahab – the giant killer whale was doing what came naturally – in fact he may have just been trying to protect himself, after all being harpooned isn’t exactly a welcome gesture of friendship and love.
With regard to our turbulent and increasingly vitriolic Cohasset politics it might do us all some good to remember the tale of Captain Ahab and what his hateful obsession with revenge brought him and those around him. And it may do us all some good to pause and reflect for a moment and try to put ourselves in the shoes of our political opponents and think about their circumstances , their fears and concerns and what may be motivating them. Compassionate reflection may allow us to use our unique capacity to reason and identify the real concerns, issues and best interests of Cohasset as a whole – and perhaps even lead to some workable solutions. And if we look even closer into our opponent’s eyes we just might see the reflection of ourselves looking back at ourselves – and that might make a difference.
One way or another our problems and worries of today will be solved, resolved and/or dissolved by the unceasing passage of time and tides. We, like the whaling communities of old, also stand on the edge of the ocean. Take a walk along Sandy Beach some early spring morning. Sink your feet into the soft sand. Feel the nip and tug of the vast ocean. Are there any evil whales out there beckoning you? Then journey to another part of Cohasset and climb up to and stand on top of Beacon Rock and feel the cool winds as you take in the broad view of our little hamlet by the sea. Does that help?
Kevin McCarthy is an attorney residing at 155 Fairoaks Lane since 1992 and can be reached at: mccart9@gmail.com.
