Owen Buck is a retiree and history buff. He lives in Winthrop.

The Founders of our country understood human nature. They understood that major driving forces of human behavior are (1) lust for power and control, and (2) greed.

Human beings are also capable of being logical, selfless and patriotic, but cannot be relied upon to do so consistently. James Madison explained this in Federalist Paper 51. Every American should read Federalist 51. Given these observations of human nature, the Founders struggled to design a republic that could work.

Their solution was a system of checks and balances among three branches of government. The tendencies of the leaders in one branch are checked by the tendencies of the leaders in the other two. The Founders understood the danger of unchecked human lust for power and money. They made compromises, some of them controversial, and they had their blind spots, as do we all. The Constitution as amended is a brilliant document. God help us all if the Founders’ bequest to us is allowed to break down.

George Washington warned us about the danger of factions and their lust for power. And here we are.

We might not have Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall around anymore, but human nature still asserts itself. In the online social media age, it is so very easy for the political factions to manipulate to get what they want. First, they get you wound up emotionally (angry or scared, preferably both). They do this by using inflammatory language, taking things out of context, making wild exaggeration of actual problems, and sometimes even telling bald-faced lies.

Once they’ve gotten you all wound up, they want you to suspend your critical judgment, send them money and give them power by voting them into office. They use your money to buy media exposure to get still more people wound up. And so on. This is not a Republican/Democrat thing, or a liberal/conservative thing. This is a human nature thing.

Whether you call it original sin or the result of millions of years of evolution, we human beings are all predisposed to be self-serving. The Founders figured this out, and showed us how these human tendencies could be harnessed to build an enduring nation. Right now, MAGA is in power, but the shoe has been on the other foot in the past, and one day will be again. Up to a point this back-and-forth is a good thing, but only up to a point. Can we ever get off of the roller coaster of excess that we are now on?

We can try. Be aware of manipulation techniques. Don’t let yourself get wound up and give the knee-jerk reaction just because it happens to be your favored faction doing the manipulation. Call out your own when they need to be called out. One side says “thousands of cases,” using weasel words to exaggerate the problem to suit its own purposes. The other side says “a handful of cases,” using weasel words to minimize the problem to suit its own purposes.

Demand specific confirmable details and exact numbers. “There are X number of confirmed cases out of Y total number.” With this information you can decide the extent of the problem for yourself. Distinguish between facts and opinions. “The temperature is 85 degrees  today” is a fact. “It’s hot today” is an opinion.

“So-and-so” said “thus-and-such” and is therefore unqualified for “whatever.” Maybe yes, maybe no. We need more than a few words taken out of context to make an assessment. Resist the urge to assume the worst of those with whom we disagree.

What exactly did “so-and-so” say, and what was the full context? Then you can decide for yourself.