Doing the possible

Otto von Bismarck — the man considered most responsible for making Germany a unified, modern nation by melding together 39 independent German states in the late 1800s, thus turning Germany into one of the most formidable powers of its day — once noted, “Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best.” This master strategist and statesman also observed, “Politics is not a science … but an art.” An art that when practiced well moves a society forward.

These wise words sum up well the process of governing in a democratic state. Politics — the actions or activities concerned with achieving and using power in a country or society — is not, as Bismarck noted, an exact science. There are no firm rules or laws, such as those found in the sciences, governing its operation or use in a society.