RECENTLY, I have found that everyone seems to be in opposition, of something, of anything, of everything. It has led me to wonder what it means to be in opposition. What is its goal? What is its end game? And where does one finally draw the line?

Brilliantly described by Claude McKay in his poem America, being in opposition goes a little like this:

Although she feeds me bread
of bitterness,
And sinks into my throat
her tiger's tooth,
Stealing my breath of life,
I will confess I love this cultured hell that
tests my youth!
Her vigour flows like tides
into my blood,
Giving me strength erect
against her hate.
Her bigness sweeps my being
like a flood.
Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state,
I stand within her walls with
not a shred
Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.
Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,
And see her might and granite
wonders there,
Beneath the touch of Time's
unerring hand,
Like priceless treasures sinking
in the sand.

Being in opposition is never easy. It is a product of its definition, its root, burdened by negativity. To oppose; to disapprove of and attempt to prevent; to actively resist or refuse to comply with; to dissent; to repudiate; to be anti-; to controvert; to be the antagonist; to be the gainsayer.

They are all words resoundingly negative in connotation when measured against their opposites. The word "propose", in contrast, is just steeped in positivity. It is full of hope and optimism. It is the putting forward of something new. It has the quality of promise, of potential, of possibility.

Being in opposition is never easy, because negativity, even perceived negativity, is still an unwelcome and unpleasant quality.

Being in opposition is never easy, because being in the minority leaves you hopelessly outnumbered. And much like Shakespeare's Henry V, the embattled and worn English troops, far fewer in numbers than the French, their fates sealed, are urged to fight the good fight, in the seemingly hopeless battle for nothing but dignity and honour.

Being in opposition is never easy because it isn't our natural state. The French philosopher Michel Foucault argued that power in any given society "is not centralised in the oppressive actions of a single individual or a ruling class, but instead emanates from all of its cultural practices".

All of society's institutions -- the legal, the political, the economic, and the social -- condition the individual, teaching him how to be an obedient subject.

You see, our natural state is one of compliance, of deference, of dutifulness. Our natural state is one that is relatively unfree. We've been conditioned to not rock the boat. We've been told never to upset the status quo. It is, after all, literally "the state in which". And how does one even begin to challenge definition?

Being in opposition takes its toll. Constantly missing, and taking the hits, it is all too easy to become angry, bitter and resentful. It is all too easy to forget yourself, to get lost in your frustration.

At the opening of the fourth book of Milton's Paradise Lost, standing atop Mount Niphates, just north of Paradise, Satan gazes at the sun and it reminds him of his exclusion from the divine presence. He agonises that he will never again experience the joys of Heaven.

For a moment, he considers reconciliation, but eventually his hatred and malevolence overcomes him, and he recommits himself to his awful task, the only release for his fury and discontent.

So to what end is our opposition?

Well, maybe it is possible to be of the minority opinion and still affect change. Maybe it's about making concessions, about reaching a middle state, about accepting something that may be lower than what is desirable. Because compromise isn't a betrayal of values, but merely an agreement over a position where both sides come away victorious.

Thomas Jefferson once said: "I see the necessity of sacrificing our opinions sometimes to the opinions of others for the sake of harmony."

Politics exists because of our diversity. We all want different things, in different ways and to different degrees. Politics is our way of settling these conflicts. There are no solutions to our political problems, there are merely temporary settlements.

Because even though politics is compromise, it doesn't necessarily have to.