A lot of readers responded to my last post, "The New Dark Ages," and discussed their issues with depression - whether it came from the sub-prime mortgage crisis, global warming or more intrinsically personal issues. I'd like to thank everyone who wrote in and shared not only their frustrations, but their plans to hope for the best this election. There is a time and a place for being a wee bit of a Debbie Downer, but too much of that can make you a well-known drag.
Voting is one of the best ways we can give back. My first time trying to vote was my senior year of high school, and the whole plan fell apart like a flan in a cupboard. I had registered with my mailing address, and found myself driving in bumper to bumper traffic in an area that might as well have been on the outskirts of the Dagoba system, I was so lost. After about four hours, I finally pulled over, and called home crying hysterically.
I don't remember exactly what my sobbing rant was about, but I think I might have babbled on about women only having suffrage since 1920 and that I was letting down all of womankind by not voting. The pragmatic voice on the other end of the line reminded me that California was not a swing state, and also advised, "get a hold of yourself and come home."
Now that I'm older, voting is a little less traumatizing (at least, until I see the results) but it still gets me giddy. With about fifteen minutes left in 2007, it dawned on me: 2008 is an election year. It had occurred to me before, but at 11:45 PM on New Year's Eve I was...er, giddy at the thought. Suddenly my "Happy New Year's!" changed into "Isn't it great?? We get to legally throw a coup! Merry 2008!"
Donating your time and energy is one way to give, but being an active member of your local (and national) politics is another way of adding to your community. Whether it's voter registration, canvassing for any candidate of either party, you're participating in the dialogue that makes America singular.
Working on a campaign signifies hope and personal investment in making the world better - according to your own understanding of the word "better," of course. There's an optimistic aspect to your personal commitment and your devotion to a cause. To work on behalf of someone else, a candidate you may never meet or speak with, you have to have faith that you're doing the right thing, supporting the right person. You have to believe that the poetry of the campaign will pay off in the sort of prose of leading that won't crush your soul. The revolutionary nature of optimism can cause some serious war wounds - but who said revolution, legal or not, was ever easy?
Are you working on a campaign this year? Do you consider political action to be another sort of philanthropy or community work? Let us know what you think!