“The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill
I honestly don’t know what bothers me more: reading story after story of perversion of the government in Washington, or struggling to come up with a way we can fix things. Exacting change in our government is tough, and most attempts are often frustratingly futile. The time for complacency, though, is over; it’s time we examine how we can make a difference. Come, join in the discussion; let’s get something going.
Before we can hope to speak intelligently on a subject, we owe it to ourselves to have a solid understanding of the situation, preferably from multiple angles. There is a wealth of neat books and other media materials out there – almost too much; my bookcase is filled with more unread books than I could ever hope to get through in the next 12 months. We can read about George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and the Revolutionary War, and the fight between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton over the size of the federal government. Most importantly, everyone should have a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, which costs no more than a few dollars at any bookstore.
A quicker and more exciting way to learn more is to discuss and debate politics, such as in our forums (though the information isn’t always right and should be double-checked). It’s a great way to get access to immediate information and to hear a wide range dissenting opinions on a host of topics. In discussion, we must always remember that other people have just as much conviction about their beliefs as we do about ours. No one can ever win a political fight; one can only hope to inspire thought in others (and themselves).
Once we have an understanding of our own beliefs, things start to get tricky. Some people protest on the street, which more often than not merely serves to polarize people, not unite them. How often do you drive by picketers and roll your eyes? Additionally, there’s little point protesting Washington’s behavior on a street corner in Iowa. We also used to write our congresspersons, but many have made it clear that they’re not listening. Some people blog, but many such sites are inflammatory and, again, polarizing. We could responsibly cast our votes, but there are not enough educated voters and even fewer qualified candidates.
So what can we really do to make a difference? Start a political society. Start it in your area and use it to build a sense of community, involving people of all political beliefs, not just your own. Your local Democratic or Republican party can’t serve that interest; they are too busy serving their own interests and fighting the other party to really care about you or the opinions of others. Get together once a week to debate current political topics, discuss assigned reading material, and to organize politics in your area. Find a candidate in your locality who you can trust and work together to get him or her elected to your city or state government. Keep expanding the group and help get the right candidate elected to the US Congress. No matter what you do, focus on the Constitution and on making this country a welcome home for every person, not just the party in power and the special interests who support them.
America has a great tradition of harboring active political societies. Sadly, this tradition has been in severe decline with the rise of the opposition-crushing Democratic and Republican parties. In the meantime, however, those parties have become so very out of touch with the average American, who often has no desire to game the system or lie to their friends or make life miserable for those who don’t share their opinions. Each and every one of us bears the responsibility of keeping our great nation afloat. You may not generally agree with her, but you can definitely agree with Hillary Rodham Clinton when she said, “[t]he challenges of change are always hard. It is important that we begin to unpack those challenges that confront this nation and realize that we each have a role that requires us to change and become more responsible for shaping our own future.”
Today’s call to action: Tomorrow is Thanksgiving; express your thanks to your coworkers and employees. Let them know that their work is in great part responsible for your success. We’ll talk more about political societies next week.
