On citizenship
… I can’t be the only 32-year-old in this country waking up, rubbing her eyes, and realizing she doesn’t know how to break out of apathy, doesn’t know how to pitch in, doesn’t know the most elementary things about political action. Little Dutch child staring at the dam with no idea where to stick a finger. Not that a finger will do anything much, at this point; we’re so terribly far beyond that.
Doesn’t matter, though, because a finger in the dam is practice. Practically nobody learns to be an effective, involved political actor overnight, I should think. It’s a little like what I’m told about soldiering (despite having no actual experience therein): you practice until the right thing happens under fire without your having to will it to.
We’re under fire now, a lot of us, and the sense I have is that we’re floundering, even those of us no longer content with “go along to get along.” Goodness knows I am. We didn’t practice, and now we don’t have the right thing to do embedded in our bones. It feels so terribly pointless to start now with the little things, as I am trying to do—will there even be time for a genuine impact?—and yet the big things overwhelm.
What Dorothea said. Me, I haven’t entirely worked out what my first steps are going to be, but for starters, I’m going to finally become a card-carrying member of the ACLU. And see if Planned Parenthood of Virginia needs any volunteers. And next week, I’m going to my first City Council meeting. On Monday, they’ll be voting on a resolution to condemn Virginia’s so-called Marriage Affirmation Act, and I want to be there.
I have the same sense of shame at my earlier political apathy. May it turn to something productive that leaves the world a marginally happier place.
Amen. I finally joined the ACLU too, last Wednesday – but haven’t gotten the card in the mail yet 😉
I agree. But unfortunately, that’s coming after the end of the semester, and I begin going to PTA meetings and get my kid straightened out with his education. In the meantime, I intend to remain more informed and involved in discussions than my previous political apathetic stance allowed.
Maybe that is the best thing that can come of all this–more involvement on all our parts to make the world a better place.
Sounds like a good start.