I just spent the past couple hours out canvassing for Obama. Nothing too threatening - knocking on the doors of registered Democrats and encouraging them to vote on Tuesday, reminding them where their polling place is, asking them if Senator Obama can count on their vote. It's a beautiful spring day here in central Pennsylvania, and 99.9% of the people you meet are friendly and gracious even if they don't support your candidate, so it's not a bad way to spend a morning. I don't know why more people don't get involved in the political process.
Seriously, I am never more proud to be an American than on days like today, when I am exercising my freedoms to engage or serve the body politic. Makes me wonder what patriotism would look like, what this country would look like, if everybody was willing to make a similar commitment. I don't mean a turn your life upside down commitment, and I have no delusions of reaching some democratic utopia.
But I can't help wondering what would happen if, instead of abdicating our responsibilities or relegating our involvement to those who make a career out of public service, what if every citizen, every resident of this country, invested one to two hours a week engaging the matters of how we will live together as a people? What if every person within our borders gave just an hour or two a week in some service that promoted the greater public good?
Like I said, I'm not fool enough to imagine it would eradicate all of our problems, but it sure sounds like a path toward a more perfect union to me. . .
1 comment:
This reminds me of a verse from an Ani Difranco song. "Paradigm" on her Knuckle Down album.
Here are the lyrics.
I was born to two immigrants
Who knew why they were here
They were happy to pay taxes
For the schools and roads
Happy to be here
They took it seriously
The second job of citizenry
My mother went campaigning door to door
And holding to her hand was me
I was just a girl in a room full of women
Licking stamps and laughing
I remember the feeling of community brewing
Of democracy happening
But I suppose like anybody
I had to teach myself to see
All that stuff that got lost
On its way to church
All that stuff that got lost
On its way to school
All that stuff that got lost
On its way to the house of my family
All that stuff that was not lost on me
Teach myself to see each of us
Through the lens of forgiveness
Like we're stuck with each other (god forbid!)
Teach myself to smile and stop and talk
To a whole other color kid
Teach myself to be new in an instant
Like the truth is accessible at any time
Teach myself it's never really one or the other
There's a paradox in every paradigm
I was just a girl in a room full of women
Licking stamps and laughing
I remember the feeling of community brewing
Of democracy happening
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