My stand on politics has never been in question for me. I am a little people. My opinion means nothing to THE POWERS THAT BE. My vote is so insignificant as to be hardly worth casting. I follow some of the politics but most of it is so far removed from my sense of control that I leave it to those who know more, care more and are more interested. I have no power over the government and therefore try to stay as far away from involvement in it as possible.
Several weeks ago, an environmental activist group guy came through the neighborhood. The guy was nice, friendly, well-educated and persuasive without being aggressive. (Not that he had far to go as I am already in favor of pursuing renewable energy sources and supporting those would make them accessible.) He peddled his cause and I smiled indulgently and listened, waiting for the inevitable moment when he would ask for money. And he did... BUT, he was more interested in gathering participation in their letter-writing campaign.
"Write a letter to our councilman Tom Smith," he says. "It doesn't have to be long, just let him know you support our cause," he says. "Put it in an envelope, addressed to this address and tape it to your door. We will gather them tonight and send them to him," he says.
Okay, yeah, whatever... But I do support their cause and so I scribbled out about 5 sentences admonishing the councilman to look closer at renewable and alternative energy sources and support for them. Then I signed my full name, included my telephone number and the names and ages of my children, shoved it into an envelope, addressed it and slapped on a return address label. But I couldn't find a stamp. Nevertheless, I taped it to the door and left in a rush - late for family birthday party. Let the group decide whether to use it or not. I had to stay in MY world, where making it on time to a birthday party was real and councilmen were in someone else's world. When we returned, I vaguely noticed the letter was gone. And the two worlds slid apart easier even than they slid together.
Tonight, at twenty minutes after eight this evening, I got a call from COUNCILMAN TOM SMITH!! Him, in person - well, on the phone - and he knew my name and referenced something I'd scribbled into my very short note to him. He thanked me for writing and told me that, while he didn't know what he could do about it right now, it was on his radar and he would be looking for ways to support it.
Um... WHAT?!?!
Okay, let's recap: I scribbled a hasty "pay attention" note to a government guy, one note among hundreds, and me a complete nobody... and he read it? Not only did he read it, he followed up on it?
W (what)
T (the)
F ("heck")
O (over? - think amateur radio)
Now I have to rethink everything. My entire foundation that I, as a member of the little people on upon whom the POWERS THAT BE stand but never touch, am not involved or responsible for "that world" has just been ruptured, possibly shattered. How can I hide behind the (apparently) illusion that I have nothing to do with this "government" thing when something I did created a reaction in one of those very people I swear don't even see me? Where does this put me in the political food chain? I'm still a little people with no name or money or influence but something I did was noticed. Does that mean I have to stand up and pay attention? Do I have an obligation to *do* something? Do I have to do something more than vote and write an occasional "pay attention" letter?
Then there's the whole issue of why me?!?! I'm not important. I don't have money or connections. I have one little vote in a great big world. Why me? Because my letter was short and to the point and included contact information, making it easy to "deal with" in a "look at me, paying attention to the little people" kind of way? Because what little I said was said in a powerful way? By random "grab 10 out of this stack and call them to look good" chance? Was it divine intervention, a wake up call that politics are more important than I have given it credit for? Is it referring to politics as in my involvement in the government or in the other sense that I have avoiding doing more than coping with for fear of anything else?
I don't like change. And I don't like having my foundations shift underneath me. How can I decide what to make of this?
"Truth? You can't HANDLE the truth!" (Col. Jessep, A Few Good Men)
The worst jokes I have ever written
13 years ago
