Ok, so dkos and the lefty blogosphere are getting a lot of attention these days. The Democratic politicos are knocking on the door, the Lieberman campaign is throwing a lot of eyes our way, and now apologists on the left and the rabid whackos on the right are going on the attack. Great. Make you feel good? Make you feel like we're finally having an impact?
Well, here's my take (and I'd be curious to hear yours): If we're all ultimately forgotten or, at most, a historical footnote, then we've won.
I've worked in the nonprofit world for my entire career. That's been just short enough that I can still keep in focus the ultimate goal: to get out of business. Those who dedicate themselves to social change, by and large, do so because they have a specific passion or they want work to be about meaning, not about earning. Unfortunately, often the struggle to maintain the resources you need to keep up the fight--not to mention the fact that, the longer you identify with something, the harder it is to let it go--makes people lose sight of the fundamental premise that they should be working towards their own career demise. Why? Because that means they succeeded.
And I think the same premise works for the engaged citizens who have taken to the streets and the web: If we're successful then that means we should ultimately disappear. History is a funny thing. It tends to only record the bad lessons, overlooking all the near misses and the successful movements that prevented catastrophe. And so, knowing that, my hope is that history forgets us all.
What's your hope? How should we be remembered?