We all work our asses off to elect Democrats in the hope to make the world a better place. Rarely do we reflect on how working for something larger than ourselves, working in community with other activists, makes us better people in the process.
One of the best testimonies to that effect was published over the weekend in the Christian Science Monitor (and was referenced in Muikal203's diary), by a white, middle-aged Republican who'd voted for George H.W. Bush twice and Bush Junior once, and who now finds himself in the Obama camp ... and canvassing because his wife guilt-tripped him into it. Not just canvassing in his usual enclave, either--he hit the streets in poverty-stricken housing projects on Obama's behalf. Here's what he learned:
I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the "big things."
It's not about taxes. I'm pretty sure mine are going to go up no matter who is elected.
It's not about foreign policy. I think we'll figure out a way to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan no matter which party controls the White House, mostly because the people who live there don't want us there anymore.
I don't see either of the candidates as having all the answers.
I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways.
My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors. But this time, not because it was her idea. I don't know what it's going to do for the Obama campaign, but it's doing a lot for me.
Go read the article in full. It's an inspiring piece of work that reminds us of why we've all worked so hard for this past year.