Day 4: My Personal "Had Enough" Campaign
First things first. Once again, I have to thank Cheeselord as the inspiration for my efforts.
As I understand it, he is only 17 years old, and in my opinion, a genius! After reading his diary, I was moved to begin my personal "Had Enough?" Campaign.
I won't go into detail again about the first days, you can read my diaries if you'd like. I'm sorry I can't direct you to them, but I suspect you can find them through a keyword search.
Sample bills http://members.aol.com/BlueAce69/enough.jpg
Beginning last Thursday, I began distributing my "Had Enough? Vote Democratic" bills to every shop, store, restaurant, and other business where I spent money. It has been an interesting, remarkable and "radicalizing" experience for me. Is that a word? Radicalizing?
In any event, the responses from people, both clerks and other customers have confirmed to me that there is such a deep, aching hunger for change in our country. My effort has touched only a limited number of people, but the chord that echoes in all of their comments is the same. We are hurting. We are deeply worried for ourselves, our country and our future, our childrens' futures. We are tired of the name calling, the rabid rhetoric unfortunately on both sides sometimes, and we desperately want leaders who think past the next election, who understand the concept of the common good, who understand we need to invest in our future and can inspire us again.
Even when I got a negative response, and I received surprisingly few, people weren't really rude or obnoxious. Their reaction was more like someone who has been jolted by reality, much like the reactions of some parents I've seen who discover their kid is using drugs. Shocked into facing a reality they have long denied.
As I said in a previous diary, everyone has `had enough' of something in their life. That is part of the genius of Cheeselord's idea. Everyone responds immediately with an `internal,' spoken or unspoken, "YES!" when they see this on a bill. Then they see the `vote Democratic," and the reaction may deepen or change. But the initial response is the same. Well, I guess you have to exclude the "brain otherwise engaged," of the teens on cell phones, but everyone else, without exception, has reacted this way.
Now, both by profession and inclination, I have always been a "listener." I am fascinated by peoples' stories, and by the thread in each story that connects us, one to the other, especially when the specifics of each life suggests otherwise. The guy who was so clearly a conservative repug, but as he talked about his nephew in Iraq, he had tears in his eyes, and spoke with a still unrecognized rage at how the war was sold to us based on lies, how his brother had to buy protective gear for his son, and how he has had a `special Mass' said for his nephew. "He's only 19, he's got a girlfriend he wants to marry, he's always been such a good kid. He's just 19." This guy, I never got his name, looked at me with a combination of anger and plea for a way out of his confusion and sense of betrayal. He's not there yet. Not ready to face `head on' the sense of betrayal that is so apparent to me. But soon. His rage will move him to face it. I hope his nephew stays safe and returns home to marry his girlfriend.
The 78 year old woman who has a gay son who lives with his partner. She likes the guy, a lot, and is glad her son is finally happy. She can't quite fit that with the gay bashing she hears from Rush and his groupies, and feels such pain and righteous anger that moves a mother to protect her own, no matter their age. "They don't hurt anyone else's marriage, they don't hurt anyone. They are both so kind. Ed, even helped me with that medicare drug plan. That was a nightmare, let me tell you. I didn't take it. The money all goes to the drug companies anyway. Even the simple things get harder when you're older. Things take longer for me, I move slower and I need more help. Bush cares about business, but he doesn't seem to care about the rest of us."
These are the stories that resonate with almost all of us. We can see ourselves here, our family members, the neighbor down the street. The most individual story is also the most universal story, and there are millions of these stories out there. The "Had Enough" bills have opened the way for people to share some of their stories with me. Amazing, simply amazing.
It has been tempting to use this as an opportunity to talk about issues and candidates, but I haven't. At first I did a bit, but quickly decided not to. The message on the bill was enough. My listening to their story was enough. In religious terms, I believe it is a conversion moment. That time when there is an opening to the Divine. In other terms I guess it could be describe as a consciousness raising moment, the first of many steps to change. In the end, it doesn't matter how it is named. It is happening millions of times across the country. The "Had Enough" bills and the listening to the story help crystallize that realization for people.
This started as a recitation of my fourth day of my personal "Had Enough" campaign, but
I think this is better. I needed to say this.
Thanks for listening.
And, by the way, try it. Spend some "Had Enough?" dollars.
Then, listen for the story.
You'll be glad you did.