I've always been interested in the events of the world, but the past decade has greatly changed my level of engagement. Since the Shrub was appointed President in 2000, I’ve become increasingly engaged with news and politics, believing firmly that knowledge is power and that understanding your opposition is the only way to overcome it. Still, there are days that I just want to hide from the news. Sometimes paying attention to the world is so painful that I wonder why I bother.
Since my husband, Michael, started his blog, I’ve found myself digging even deeper, trying to find the most interesting and imporant items to share. That extra level of engagement has me posting on an ever-increasing variety of message boards and blogs as I find people of shared and opposing views that I feel compelled to support or refute. I'm not the kind of issues junkie I run across many places, but I'm always surprised by how paying attention pays off in conversations and business.
Staying actively engaged is a mixed bag, to be sure. Watching the exact moment that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell passed its final procedural hurdle finally made it worth reading all the hateful insanity from John McCain. The horrible tax compromise passed, but none of Oregon’s Democrats in congress voted for it. Still, some days it seems tempting to crawl into bed and watch every episode of Waiting for God rather than spend time researching the Smithsonian’s censorship to make sure people are aware of the issue.
Driving to work the other day, I listened to a favorite song that reminded me why it’s worth the effort. Dick Gaughan, a brilliant (and sadly little-known) folk singer, wrote a song that clearly lays out why we have to pay attention to what’s wrong with the world and, more importantly, report it. Here's a key excerpt:
A Different Kind of Love Song, by Dick Gaughan
I could close my eyes to the suffering
I could switch off my mind and sing pretty songs
I could close my ears to the crying
I could sing, take the money and run
But that wouldn't help those in trouble
That wouldn't help make their pain disappear
And the homeless, the workless, the hopeless and helpless
Wouldn't be any happier, would still live in fear
So I'll keep trying to make people happy
I'll keep trying in the best way I know how
And for me to help make the most people happy
I must make you even more sad and angry now
You can find all the lyrics and listen to a live performance of the song on his website.
As we get ready to start the new year, I think it is very important that remember why we do what we do. We must certainly make time for fun and joy every day. But we cannot do so at the expense of shining a bright light on what’s wrong with our world and insisting that everyone step up and change it.