I have to admit – the recent election results have me in a tailspin. Emotions have run the gamut from disbelief to despair. I’ve cried. I’ve reached out to friends and family who will listen. I’ve told myself to breathe….and then to breathe again and again.
And last night, as I tossed and turned, unable to sleep – it hit me.
There is a fundamental shift happening right now. Like it or not, when things are changing is exactly the time when things are the most malleable. As systems and mindsets move into disequilibrium – there is a tremendous pull to move into a steady state, a new normal, a pattern of predictability.
Things will change in Washington. And things have needed to change in Washington for a very long time.
However, the thing that is most important is what changes in our hearts, minds, and actions.
For we have the privilege (and it is a privilege offered to far too few) of living in a democracy. A democracy where we have a vote and we have a voice. And while our option to vote happens infrequently, every few years or so, our option to have a voice is 24/7.
So I’m not waiting four years to vote for a different candidate. I’m not waiting for things to go badly so that I can complain about them. I’m not waiting to make my voice heard.
Going forward, I vow to move from:
- Apathy to Action: to take action, to volunteer, to exert my influence
- Talking About to Talking With: to engage in respectful, meaningful dialog with those I disagree
- Deferring to Daring: not waiting for someone else to do the work and dare to do what I can
- Fear to Courage: to speak my mind, to right injustices, to do the hard work
And as I do, I am heartened by the words of a wise woman, Margaret Mead, who reminds us to “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
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8 Responses
Dear Kris,
Thanks for spelling out a forward-looking, four-point plan for citizen engagement with our democracy. It reflexes a great deal of experience and thought. ~ With admiration and appreciation, Albie Davis from Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Thanks Albie. Democracy only works if we do our part.
Kris,
I am surprised and a little disheartened that you are using your venue in a political way. It is clear from your opening statement where your political views lie. While I can’t disagree with the call for action and engagement, I don’t believe that leadership programs like yours should be politicized. That’s just my opinion for what it is worth.
I could not agree with you more. We all need to step up as leaders and contribute to the solutions, not the problems. One of the many ways we can do this is to be role models who demonstrate civility and take a stand against the opposite whenever possible. If we don’t like mean-spirited behavior on social media, are we just playing it safe and ignoring it? If we don’t like the rhetoric of one of our elected representatives, are we voicing our concern directly to them? Positive change doesn’t come easily. It only happens when we take action.
Thanks for your thoughtfulness. Well timed as I consider how to get out of my post election funk.
Deb, Exactly my challenge. And the time proven way of doing something productive and within my sphere of influence is my prescription. Kris
Lovely post, Kris
Well said and words to live by … many thanks. This is going to be interesting!!