Years ago I had a conversation with a friend regarding an important and often contentious political issue. The issue is not important but what I learned through the conversation is. After exchanging views with my friend, He asked if I was a member of any of the various groups that champion my ideas. I said no. We talked through a list of groups that have taken up the cause for which I claimed to support. I was a member of none of them. I donated to none of them. He asked me how many congressmen or women I had written letters to expressing my views, especially when legislation was being debated concerning that issue. I replied, none of them. He asked me how then am I supporting my side of this issue. I indicated that I always vote in the presidential elections for the candidate which shares my view. He clarified by asking what I did on the other 1,459 days between elections? I was left wanting; I had nothing to offer. He was not impressed and neither was I. The magnitude of my inaction was clarified when he said, “your voice is heard 0.06% of the time.” He ended the conversation by saying, “I guess your voice doesn’t matter very much does it?” This bothered me. I spent a lot of time thinking about it. If I live to 86 years old, I will have the opportunity to participate in 18 presidential elections. During that time 26,280 days would go by and my voice would only be heard on 18 of them.
We all have values. Many of these values we hold dear and believe we would fight for, but in fact we do not. With a world as morally complex as the one we live in, battles over these values are being fought everyday. Ground is being gained and lost every week and most of us do not join the fight. Instead, we hide in a false hope that because the value is so obviously right that surely it cannot fail. Most of us have busy lives with many responsibilities and it is impractical to take on every battle on every issue ourselves. However, there are those fighting for your values on your behalf. You could and should support them, but you do not. I am challenging each of you to spend some time using the internet to find those groups and put your weight behind them. They need your support, usually by giving of time, talents, or financial resources. In doing this you can stand a little taller and know that your voice is being heard on a specific set of issues. Your voice will be heard not just on one day in 1,459, but everyday. The more you can put into these causes the louder your voice becomes and you change things, change lives, change the world.
The ACT NOW feature of this magazine is our way of making this easier for you. As we address certain issues we will have a Act Now button at the bottom of each article. By clicking this button we provide you the contact information for your congressmen and women. We also provide a prefilled textual response which you may include as-is or edit to your liking and send to your representatives. In this way, we at American Sage hope to help you make your voice be heard everyday, VOTE EVERYDAY!
Here are some examples of groups you could support if these issues and their positions align with yours. If not these, then there are many organizations easily found via the internet that you should take the time to find, research, and support if appropriate.
Citizens Against Government Waste
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The September 2009 CCC Blog Carnival | Naked Liberty