Political Participation

One could say that I am a sucker for a good political demonstration. I, along with a good deal of my fellow bleeding heart liberals, love to exercise my rights of assembly, speech, and most importantly, I feel, expression. The participation in political expression, in my mind, produces an effect that is, at least, two fold: It raises awareness and, more importantly, breeds compassion. Many people who demonstrate partake in actions that turn heads, they make a statement, raise awareness. The next is a shared sense of solidarity with a marginalized community bred through this action that generates empathy, compassion, understanding, perspectives that could potentially change the minds of the masses.

Many times throughout my 19 years, I have found myself participating in some form of political action that expressed a sort of belief set that I subscribed to. I traveled for three years to the Ignation Family Teach-In for Justice in Ft. Benning, GA, to gather with Jesuit schools from around the nation to protest the United States Military's School of the Americas. This year I attempted (and sadly failed) to forgo meals for one week to stand in solidarity with the world's homeless. Today, I participated in the TOM's One Day Without Shoes 2010. (read more about the event here)

I was sadly disappointed, however, in the level of participation on our campus, and even some of the responses I witnessed on facebook, which lead me to believe many people have a lack of understanding of their rights and, even more disappointingly, responsibility to care.

A friend (in one of the loosest possible capacities of the word) took to his facebook to tell the world that he would not be going barefoot today, that "the kid that [he] bought a pair of shoes for when [he] bought [his] TOMS can be cool with [him] and wear his shoes like a normal person." He then goes on to even urge others to keep their shoes on because "there are other ways of raising awareness of shoe-less people than offending others with your foot odor."

I have to ask now: what is more important? Our quality of life in living in an odor free environment, or increased awareness that we really could stand to be a little more sympathetic to those less fortunate? If this one simple comment doesn't prove that the whole society would be more giving, more empathetic, more Christian (if that matters to you) by removing their shoes and suffering through the weird looks, rocky cement, bad odor (really?!), and stigma of being shoeless to stand in solidarity with those who don't have a choice, then I dont know what does.

The path to change is not supposed to be easy, and it certainly is not one that will often be taken up by the masses. This means that those of us willing, able, and committed to enacting social change will not be accepted by certain people or permitted in certain environments. Our goal is not to alienate ourselves, but hopefully through our own acts of solidarity with those less fortunate, in our own quest to be more understanding and sympathetic, in our own political participation, we will be a beacon of change for those around us, and a symbol of hope for those less fortunate.

If that means we can't eat with you, then so be it.

Nick