A Slight Correction

Yesterday, I said that politics was never my thing--actually, that wasn't quite true. I was speaking out of certain dissillusionment with the trend of "politics" in this country and a wish that I could ignore the larger world in changing my focus to a more spiritual development. The truth is, I am very passionate about my responsibilities as a citizen of this country, even as the United States of America morphs into the Unilateral States of Amerika (or as Gore Vidal put it: the United States of Amnesia). I applaud those who take a stand and speak out for their ideals and beliefs, even if I think they are on the wrong track (or even on the wrong train), because the right to speak your mind, regardless of the position you've taken on any given issue is the very core of what it means to be an American. I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed by Voltaire that "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." The fact is that much greater minds and voices than mine are already speaking to the issues and goals we should be pursuing so that I am doing little more than adding to the chorus without adding much to the song itself. So I am shifting my focus from "politics" into an arena that is getting less attention but is just as vital if we are ever going to see the kind of changes that our nation needs to get us back to where we need to be, and that is in the area of spirituality.
We make more of an impact on the people we see day in and day out than we ever could on those who see our faces or hear our voices or read our signs when we stand together at protest rallies and political demonstrations. When we do the right thing because it IS right (especially when it's hard or inconvenient or costs us something we value), we make more of a statement about our beliefs and ideals than attending a hundred rallies. We lead best when we lead by example, especially for our children who will have to carry on after us. But we tend to relegate our spirituality to Sunday mornings, just like we tend to limit our civic responsibility to making marks on a piece of paper and sticking it in a box.
It seems to me that that kind of perfunctory service is exactly how we got where we are, both spiritually and politically, and it has to change if we are going to see any meaningful change in either area.