I hadn’t been to a demonstration in a while. Last Saturday it was my sister’s birthday, so I gave her a call before leaving the house with the camera. She lives in Spain, at our hometown, and just turned 25. I was always the most politically active and openly leftist one, and yet she’s the gorgeous heart and soul who’s become a professional “helper of making the world a better place”. She works with foster children, domestic violence victims, ex drug addicts, etc. Her reaction: “Really? They know what a political protest is? In the USA? Well… Obviously not enough! Hehehe!!!”
And yes, damn right she has a point. How on earth did this country get here? Sometimes though, you can tell. People either live in a state of grief toward the current political situation, but will quicker get an ulcer out of it that a protest banner in their hands. The day that, years ago, I found out that only about a 30% of the population here votes I was in dismay. I have personally gone out of my way (literally flew back to Spain in order to vote) to make sure that the current president got my vote. Because one, plus another, plus another… it is many persons what makes a people. The abstention rate in European countries is, at the HIGHEST, a 30%. That’s in the civically irresponsible countries.
And yet, here, everybody complains.
Last Saturday it was pouring rain, and I must admit that a part of me wondered. “Why, oh why…” risk the health of my camera equipment with random wetness. The trooper in me took over after a few minutes of baby whining though, because life is actually good, I am a happy person, and being part of this Party/Project/Team-Of-Deciders has brought a lot of joy into my life in the last while. Now, if I’m ok anyway, why not go out of the way to capture, through wet glass, the effort of those few who care enough to speak up for the many? It is action what defines the human being. Or, as they say in Spain, you recognize the tree by its leaves. Yes, we can all be pretty pissed, we can all grieve, complain in social or family gatherings, but it is action, coming together of citizens, as one voice, what has moved mountains in the past.
This particular mountain, on this particular Saturday, got a bit rained off, but the ones who were there didn’t care about the discomfort as much as they care about their country. Want Patriotism? Patriotism is like self-stem: if you really love your country, look at it in the eyes and begin to make the changes that need happen in order to make of it a better place for everybody. For your kids, for those who visit it, for your neighbors. That is Love. Hanging flags or complaining at 4 am while drunk with your buddies, with all due respect, won’t do a thing.
Every action has a price and a pleasure. Those who chose to be politically passive will not risk getting wet or even arrested. They won’t go to sleep knowing they did all they could either. Take responsibility for where this country is at. It is Bush’s fault, yes, and also of those who voted for him or who stayed home and didn’t vote at all. May it not happen again this coming November.
Blessings,
Rakel
