If you think you know what is needed, politically, in some area far from you,
Read this:
Back in March of 1965, I was a college drop-out, trying to figure out what to do next. So, I got in an old 1953 Chrysler I bought for $100 and set out from California to see what this civil rights stuff was all about. After a number of mishaps and adventures, I ended up in Alabama, just in time to hear Dr. King's "How Long" speech in Montgomery.
As a 19 year old small town white kid from California, I stood back in the crowd there and listened to Martin Luther King's speech. I was already pissed off about how black people were being treated and was even more pissed off after that speech. I was talking to a black man in his 40s, wearing a suit, after the speech, and earnestly said, "What can I do to help this cause." The man I asked looked at this skinny white kid, smiled and said, "Listen, son. Just listen and pay attention."
The reality was, as I quickly discovered, that I was in no position whatever to help with that cause in that place at that time. I knew nothing. I understood even less. So, I took that man's advice and began listening and learning. That was the very best thing I could do at that point. Nothing else I was capable of would have been of any value just then.
So, if you want to help, politically, somewhere outside of your own sphere of knowledge or experience, try listening to the people you think need your help. They may know something useful that will help you. They almost certainly know what they need better than you do.
