"My passionate interest in social justice and social responsibility has always stood in curious contrast to a marked lack of desire for direct association with men and women. I am a horse for single harness, not cut out for tandem or team work. I have never belonged wholeheartedly to country or State, to my circle of friends or even to my own family. These ties have always been accompanied by a vague aloofness, and the wish to withdraw into myself increases with the years. Such isolation is sometimes bitter, but I do not regret being cut off from the understanding and sympathy of other men. I lose something by it, to be sure, but I am compensated for it by being rendered independent of the customs, opinions, and prejudices of others and am not tempted to rest my peace of mind upon such shifting foundations."
--Albert Einstein
In the past seven years, I have had the pleasure of being something of a hermit. I retired from work, due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident, and so my tendency towards isolation has not been entirely by choice. As others who are retired can attest, in a matter of months, most of your friends from work who say that "we’ll stay in touch" do not, because they are living in circumstances that require a very different, much faster pace than that of a retired person.
I live in an old home, which was a stage coach station in the late 1700s. I’m lucky to have a beautiful plot of land, with open fields and some wooded areas, and the nice pond that my cousin made for me. In a very real sense, I live as far away from the fast-moving society, as my home is distant from when it was that stage coach station.
A handful of my extended family lives from 3 to 6 miles away, yet I have little or no contact with them. A few friends come over a couple times a month, to watch boxing matches on tv. And, of course, my children have their friends over frequently, and I always enjoy sitting with a group of them, watching the political debates on the television, or discussing current events with them.
My physical problems have made it where I do far less public speaking that I used to. A couple times a year, I still get out to speak to civic groups, anti-war rallies, and – my favorite – student groups. I’m aware enough to know that my turn at activism is in a much different phase than it was decades ago, and that my most important role now has become that of an old man who can offer some insights, based upon experience, to the younger generation.
So it has been a blast for me to spend some time volunteering at the local Democratic Party Headquarters, along with my children. Last night, I had a feeling that must have been a bit similar to that of Rip Van Winkle (in my case, it would be Rip Van Wrinkled) when I talked to people who are more energized than at any time during the stifling, oppressive years of the Bush-Cheney "presidency."
In recent years – and, for someone my age, that means since about 1980 – there have been too many divisions in the local democratic party, to allow us to function at the level that we should have. These involve a wide range, including the cultural divide between the rural folk and the NYC/Long Island/New Jersey people who have recently moved into our area; an inability to coordinate efforts between progressive/liberal democrats, and the progressive, non-democratic left on local issues and in local elections; difficulty in gaining the interest of area young people; and some heated divisions between supporters of different candidates in the 2008 primary contest.
That has changed dramatically. The grass roots have awakened. There is a great energy, and there is strength in the unity that is building, not only in this remote corner of rural, upstate New York, but across the country.
The two groups that I enjoy interacting with the most are the progressive left, which is organizing and coordinating with the Democratic Party in a manner that holds the promise of what is almost a real "third party"; and the young people who are investing in the Obama campaign. Last night, for example, I had the opportunity to talk to a number of high school students, who while being too young to vote in November, are still interested in volunteering with the campaign. There is nothing more encouraging than listening to these young folks talk about their values, and what is important to them as members of their families, schools, and communities. It is a privilege to be able to hear them, and to have the opportunity to offer them some advice on how to organize and harness the energy of their peer groups.
That was topped off by coming home, and watching Barack Obama’s speech at the Alfred Smith Memorial Dinner. Not only was Senator Obama outstanding, but it was also evident that John McCain recognizes that it is almost certain that Obama is going to win. I suspect that this is in part because his campaign was informed yesterday that retired General Colin Powell is preparing to endorse Obama this weekend; this endorsement will benefit Obama, by convincing the shrinking group of "undecided" voters that Obama is indeed qualified to serve as the nation’s Commander-in-Chief. More, it will give moderate republicans, who are repulsed by McCain’s impersonation of Robert Novak, to vote for the Obama-Biden ticket.
When Barack Obama takes the oath of office, our responsibilities will not end. Instead, we will be entering a new, more challenging phase of the struggle for social justice. The work that we are doing now, will provide us with the united front that will be required to advocate for a return to a Constitutional democracy.
And, after last night, I have a feeling that I’ll be getting out and about a bit more.
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