Therapy Tuesday
I'm writing this post as I'm participating at a conference devoted to leadership. I have the privilege of attending this conference as my state Psychological Association (of which I'm a board member) is covering the cost. Fittingly, this conference, called State Leadership Conference (and hosted annually by the American Psychological Association) occurs in Washington, DC and culminates in a day on Capitol Hill.
One of the recurrent themes that we are talking about, is how on a state level, advocacy seems to be the responsibility of a few, but the demand of many. As psychologists, we are interested in this disparity: the ease of voicing complaints, but the echo of no action following. The apathy of many. These themes resonated for us during the dinner that my state delegation had. We expressed frustration, as the attendees are the ones that take advocacy seriously. Others seem to expect that others will enact change without them. The major problem with this expectation, is that this individual takes no ownership when change comes, and will complain that the change is not the kind that they might have orchestrated.
In the age of the Internet, there isn't the excuse of it being too hard to get involved. While our system is far from perfect, it does allow for involvement. There is the common concern that one voice doesn't matter. With political posturing seemingly like a norm, especially in the wake of health care reform, one voice is an uphill battle. So how many voices equal a chorus? In a chorus, there are no soloists--no single voice heard, but the message comes out clearly, with harmonies that express all of the complexities of that message.
How can you get involved? It is so much easier than we think. And here I get back to the ease of the Internet.
Send an email. You can do this on a local level (your city council); a state level (your legislature); or a national level (your Senator or Congressperson).
Make a phone call. The numbers are available on-line.
Make a contribution. Even $10 a month, spread out by a mass of people can equal large sums of money quickly.
Visit your local or national representatives. They will welcome you, as all politicians realize that you put them there.
Vote.
One voice has power. And if you only use it to complain, you are correct: nothing will change.
Photo by: dcJohn
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