Sunday, May 07, 2006

Causes

I was stopped by a junior ROTC member in his fatigues at the entrance of the supermarket on Saturday. He was probably 12 or 13. I was saying over and over "vanillafatfreeyogurt" when he asked me if I wanted to buy a raffle ticket. I said no, that I didn't have any cash on me. I was actually telling the truth. I never carry cash. What I didn't say was "Are you nuts? Do you really want to go to a foreign country when you are 18 and risk your life for poor foreign policy and bad intelligence?" But I didn't. I felt for the kid. He looked really uncomfortable but I am sure people felt sympathetic and bought the tickets from him. No one wants to appear to be anti-American.

I was talking to a friend today who told me she thought our generation was not community or volunteer minded because there is nothing in it for us. She is working for an arts group and was trying to find people to get involved in a community effort, to much bitching from those she asked. Well I'd love to get involved in something worthwhile, but nothing has presented itself. I wouldn't mind volunteering for the Maine Democratic headquarters, as long as it did not require calling or door to door canvassing. I just would like my political apathy to make way for positive change.

I was listening to This American Life on public radio tonight as I drove home from seeing my friend. This program really inspires me. You can submit recorded essays, but I would need to get some good recording equipment. Tonight's program was on prison and ranged from an essay on a Mother's day visit between children and their incarcerated moms to a pamphlet written by a former prisoner and read by an actor on how to chose your daddy in prison to avoid being gang raped. Listening to the radio reminded me of an opportunity I saw last year to host a radio show on a local college's radio station. This may be my personal cause this year, to find something else I may be good at in the event of a career change need.

1 comment:

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