Small Things
One of the podcasts I like is "On the Media" from WNYC. In Tuesday's episode, they described as a tactic of the Trump administration the release of falsehoods, lies, and outrages relentlessly, one after another, like waves rolling in to break upon the shore of consciousness. The relentlessness of it is a tactic for controlling the media response and to numb the population. I get it. It's easy to become numb.
I have no idea what to do about the big picture. It's too large for me. I just want to live my life, and that's a sign, I know, of the privilege with which I live it. I can afford, for just me, to be weary of the onslaught and check out. But the we that I'm a part of can't afford, for all of us, to do that.
So I try to do small things. I'm a regular blood donor. I give platelets, because that's what they want from me for my blood type. I understand that not everyone can give. There are many questions in the screening process, and any of them can defer a donor from donating, permanently or temporarily. I'm not offering judgment on any of those reasons that you personally, individually, can't donate. I'm encouraging those who can to consider it as an easy and necessary thing to do. I give at The Blood and Tissue Center of Central Texas, which was calling itself In Your Hands for a while, but has recently re-branded itself as We Are Blood. I like that. We are blood. We are family. We are connected. We are responsible for each other. We are blood. If you'd like to give, Google can probably help you easily find your local area blood bank. If not, The Red Cross says it can you help you find local donation opportunities.
I also volunteer. When I was a full-time stay-at-home dad, my son and I drove for Meals on Wheels. I talked last night to a coworker who organized a team at work to drive a weekly Meals on Wheels route, so I'm thinking of fitting that back into my life. My local United Way has also helped me find volunteer projects on both the Day of Caring in September and the Day of Service on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. I have loved those projects because they put me in touch with organizations that are doing good things locally, creating solutions in my community for problems that seem, to my eyes, huge and insurmountable. There are good people working hard every day to do good things for strangers, and it's uplifting to see it in action and participate to at least a small degree now and then. It's an easy and necessary thing to do. Again, if you use Google to search "United Way" and your local town or city, it can be a start for finding local volunteer opportunities. Or maybe you belong to a church that has community service programs. I bet churches do all kinds of things. I'm not affiliated with one, though, so I looked elsewhere.
These were things that I started doing before the recent developments in American politics that suddenly made action of a different sort seem more critical, and I'm not sure how to approach that new feeling of urgency. I refuse to be afraid, but clearly citizen action is absolutely necessary. Sometimes, when encouraged by friends, I have forayed into political action beyond voting. I want to do this more, but again, I feel overwhelmed. It seems impossible to know anything about anything. In a world of limitless information, how does one know something with enough certainty to act on it? But for some things, it's clear, and I have walked to the capitol on my lunch break to register my opposition to legislation. It's an easy and necessary thing to do. I don't know if it really changes anything, but not doing it certainly won't. And I like getting those steps on my pedometer anyway.
I'm also going to add this easy and necessary thing to do: writing to my representatives. I found mine, and their contact information, by starting at Who Represents Me, but I'm sure Google would be able to help you find yours, too, if you are outside of Texas. I'm going to leave them at the bottom of this post so that they're easy to find and there to remind me.
What small or large things are you doing to make your voice heard or to concretely affect the world around you in a positive way? How did you decide that it was the action you were going to take?
US:
Senator John Cornyn
517 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
Main: 202-224-2934
221 West Sixth Street
Suite 1530
Austin, TX 78701
Main: 512-469-6034
Fax: 512-469-6020
Senator Ted Cruz
404 Russell
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5922
300 E 8th
Suite 961
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 916-5834
Congressman John Carter
2110 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-3864
1717 North IH 35
Suite 303
Round Rock, TX 78664
(512) 246-1600
Texas:
Senator Charles Schwertner
Capitol Office: EXT E1.806
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0105
Capitol Address: P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
District Address: 3000 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 202
Bryan TX 77802
Phone: (979) 776-0222
Representative Tony Dale
Capitol Office: EXT E2.602
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0696
Capitol Address: P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
District Address: P.O. Box 2910
Austin TX 78768
Phone: (512) 463-0696
