Posted by
Marcy Muser on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 9:30:20 PM
Two years ago, at about this far away from Election Day, I sent an email to Hugh Hewitt. I asked him essentially this question: "How do you deal with the emotions - anger, frustration, despair - that arise within you as you read the news and interact with the political scenario on a daily basis?" Hugh, being as active as he is in finding and publicizing real solutions, did not answer that post.
But after two years of reading his posts, listening to his radio program, and being actively involved in studying political/media issues myself, I believe I've learned something about how he does it, and how we too can handle those emotions as they arise. In his program a few nights ago, Hugh said this: "Don't complain - DO SOMETHING!" The answer to the frustrations and irritations we experience is to become
actively involved in making a difference.
So how do we actually do that? There are many ways, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
1)
Give. There are dozens of candidates and issues that need your support so they can get the word out. If your own local races are not close, head on over to
Rightroots, where a great group of conservative bloggers has joined together to raise funds for the campaigns of a number of top-notch candidates, in races that ARE competitive.
2)
Volunteer. There are many competitive races throughout this nation, very likely including at least one or two in your area. Even if there are none in your district or state, there may well be somewhere very near you where you could get involved. Or contact your local area or state Republican Party office and find out how you can help. Mailing campaign materials, helping with the GOTV ("Get Out the Vote") efforts, talking with your neighbors or even having a get-together between your friends and neighbors and your candidate, or just posting a yard sign supporting conservative candidates can be a very significant contribution to the success of a campaign.
3)
Pray. Sometimes we choose this as a last resort; in fact, it is the single most important contribution we can make to seeing truth and justice conquer. Not only that, prayer is one thing we can
all do. If we really believe that conservative values are most likely to result in Biblical care for the poor and in righteousness for our nation, we should be actively praying for the outcome of this election, and every election.
So if you are feeling frustrated, discouraged, angry, disillusioned - don't complain.
DO SOMETHING! Become an active participant in the process. Give, volunteer, pray - do whatever you can to actually have an influence on what is happening - and the emotions will take care of themselves.