Show UP!

“The world is run by those who show up.”  This quote came from a dear friend of mine as we mulled the world problems over a glass of wine one night not long ago. And, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.  We spend hours upon hours behind our keyboards criticizing the decisions of others and complaining about one injustice or another.  We hit the send button and feel righteous and accomplished at having spread our wisdom to the social media masses, but what have we really done but just add more rhetoric to our side of an already polarized debate?  And realistically, given the algorithms of the various media platforms, we are just preaching to the choir and accomplishing NOTHING. AT. ALL.  Real change can only happen on the ground when we SHOW UP! When we attend the public hearings and town meetings. When we join the board of our schools, libraries and other institutions. When we lobby our elected officials.  When we BECOME the elected officials.  But, for the most part, we don’t. We don’t show up and then get frustrated when others “make a mess of things”.

Then I started thinking about all the reasons why we don’t show up:

1. We are too busy– The 21st century pace of life is fast! We work too much.  And, when we aren’t working, we are likely carting kids around to various extracurriculars, or running errands, or commuting, or just trying to keep our lives in some semblance of order. 
2. We are mentally exhausted- In addition to our frantic pace is the constant bombardment of stimulation and information, 24/7. Our brains are being fired incessantly through our electronic devices- our ever-present smartphones, television, radio, billboards, etc. Our brains are tired, and the thought of adding anything else can be overwhelming. 
3. We don’t know how to start/get involved– There are no manuals that come with public or civic service (or if there are, the majority of people don’t know about them). We may care deeply about an issue, but not have a clue where to go or what to do to start making a difference.  And, the legwork that is involved to find this information is often more than we are willing to take on (see reasons 1 and 2).
4. The work is often tedious– Let’s face it, to get things done, you have to have meetings. You have to plan and organize before you can execute, and none of those things are particularly fun and can be downright boring. Who wants to spend their precious free time in another long, boring meeting after a day already full of long, boring meetings?
5. INERTIA!- All of the above reasons can be summed up into this one word: inertia.  Inertia, or the First Law of Motion, states: an object at rest will stay at rest and an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. Or, a more modern definition is “the tendency to do nothing or remain unchanged”.  In other words, we are going to keep on keeping on until something or someone comes along to get us started or change our course.

The problem is, for the most part, there is no outside force that is going to come along and push us into motion.  That outside force, ironically, has to come from within.  We have to reevaluate our priorities and decide to take action. No one is going to do it for us. We need to bite the bullet instead of looking for a silver one.  But, I think the rewards will make us glad we did.

As an example, my friend was telling me about one of her public service experiences on a town planning board.  The position was arduous at best.  She spent several hours once a month sitting at planning meetings listening to countless testimonials from folks on each side of a particular issue.  Was it exciting and stimulating? Mostly no.  But, for the 80% of the time where not much was accomplished, the other 20% was making a real difference in her town.  She showed up and she had a say.

Another good example is my daughter Emma.  I had read somewhere about an upcoming meeting for youth in our community who care about the environment and want to make a difference.  The meeting was to form a Youth Sustainability Council led by the governor’s wife.  The heads of the Department of Education and Department of Environmental Services would be there to hear kids’ concerns and ideas regarding sustainability in their schools and communities in a casual round table setting.  It was on a Saturday. Now, for the record, Saturdays in our household are pure chaos with soccer games, climbing competitions, birthday parties, more soccer, etc.  Any rare free time on the weekends, in general, is precious and not to be squandered. But, the environment is a huge passion for Emma and she agreed to go. She was one of eight kids to show up! Eight! And, because she showed up, she had the ear of some major players in the state and was invited to participate in a Green Expo at the end of the month to pitch her school-related sustainability project for potential prize money. Were there things she would have rather done with her day? Sure. Was it a long day of sitting around talking to strangers? Yes. But, because she showed up, and showed up again at the Expo, she won $1500 for her school and is now part of a really great youth program. She showed up and is making a difference.

Being and getting involved takes effort and sacrifice. It is not necessarily easy or fun, BUT, it can be hugely rewarding. Not only does it allow you to become an active, participating member of your community, but it vastly expands your network of peers and potential friends.  It gives you a say in the programs/laws/events that affect your life.  Maybe you don’t have any desire to run for public office (I know I don’t), then show up and campaign for that friend of yours that does.  Sit in on hearings for upcoming bills in your State’s legislature. Go to your school’s parent-teacher organization. Go to town planning board meetings. March or demonstrate for your cause. It doesn’t even need to be an all or nothing effort.  Show up when you can for what you can.  But, whatever you do, SHOW UP!