Don't Call Me Senior Citizen

Not interested in politics? Politics is interested in you

That's a version of a saying often attributed to Leon Trotsky, except with the word "war" replacing "politics." Either way, the truth of it holds - for both war and politics.

It seems a lot of us don't feel any better about one than we do the other. We associate the term "politics" with division and conflict. It's the topic you don't bring up at family gatherings unless you have a perverse taste for bitter and pointless arguments. We all have at least one relative like that, right?

Who needs it? Haven't we heard enough by now?

If you're over a certain age, you're tired of it. Especially after the last two years - no, make that five. No, make that since 1977 when broadcast news went from being a public service provided by the networks to a profit-making enterprise. That's when we went from getting relatively objective hard news reporting to being awash in blood and circuses, anything to amp up ratings, and that's even before the social media echo chamber  - but I digress. My point is, we're exhausted.

We can't even settle arguments with facts anymore, because facts have stopped being, well, facts. And there's barely a second to catch our breath before the next election cycle starts.

It's tempting to just turn a blind eye to all of it. The campaigning, the news, the robo calls, the yard signs, the fundraising appeals, the endless yammering of way-too-slick political ads, the bottomless wanting. At this stage in our lives, haven't we earned some peace?

And yet.

Who understands citizenship better than senior citizens?

Back in the day, you couldn't graduate high school without passing at least one course in civics or government, and often both. Whether those classes were mind-numbingly boring (my civics class was one long yawn) or illuminating (my government class was awesome), we got the message that citizenship means more than having a birth certificate.

If we want to maintain a representative, participatory democracy, we don't get to just live here. Paying taxes, obeying the law, and keeping our yards up aren't enough either. We've learned from experience that if we don't use what voice we're given there will always be others who are eager to speak for us. And decide for us.

We may be older, but we are also wiser and warier. We know from experience that those who would like to make our decisions for us are invested in their own interests, not ours. 

I think of civic engagement - citizenship power, if you will - like cash. We each have a certain amount of it. If we invest it wisely, over time it can have a positive impact. But if we leave it lying around, somebody is sure to come along and grab it for themselves.

I don't think of myself as "political" 

I don't have a zest for politics, like a few people I have known - friends of mine who've been community organizers, for example, or who have run for and served in public office.

This is true although I myself served for nine years on the city council of the small Southern California town where I used to live. Those nine years included two terms as mayor. But that was more a matter of being willing to serve than any kind of personal aspiration. I was appointed to the council when one of the other members stepped down mid-term, and nobody else ever pulled nomination papers when my terms came up. 

That means I never had to campaign because I was never actually up for election. But I can honestly claim that I never had a vote cast against me. As for the position of mayor, in our city it rotated among the council. So in those nine years, my turn came up twice. 

Council members received no salary. I thought of myself as a volunteer rather than a politician. But it sure did teach me a lot about local government - and the truth of the saying, " all politics is local."

What that experience brought home to me more than anything since my high school government class, was that participation in the process makes a big difference. Being an active citizen really does matter. It's literally the foundation of our democracy.

Yes, that means voting in every election, from dog catcher on up to POTUS.

But that's not enough

If the thought of attending rallies or carrying signs in marches horrifies you, there are plenty of other ways to be involved. Does your state assemblyman or representative know how you feel about the upcoming vote on some legislation you think is bonkers? They should. If they're doing their job at all, they want to.

It doesn't take much time to find out how to contact them and send them an email (respectful but to the point works best: anger and insults get you nowhere, and I can tell you that from experience). Who better than us, with life experience and decent manners, to give our elected officials the straight dope?

It took me all of five minutes last week to let both of our senators know what I think of their "no" votes on the PACT Act. Both of them withdrew their previous support for a bill that would have extended support to veterans harmed by exposure to burn pits and other toxins in the course of their military service.

Both senators now know how this constituent feels about that. I believe I used the word "appalled."

My concept of good citizenship runs largely along the same lines as the admonitions you hear about public safety: if you see something, say something. If there's a big development planned for your end of town and you think the developer should foot the bill for some open space, show up to the planning commission meeting. If there are a couple of loudmouths hijacking the school board public sessions to insist on banning yet more books, make sure you're on hand to calmly present your opposing viewpoint.

Is it always fun? Or convenient? Of course not. And unless it's your jam and you've got a lot of time on your hands, you're not going to involve yourself in every single civic issue that rears its head.

But we have to show up for the things that matter to us most

It takes time. Time at our stage of life is at least as valuable as at any other, and arguably more so. But we tend to have less of it taken up with jobs and school-age kids at home. 

It takes stepping back from the initial emotional reaction that the news is engineered to provoke from us - and who better to do that than those of us who've been around long enough to develop perspective and wisdom?

It requires the application of critical thinking and the willingness to look deeper than the headlines - see above.

None of that is effortless. But if we don't do it - if we don't model responsible citizenship - why should our children and grandchildren bother? 

If you don't get your way, you still have your say

Citizenship carries with it a sense of duty and determination, but also a certain humility. Each of us gets a vote (which, by the way, we should be using to ensure that each of our votes counts equally, something that is by no means guaranteed considering the current enthusiasm for gerrymandering and voter suppression -but I digress). Each of us has a voice.

So do people with whom we disagree. Things don't always go the way we want them to; maybe they rarely do. I believe one reason people are disengaged from the political process is that it hurts to lose. Especially when that loss has real consequences for us, or our futures, or our kids' futures.

But as long as we can pick ourselves up and continue to do whatever we can in service to what we believe is the highest good, we don't have to marinate in apathy or despair. 

There is some peace in knowing you've done what you can.

Small actions matter

Because I'm so (very, very) concerned about the midterm elections coming up, I spend a little time every week phone banking with an organization I support.

Yes, I am one of those people who calls you at dinner time to find out if you have your ballot yet, or if you'll support Candidate X and why I think you should, or simply to exhort you to vote.

Do I love doing it? Not so much - although I've had some amazing conversations with people I'd never otherwise get to talk to. But honestly, I mostly get outgoing messages.

Are the people I do talk to ever rude to me? Surprisingly, very rarely. 

Do I feel like I'm making any difference?

To the people who speak with me about their concerns for the upcoming election, or who want to vote but are housebound and don't know how to get a mail-in ballot, or who really would like to be more involved in the process but simply need someone to invite them along - yes. My few hours a month spent dialing strangers do make a difference.

Anyway, it's what I can do. We live not far from an Air Force base. Every time I see men and women in their military fatigues at the grocery store or the airport, I think about what they're giving up in service to their country, and what may ultimately be asked of them, on my behalf.

I'm not putting on a uniform and deploying overseas. I'm not risking my life or my health. It won't kill me to make some phone calls, write some letters, attend some meetings.

It's not really about politics. It's about citizenship.

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