I've been in Illinois for nine months and my time is almost up. Just 23 days til I begin my half cross-country journey back to the Northwest. It's time to reflect on the things I have learned here in Illinois.
Springfield, IL surprised me this year. There are people here who are committed to simplifying and changing the way we live. People who work for non-profits promoting environmental stewardship, students who are no longer happy with the way we are treating our planet or our current system of government, and faculty who challenge students to rise up and be heard. There's a growing local food movement fueled by the surprisingly wonderful farmer's market. There are events like the Haymarket Festival, Political Art and the Public Sphere, the Environmental Film Festival, and Brew and View that bring together the community to engage and learn about issues affecting our planet.
I am renewed with hope by the handful of people I keep seeing at these different events. I am renewed with purpose as I make my way back to a part of the country that is further ahead in the environmental movement than the midwest. Sometimes I wonder if I'm making the right decision going back. The NW has way more than a handful of activists committed to sustainability and radical politics. Perhaps my skills would be better served in a place where there is much more work to do. But I know it is time to go back. To become part of the Olympia community (which I was not a part of before). To bring my skills in leadership and social justice to my work. I think I am called back to learn more so someday I may return here with a greater knowledge. I have faith that the wonderful people I met this year will continue the fight and they will fight hard. Someday I hope to come across these people again and they will have much to tell me about their progress in a most difficult system.
I learned this year that being open to others creates an opennes in them. This is something I have known for a while, but I got to practice it a lot more this year. Some conservatives are surprised that I listen to them. I even had one such friend tell me that my passion for sustainability is contagious. I say to those that have different viewpoints than me...thank you for challenging me. You help create stronger convictions for myself and reflect on why I feel and believe the things I do. And thanks to those who also listened to me.
I also learned that role modeling and education may very well be my best form of activism and direct action. I may not be ready to get arrested for a cause. Maybe I never will be it truly depends on how bad things get. I still have a lot of hope for the future. When people ask me why I do the things I do or live my life the way I live it, I get to educate them. I get to plant a seed that will hopefully blossom into a revolution of the mind. Multiple revolutions of the mind lead to revolutions of culture. It may sound grandiose, or possibly even arrogant. But I need to feel like I'm making a difference in order to keep hope. This year, I have struggled with whether or not role modeling and education were enough for me. Right now they are and they have to be. I'm not willing to lose a job I love over it. I think there are ways to stand up for your beliefs, to advocate for others and our planet without getting into trouble. I choose this route for now. If it gets to the point where I can no longer live with what is happening, where freedoms are taken away, where there is only a shred of hope, then I will take further action. I believe this day will come during my lifetime. Probably when we run out of oil. When that happens I do believe life will be chaotic and the government will try to control us even more. I don't want to live in a world where freedom exists only as a memory. When that day comes, well, losing all hope is freedom. Will I be ready for this? Will you be ready for this? It will take an enormous amount of courage to stand up. Until then I'll keep fighting, and educating, and raising awareness with the hope that this day gets further and further into the future until it flashes forward into infinity. I hope you will do the same.
