If They Can Do It, So Can We……
Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash
Do you ever read the news and see all of the horrible things going on in the world and think to yourself…..”What can I do? I’m nobody special and I am not a politician. I can’t change the world!” If you have, you are not alone. Too many people feel that way.
I bet you don’t tend to think about all of the people that came before you that have changed the world with nothing more than their convictions. The convictions that spark a flame in others and change the world. Today I want to tell you about a documentary that I watch within the last few days while I was down with day 96 of my Covid nightmare aftermath.
The documentary is titled “Knock Down The House.” My wife assured me that I would not cry. She was mistaken in that assumption. I was so overwhelmed with hope from watching this documentary. The story is based on following several Congress candidates from around the nation in their fight for “ A New Congress”. The candidates were nominated by people in the community and then screened by the New Congress committee to see who they would be backing for the 2016 election. For many of you, this is old news right. It was several years ago. What was news for me was that these candidates were nurses, bartenders, and other working class people. These candidates were all chosen because of their passion for making their cities and states a better place for all people. They were not corrupted by the sparkly bobbles and promises of big corporations or lobbyists.
Of most interest to me was the story of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). I did not know much about her origin story. I have seen her speaking up in Congress for the little guys and taking on giants. I have seen her put condescending, sexist, racist individuals in their place fearlessly. I knew that she didn’t just talk the talk, but also walked the walk. Watching this documentary furthered my respect for this woman. She came from nothing. She was a bartender when she was nominated to run for Congress. She did not see this life for herself. But what she did see was that she had a duty to make changes in any way she could. She won her Congress seat over someone who had been in politics and been in power for many many years. Her heart is in the right place. A place of selflessness, a place of determination, and because of this, she has the heart of the people.
What does this mean to me? This means that deep down, most Americans know that what is going on these days is not OK. We all know in the pit of our stomach that the only way that things are going to change is to make waves and speak up the way that AOC has done. She accomplished this by being a human being, who shows she cares about people and does not hold herself higher than anyone else. If she were to run for President in the future, I would vote for her. But that is a fight for another day.
But it got me thinking about all of the doubts I have had about being good enough or smart enough or popular enough to make change in the world. The thoughts that I’m a nobody and no one will listen to me. If AOC had accepted that negative self talk or that message being flung at her from politicians who opposed her, our country would be missing out. We need more brave individuals to step up and put themselves out there. Not just celebrities and wealthy people who may be and probably are completely detached from the real life struggles of the middle class and the lower class in this country. This is the same problem we run into in management positions of major companies, hospitals, government offices. People forget what it was like to struggle. They become too entangled in the money aspect of things and forget that everything we do is suppose to be based on people. Our country was suppose to be founded upon every human having the chance to fulfill their dreams.
It is time to change the channel. It is time for new blood. AOC is doing it currently and we can too. What passion do you have? What skill set can you use to make our world a better place? Are you good at talking to people? Are you gifted as a caretaker? Are you an artist? I guarantee whatever background you come from and whatever your skill set, you can make a difference in this crazy time. Write letters, text, make videos, peacefully protest. Even just show kindness to a new stranger every day. But do something. I’m going to keep going. I am going to keep researching and blogging and fighting for what I know to be right. I will fight for all the unloved, unwanted, mistreated human beings that have been discriminated against because someone else decided they were worth less than their own interests. Join me in fighting the Trumps of the world. We can have the world we always dreamed of for our children, but only if we are willing to put the work in. Vote, vote, vote this November. If nothing changes, we only have ourselves to blame because we did not stick up to the bullies when we know we should have.
I am posting the Netflix link to the documentary below. I encourage you to watch it and I will talk to you soon.
Kelly
