Inspiration from the Oddest Places
Every year when the Film Festival lands in Toronto I avoid watching TV news. The simpering, smarmy reporters following the celebrities for what seems like weeks on end just drive me crazy, leading me to fret about the mess our society is in when this event creates such excitement and wonder amongst the masses.
Since nothing ever stops me from reading the print media though, I saw in the Toronto Star a lead story this morning that made my weary heart sing. There he was, Martin Sheen, walking the picket lines with strikers at the venerable Royal York, the hotel targeted for a single day of action today.
Telling the press he has been a union member all his adult life and that he supports the labour movement, he then came out with a statement that spoke directly to me. He said, and I quote directly from the Torstar, "I'M HERE TO REMIND YOU THAT LOST CAUSES ARE THE ONLY CAUSES WORTH FIGHTING FOR".
It hit me like the proverbial bolt of lightening, and for a split second I swear my heart stopped beating, then resumed with a lilt that's been missing for quite a while. In that one short sentence was contained the entire rationale for a lifetime of seemingly fruitless work on my part, work that sometimes feels like it has drained all my energy for nothing.
The significance of Mr. Sheen's remark is stunning. It reminded me that it's easy to work for popular causes like curing cancer or diabetes. Everybody believes in those goals, and nobody will tell you that you're destroying peoples' lives, an accusation hurled at me more than once for my efforts to end poverty. Nobody booes you when you speak, nobody calls you nasty names or gives your kids a hard time because they carry your name too. Instead, you get awards and accolades for it. Like I said, it's easy to carry the flag for popular causes.
But just try advocating for a cause that is controversial, like giving the poor an adequate income so they can feed their children properly and live in decent housing. For some reason, that drives some people crazy, and they will go to great lengths to discredit and silence you. That's true whether it's anti poverty work, or union activism, or gay rights, or any other worthy but controversial cause.
But Martin, dear Martin, put it all in perspective for me again. Nothing worth having is gained without a fight, and the harder the fight, the worthier the cause. Just think of civil human rights, and womens' rights. Those battles are far from over around the globe, and if the fight to win them here in North America is any indication, we still have huge battles ahead before we succeed.
Now, at least, my head is clear. Like Braveheart and Robert the Bruce, I say bring it on, the battle is nigh.
2 comments:
I like the feel of your piece, the spirit, the root experience of your life's work. I'd like to add one more fundamental that helped expedite human progress: FREEDOM, WOLNOSC, LIBERTE,SVOBODA.
The profound good that unions did during the 20th century, was achieved not by solidarity alone, but with FREE SPEECH. The bosses and their presses forced workers into the underground to spread The Word.
As the territorial imperitive of Free Speech expanded from the days of Gutenberg, and literacy expanded, human prosperity began to spread throughout the world, and this prosperity will continue to spread. Unfortunately, progress is uneven. But there are voices dealing with that.
I want to be sure that my Western dissidents are guaranteed the right of free speech.
Free Speech should never back down. It is the most fundamental foundation for democracy and for continued human progress.
American soldiers are sworn to uphold the Constitution and Bill of Rights. They are mandated, amongst other things, to defend the First Amendment. And the President should have simply pronounced to the world that the United States of America will uphold the First Amendment to the last drop of blood.
FREE SPEECH; A Sustainable Decongestent Against Repression, Oppression, Repression.
FREE SPEECH: Serving Human Progress Since the Enlightenment.
Is it OK to Burn the Ku Klux Koran in solidarity with Muslims living in Iran who burn it in protest of the Islamic theology appressing the the nation? http://www.fireonquran.com/
How can we stand beside their dissidents when the West declines to stand by its own dissidents?
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