outrage? i guess...

This is going to be sort of hard because I'm not really in an outraged or even remotely angry mood right now. In fact, I'm pretty happy. There's nothing though, that can change my mood from pleasant to outraged like apathy. Most of the time I get outraged over political apathy. Last fall I volunteered for John Kerry's campaign at a phone bank in my area. Imagine how heartbreaking, and outraging it was for me, not yet 18 to have to call people who told me they were not voting, even though I was holding a piece of paper that proved that they were registered to. It outrages me that only half of this country votes. I agonize at the thought that elections are won and lost over who has the better TV commercial or who spends more money on lawn signs. It has helped me to be less outraged by the political apathy in our country by actually working against it. It's so rewarding to help register someone to vote or talk to a woman in Hawai'i over the phone and tell her, to her surprise that she still has an hour to get to her precinct and vote, and hear the relief in her voice that she hasn't missed her chance.

As much as political apathy outrages me, the apathy that many people have for those worse off than them outrages me more. I don’t just mean economically, although that of course is an awful problem. It outrages me that there are still children who are passed through school who can’t read because no one cared enough, or felt compelled to take the time to sit down with them and teach them. It outrages me that I know a person who’s extended family took turns taking advantage of his social security number instead of taking turns caring for him.

Although many of the things that outrage me come from someone being taken advantage of, this comes from apathy. Someone doesn’t care enough to even treat their fellow human with as much respect and dignity as they do themselves. Many times rather than feeling outraged, this kind of thing depresses me. I can’t comprehend how many people can just not care. Often after the feeling of depression I also feel hope. I feel that, as long as I am still paying attention, still caring enough to pay attention, that other people probably are too. It also helps me focus and figure out what I truly want to do with my life.

Please be careful when you say, “I don’t care” around me. I can probably think of a few reasons why you should.