Activism: Life's Hyperlink

There's no better cure-all for cynicism than action, and I highly recommend it on the ethereal as well as the local level.

Currently, I find myself engaged in a handful of causes, all either directly or indirectly related to our local schools. My town, once a dirt street-filled spot with few services, has blossomed into a lovely little arts community. And we happen to have a terrific school district, despite the fact that we've had to cut $3.3 million from our budget over the past two school years. Our state, like most, is finding its coffers woefully inadequate to handle services and needs, and the next 12 years look especially grim.

Now in the face of all that turmoil one could just give up and say there's nothing to be done. Or one could decide that the picture of our future must be altered to a new reality. Just as I've rattled on about the changes our workforce and our politicians need to undertake, I understand that those changes have to occur of the local level as well: We must all sweep in front of our own doorsteps in order for the world to be clean, as the saying goes.

So I urge you to do whatever it is that you can--and your time is worth a lot more than even money--to sort out the debris of your doorstep. Replace complacency with action; use your vision to overcome the trap of feeling lost without control. You'd be amazed at what you have to offer and how open people will be to receiving your gifts and ideas.

To my mind there is nothing better I could do with my time than to work for our kids and their education. Garrison Keillor famously noted that: "Nothing you do for children is ever wasted."

We've all likely contributed to some cause or other: Purchased a brick for the new library, a stepping stone for the main street renewal project, a tile for the clock tower. So when you look over your ballots this November (those of you in the US, that is) consider all your local initiatives in the same light. Give them a close read and support the ones that resonate with you.

There's no more important legacy than our kids', our town's, our nation's, and our world's future. If we all give a little of whatever we can, we will make a difference in that future forecast. And we can often do so for far less than the cost of football cleats, a soccer uniform, or a martial arts class.