Continuing on from the post of 7:30 this morning, I find myself at my wit's end as to what to do. Since getting back out into the streets genuinely is not an option, I find that I have few choices. If I lived in the Puget Sound region, one possibility would be to serve as the chief administrative cog for one or more organizations, but I live nowhere near any population center.
In those bygone years when I was a semi-professional activist, I served as one of or THE administrative lackey as well as being one of the out front leaders. For years, I maintained complex databases for several groups. I ran the fundraising programs and served as Treasurer. I often was the chief media contact person as well as the answer man for members and chapters all throughout Oregon and, later, Washington.
I wrote and/or formatted most of our leaflets, brochures and educational material. I supervised the phonebanks and I was the behind-the-scenes "brain" for most of our seminars, conferences, workshops and demonstrations.
As you can readily see, I wore A LOT of hats. When other activists started to step to the front, I was more than ready and willing to step to the back. If given my druthers, the role I most wanted to fill was the behind-the-scenes administrative role and that's the one I gravitated towards. Near the end of my life as an activist, that was the central role I filled.
In many ways, I think it is a crucial role. Every organization needs at least one person who keeps the group AND the money supply moving forward. Such an individual is doing a great job when few people even recognize all the work he/she is doing (think of some of the words of Lao Tzu here). When all the parts are humming along, then the members feel as if they did it all on their own!!
But in my last gig -- Treasurer of the Green Party of Washington State -- it became clear to me and others that it is a lot more difficult when a group's go-to administrative hack physically is located far from the action. When members need tangible resources, you are not there to hand them out. It's also next too impossible (without a LOT of travel which can be prohibitive if you're a "poor" person) to organize and supervise conferences and programs when you are located so far away.
This is my predicament. The outlets I used to utilize for my activist energy are, for one reason or another, no longer available to me. So, I sit here day after day in my little cave and stew. Besides using my blog as a way to promote various articles that underline many of the most pressing issues of the day and offering my philosophizing about them, I don't know what else to do. I don't know what else realistically I can do.
And that has me a bit bummed at the moment!
In those bygone years when I was a semi-professional activist, I served as one of or THE administrative lackey as well as being one of the out front leaders. For years, I maintained complex databases for several groups. I ran the fundraising programs and served as Treasurer. I often was the chief media contact person as well as the answer man for members and chapters all throughout Oregon and, later, Washington.
I wrote and/or formatted most of our leaflets, brochures and educational material. I supervised the phonebanks and I was the behind-the-scenes "brain" for most of our seminars, conferences, workshops and demonstrations.
As you can readily see, I wore A LOT of hats. When other activists started to step to the front, I was more than ready and willing to step to the back. If given my druthers, the role I most wanted to fill was the behind-the-scenes administrative role and that's the one I gravitated towards. Near the end of my life as an activist, that was the central role I filled.
In many ways, I think it is a crucial role. Every organization needs at least one person who keeps the group AND the money supply moving forward. Such an individual is doing a great job when few people even recognize all the work he/she is doing (think of some of the words of Lao Tzu here). When all the parts are humming along, then the members feel as if they did it all on their own!!
But in my last gig -- Treasurer of the Green Party of Washington State -- it became clear to me and others that it is a lot more difficult when a group's go-to administrative hack physically is located far from the action. When members need tangible resources, you are not there to hand them out. It's also next too impossible (without a LOT of travel which can be prohibitive if you're a "poor" person) to organize and supervise conferences and programs when you are located so far away.
This is my predicament. The outlets I used to utilize for my activist energy are, for one reason or another, no longer available to me. So, I sit here day after day in my little cave and stew. Besides using my blog as a way to promote various articles that underline many of the most pressing issues of the day and offering my philosophizing about them, I don't know what else to do. I don't know what else realistically I can do.
And that has me a bit bummed at the moment!
But seriously, you could definitely put together a book from your writings. I know you posted somewhere a few months back that you feel no need to do so. I respect that, but you have a gift, and maybe you could help supplement your income, as well as having a long term positive project to work on. It would be a way to be involved in the issues you care about without being on a stage (something I also could not deal with).
ReplyDeleteThis blog IS my book. You get to read it a few paragraphs at a time. :-D
ReplyDeleteweird, it cut my comment in half. Anyways, I figured you'd say that. Thought I'd go ahead and suggest it anyways, though.
ReplyDeleteAnd RT, you reach a lot of people, so you should take heart that you probably have more impact than you can account for. You are that little butterfly in the mountains. Even the butterfly can be an activist.
ReplyDelete