Project Politico is a No-Go

Right after the elections I was inspired to get more involved... somehow. I had a vision for my learning. I would become knowledgeable on many issues. I would present articulate positions that didn't use inflammatory language to an audience of like-minded people. There would be generous amounts of data on legislation, as well as the counter-arguments for points of view that don't make a lot of sense. In short, I wanted all my research in one easy-to-access place for people to share, use, and link to.

And if I had an annual budget and a staff of 3, I would be able to enact my vision. Clearly there are alternatives that could take less time and energy, but after some thinking and researching, I've realized that this isn't what I want to spend my time on.

So there is no project in the works. There will be no website with a mission statement, charts, or links to more information.

Over the last month, I've expanded my list of groups who send me information. I read the newspaper daily. I click on links to go to the source of information (government reports and the like). I've collected information from people who have a different viewpoint than I do. I feel like I better understand what is important to them and why and shall continue to engage in thoughtful discussions about politics because I want to learn. More importantly, I understand better what is important to me and why.

And I’ll continue spending some of my time doing all that, but I need to start seriously thinking about whether activism should be a career. I've been rolling this idea around in my head since college and if the magic "here's what you want to do with your life" wand hasn't found me yet; it's not going to.

So I am not going to distract myself with a project that is too grand, too complicated and frankly, beside the point. The information I am looking for is out there, I just need to do a little work to find it. So will you.