Happy 2012. It’s this time of year that many ambitious people decide to up the ante and plot a course to do more with their lives than they did the previous year. It’s called New Year’s resolutions and is a fantastic way of feeling good about yourself – for a while.
I suppose the great joy of making such aspirations for oneself is that it offers one the sense of control over a universe fraught with randomness, chaos and entropy. It feels darn good to be able to shout into the wind that this year the evil forces emanating from the couch, fridge and tube will not enslave me as the unholy trinity has done in years past. Nay, this year, I shall overcome by taking up mountain climbing and kayaking, learning to speak Russian and play the cello, feeding the homeless and finding a cure for that nasty old cancer.
I applaud the gusto with which so many folks this time of year set out. And I wish them luck. In the meantime, there are tried-and-true ways to tell the status quo to go suck an egg. For instance, there’s an election down the pike to determine the leadership of Culver City and of America. Voting has been proven to be an effective means of change in most democratic societies.
Even before the election itself, the campaign trail is a great place to exercise one’s freedoms and flex one’s political muscle. If anyone is looking for a way to shed some unwanted apathy, consider weighing in for a candidate of your choosing. Walk door to door and share the good news of your leader’s message. Put down your sandwich and pick up a sandwich board. Get involved in a race. In other words, get politically active.