How do we get our way?

I’m watching the campaigns for and against health care reform—watching actions and reactions in myself, and others. Canvassing yesterday there were people whose opposition struck me as so mean-spirited, I felt like crying. I can’t yet even begin to describe my reaction to my fellow citizens being so hateful to me about an effort to get access to adequate health care for everyone. There was no room for discussion and in fact, I felt threatened or at least insulted.

I know I’m overly sensitive these days due to painful health insurance stories I’m carrying around in my mind. I almost thought I couldn’t continue and then a group of protestors against the military action in Afghanistan marched through and I heard them speaking with the same self righteous anger.

I’ve been there in self-righteousness. I understand the pull of it. The certainty leaves no room for fear of what will happen if we don’t get our way. We have to prevail. We are so right!

A friend once told me that he noticed that every time he indulged himself in self righteous indignation it came back to bite him with a reflection of his own behavior similar to what he had decried. I’ve had to eat my words a few times lately so as a practical measure, I’m practicing avoiding it, even in my emails to our senators who refuse to take a clear position in spite of promises that if we supported them they would support Obama’s agenda. Oh! Self righteous indignation is lurking here—sure could be a relief at this moment.

Instead I'm thinking back to so many times during the campaign when fear and doubt loomed because things weren’t going our way. And we won. Did we expect that once Obama got elected, it would be quick and easy to get our way? As much as we are literally fighting a life and death issue for many people, insurance companies and other corporations are also fighting for their existence, as they know it. They know how to put up a fight.

And its an old, an even ancient, fight. We can learn from so many who have gone before us.

1. Saul Alinsky, a grandfather of community organizing and recently a subject of many hateful web posts, his 12 Rules for Radicals and lately, this rule in particular:

RULE 9: "The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself." Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists' minds. The upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy, creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization).

2. Biblical story of David and Goliath that is ubiquitous in our culture but still surprises me with relevant details. Check out this New Yorker piece by Malcolm Gladwell: “How David Beats Goliath: When Underdogs Break the Rules.”
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/11/090511fa_fact_gladwell

Or just the story from the Bible: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliath or http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/p/davidandgoliath.htm

Whatever your battle... health care, education, environment, arts, financial systems, jobs, human and animal rights............
imagine this (metaphorically of course)