Why fight?

It’s tiring worrying about politics.

Like most people my days are busy. Filled with work and family. Each day I spend hours working with the most vulnerable victims of systemic income inequality and social injustice. The non-profit I have the privilege of working for assists people experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty. It’s rewarding and necessary, though at times tiring and discouraging.

The last thing I want to do at the end of the day, (or when poking around online during a quick brain-break during the day) is to think about anything political. I’d rather set my fantasy football league, or look up a good recipe. The same is true on my days away from work. I’d much rather spend my time relaxing than going to a rally, protest or meeting, knowing the volunteer hours that usually follow. I would just rather relax and let someone else worry about the course we are on.

Then something like this helps me remember:

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. — Stephanie King, a single mother of five, has adopted a grim routine over the past month: mopping with bleach twice a day and sweeping even more often to remove any dirt her family might have tracked inside. She has a haunted look, and for good reason.
Ms. King and other residents of the West Calumet Housing Complex here learned recently that much of the soil outside their homes contained staggering levels of lead, one of the worst possible threats to children’s health.

Link to full article

It helps me remember that we need to keep fighting. That we can’t let the motherfuckers in corporate America keep shitting on our brothers and sisters across the nation and around the world for a few more dollars in profits. It also tells me that we need to hold accountable politicians who take their dirty money. It reminds me that the lesser of two evils is just plain fucking evil.

It also reminds me that worrying about politics is important.