During the RNC I marched against the war, against the boring political establishment, and in solidarity with people that are genuinely upset. I also marched to see how easily a bona fide police state can be established in my back yard. Biking to the Science Museum or the Farmer's Market won't ever feel quite the same. I marched alone with the crowd, and as we turned back away from the Excel Center (so controlled and relaxed this part of the day was), I was reminded of the political in my life. And while I have always felt a vague sense of purpose in certain of my choices, the frustration I felt at both political parties---at corporate irresponsibility, at the smallness of our actions against the sea of institutions that waste more, spend more, and hurt more than all the marchers combined--- hit me as we climbed back to the capital building, and it made me think about my political choices.
In particular, my most political choices are biking and baking. But they didn't start out political. I didn't sell my car to make a political statement. I sold it to save money. I didn't start biking because of some political decision. I started biking because a student in one of my speech classes gave a presentation that finally convinced me to give it a go. I didn't start baking my own granola and bread to make a political statement. I did it because it tastes good and it saves money. Plus it's fun. So to say that these decisions are political for me is sort of a load of crap. But not any more. Now these decisions are completely political, simply because I want them to be.
I bike because, well, honestly, it's a hell of a lot of fun. But I also bike because it doesn't hurt the environment and it allows me to actively ignore the oil economy.
I bake granola and bread because it's healthy for me, because it doesn't require packaging, because it doesn't require advertising, because it doesn't support industrial farming, and it doesn't support corporations that hurt our children and pollute our environment.
These choices are political because they take me, at least in a small way, out of economies of power that I disagree with. It's a small step, but removing my capital from capitalistic enterprises that do harm is my vote. I do it everyday. I'm always looking for ways to, in the words of my nephew Charlie, "do more better." Got any suggestions?
