Activists 2, Cynics 0 at least today…

I recently took a new job with a fantastic credit union where I’ve been able to champion the cause for providing financial services for the high population of unbanked Latinos in our community. Most people get it. Most people are for it. But, with anything, there are cynics and I’m frustrated because I don’t always know how to respond to cynicism. Lately, it feels like the cynics’ have a stronger artillery than ever. But today, I’m winning.

Catching up on this morning’s twitter feed led led me to click on a link to credit union guru Denise Wymore’s blog In it, Denise discusses the value of what she learns from her blog buddies and Twitter crew throughout the credit union movement. The post reminded me of a sometimes taken-for-granted thing that I love about the credit union movement: We are cooperators in cooperatives. We band together. We help each other out. While I believe the blogosphere is a sub-culture of the credit union movement, not typically inclusive of leaders making the decisions today, I know that at every level of the movement, collaboration is taking place. There is still room to grow it, and Filene is working on making that happen, but just the way things are right now, there is collaboration. We are working together to build financial independence for everyone. 

This morning, I also drew inspiration from a new source: Dick Hughes writes commentary for the Salem, OR-based Statesman Journal and shared his thoughts about activists for Invisible Children. Invisible Children was created to draw attention to children in Uganda kidnapped and forced into lives as soldiers. On Saturday night, young adults in 100 cities around the world held, “The Rescue.” Hughes visited the group at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. He wrote about shivering youth bundled in North Face sleeping bags and mentioned his own freezing hands during the hour he spent outdoors.  I couldn’t help but notice the seemingly intentional irony, comparing these complaints of temporary discomfort to the abhorrent conditions Uganda’s children face perpetually.  While I feel called to do something when I hear people in my world are suffering, and while I’m moved by the students at itty bitty Silverton High School that raised tens of thousands of dollars to help, this is not what spoke to me most. It was this little statement from Hughes to the youth:

“You are so comfortable with technology that you have good friends worldwide,
even though you’ve never met in person.”

Hughes goes on to encourage these young adults to maintain that faith in one another, to keep up the fellowship,  and to refrain from succumbing to cynicism and distrust. 

I often feel out of place in this world. Grand scale, Sky-is-Falling scenarios of the economy bringing us all down and a swine flu pandemic that could kill us all make it easier on the cynics. It seems like everywhere you turn, there’s a case for why the world sucks.

This morning though, thanks to people like Denise Wymore and Dick Hughes, I am the winner. They took time to tell the story of the man who called a naive young employee to give her a quick lesson in internet tact that may just save her career, and the story of young adults who believe wholeheartedly that after a couple of decades of slumber, activisim is back and bigger than ever. They provide the reminder that while the world is big and there will always be something that keeps the whole thing from being sunny and 70, no matter who you are, there is a world out there of people who care. If you take the time to embrace a cause– whether that is financial independence or removing oppressive conditions in countries on the other side of the world– you will likely find a group of advocates to welcome you openly and help you fight that battle.

So. While I am overwhelmed, and while I know I can never do enough all by myself, I am also optimistic. With partnerships within Marion County or support from others in the credit union movement (or most likely a combination of these), I will help make that difference in my community.

Thanks Denise and Dick for the reminder that I won’t be doing it alone.