There Are More of Us Than You Think
by Greg Field, Executive Director
I went to my first Common Ground Fair in September, and it was exhilarating
to feel the collective energy and enthusiasm of so many people who gathered
together to learn, to be active, and to have fun. Standing by Peace Action
Maine's priority poll that allows the people to express how their tax
dollars ought to be spent, I saw a woman wearing a button that I had never
seen before. "There are more of us than you think" read the button.
Wow, I thought to myself. What a great statement. It is true, and it works
in so many meaningful ways. It is easy for people committed to peace, to
social justice, to a wide variety of progressive values to feel isolated.
Conservative values dominate the message in our media. Resignation,
expressed as apathy, often dominates what we hear from people in our
neighborhoods and across the country.
But going to the CGF, or standing in the pouring rain at the peace rally in
Augusta on October 26, reading about 450,000 people gathering in Florence,
Italy, against war with Iraq, and even standing with a few dozen people
supporting Veterans For Peace in the Portland Veterans' Day parade‹all of
these things remind me how important it is that we gather and act together.
Any acts of solidarity can make us stronger as a movement, but these acts
can also help every person break that sense of isolation. As I walked with
the Veterans for Peace supporters, spontaneous applause broke out from the
sidewalks all along the parade route. These people, voicing their solidarity
with us, were average folks turning out to watch the parade. They were not
the people you'll see at every committee meeting or planning session for a
rally or policy campaign.
So the next time I get gloomy after hearing bad news about war or the
misplaced spending priorities of our government, I am going to remind myself
that I am not alone and indeed that Peace Action Maine is not alone. After
all, there are more of us than you think.
Back to Peace Talk Index, Winter, 2002-2003