balancing the personal and political

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Balancing the Personal with the political

Sierra Atlantic Magazine

Spring, 1982

May 1982. (Saratoga Springs) The leaves the coming out and we have more

daylight to enjoy in the evenings. Spring has arrived. I can feel my body and soul

stretching as the warm sun invites me to reawaken from winter. I've introduced

my seven-month-old daughter to the front porch and we listen to the wind

chimes as the cool breezes enhance reflection. Her name is Zoe, which means

life in Greek. It is a personal pleasure and I feel that I could sit her e forever. As

we sit quietly; Zoe begins to sleep and other thoughts creep into my mind.

I am haunted by Ground Zero Week. I have had an experience that has awakened

another side of me. I met Dr. Robert Jay Lifton again and older memories are

returning. Lifton is the author of works on Hiroshima survivors and Vietnam

veterans. I was born the same day the Atom Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima

and am a Vietnam veteran. Twelve years ago we met on a panel dealing with the

psychological implications of surviving Vietnam. He introduced the concept of

psychic numbing and the need to sensitize following a shocking experience. That

information guided me as I struggled to end the war. It helped me move toward

reconciliation. Lifton is a Pathfinder". Twelve years later, I had the opportunity to

thank him.

As Lifton spoke about surviving a nuclear war, I felt the familiar tension inside of

me, the call for political involvement pulling against my personal life. Sitting on

the porch with my daughter, the tension became more real. I have made friends

with this struggle and find it healthy, drawing strength and creativity from it. Ibelieve that many of you do also. I advocate that we value that tension and utilize

it to improve our lives.



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I have a sense of déjà vu! With golden oldies on the radio and Ronald Reagan in

the White House I think of the 1960s and 70s. All Americans were affected by the

civil rights, peace movement, anti-war, environmental, gays and women's

movement. The country is not the same as it was then, and neither are we.

Whether JFKs speech motivated us are not it summarized our values. Ask not

for what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.

Millions of us stepped forward to act on our beliefs. Based on our values we made

a commitment to what we believed was in the best interest of our society. Some

of us went to war while others went to jail. Some organized for the earth, others

for their disenfranchised group. Some travelled to foreign countries to build

irrigation ditches. Whatever the choice, there was a willingness to risk. We

learned a lot about ourselves and we made a difference. For many of us the

struggle ended in the mid-1970s as we began to pick up the pieces of our personal

lives. The mass media said the movement was over.

It isnt true! While we began our careers, married and involved ourselves in

communities, we didn't forget who we are. We began to balance the political with

the personal.

Facing the challenge

It is a new decade and we have changed. Our hair is shorter and our skills are

stronger. Our commitment is still there. We just show it differently. Our personal

strengths make us more effective. We have balanced the personal with the

political. We have become the infrastructure of this society. With increased skills

we have moved into positions of influence. We have built a network that can

communicate with each other. If we support each others issues we can move

forward together. The cohort of movement participants who were born between1940 and 1955 are emerging as local, state and national leaders. By 1985 it will be

visible to the national media. We must prepare to assume the leadership roles in

this country. If we do not, we will abdicate these positions to the people who

made no special commitment in the 1960s and 70s. Leadership positions belong

to those willing to make a commitment and take a risk. We've earned the right to



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lead. We can be proud of our history. We have earned the right to lead. We

should prepare for that responsibility. With a balance of personal/political we can

avoid burnout. With each others support we can succeed.

In 1982 we face another challenge. Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980 promisingto take government off the backs of the people. Instead he took away our

national security. Senior citizens, the environment, Vietnam veterans, women and

minorities are less secure now that federal protection has been taken away. The

president says look to the states. Let's do that.

This year in New York we will elect: the governor, Lt. Governor, U.S. Senator, all

Congressmen; all State Senators, all Assemblymen.

In addition, the boundary lines for each political district will be re-drawn. The next

time this coincidence occurs is in 30 years. The best time to make significant make

significant changes is when some changes are already happening. We may not like

to shift towards states, but it is reality. While we are fighting to protect national

lands and laws, we must increase our focus on the state level. This time next year,

New York will have different commissioners of environmental Conservation;

Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Will the leadership of those agencies

be Watt-like? Will our state legislature and Governor be a remake of the federal

movie?

Our best protection is to mobilize our network; to cooperate with women's

groups, minorities, veterans, and others. Together we have more clout. To do this

we must go beyond organizations. We need identified leaders. We who have

stepped forward before can identify others with that ability. We can assist others

to come with us. Our courage and skill can facilitate changes which will cause our

action network to grow by geometric proportion. Finding these leaders is easy.

Ask around and you will find them. And you may be surprised. Many of my friendswere surprised to discover that I'm a Vietnam veteran, and one who clearly

identifies as such. I don't fit their image of a vet. By looking at networks of

individuals as well as organizations we will mobilize. I probe so I found lots of

pathfinders.



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To do this we must we recommit ourselves. This is not 1960 or 1970. We have

more responsibilities and are not about to drop everything to build ditches in

Africa. Most of us are not going to work 24 hours a day for no money. We operatedifferently now. Our strengths are different. Instead of petitioning an

administration to address an issue we are the administrators. Instead of looking

for a researcher we do it ourselves

1982 is our year. We committed ourselves to this society years ago. We have

balanced that commitment with personal support systems, family, education and

professions. The call now is deeper. The potential this time is greater. It is time to

act.

Ed Murphy is executive director of pathfinders Institute, a member of the Sierra

Club, worked 5 years with state parks and teaches leadership workshops.

balancing the personal and political

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