Foot Soldiers

For some reason, this phrase keeps running through my head. Maybe it's simply that -- and I know this sounds cheesy -- we've seen a lot of people determined to do bad, but also many determined to do good. In some ways, I guess we're all foot soldiers of one sort or another. We commit our time to vocations or causes (which aren't always separate) that mean something to us, that fall into our life philosophy. I have thought about this in the greater sense, as in communities coming together to help each other in an up-close, personal way, but also in a professional or corporate sense. I suppose I am a foot soldier for a variety of institutions and causes: I am the person at the front of the classroom, directly interacting for my students on behalf of my college; I am a point of contact for my raters when I'm leading scoring, even though I don't see them in person; I am a helper in my community in my various volunteer capacities. I also try to be a "spreader of kindness", as I think we are all here to make life easier for each other. It's a hard journey. In these different contexts, I see (for the most part) others like me, who are committed to helping in whatever way they can. I see many who do more -- and many who do less. Some go beyond doing less, into doing evil. I'm not sure I really believe in good and evil as black and white contrasts; I think we all have different ideas (or no idea) of what is right and what is wrong. Our personal definitions of success play into this too. Mine is pretty simple. That doesn't mean it's the only right one.

Sometimes I wish I could be one of those "black and white" people. I wish I could see things in just one way, without regard or respect for others' opinions or feelings. Overall, though, I'm glad I'm not. Our world is too complex to easily separate things into extreme categories. So at the same time I'm occasionally wishing I could be a closed-minded asshole, I'm wishing more that I could help people see things more open-mindedly, not so much for my sake but for theirs -- and for the sake of those who have to interact with them. Again, I will be trite: We're all in this together and none of us will be around forever. Doesn't it make more sense to decide what's right and work toward promoting that? I think so. Since I'm on a cliche kick tonight, I'll add one more thought: If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem; put up or shut up.