The Political Community

I am enormously proud of my family's political heritage. It is not one of holding office, or working in a government beaurocracy, or even being highly involved in a campaign. No, instead the political tradition of my parents is one of a political community: a circle of friendship and activism.
I got my first full taste of this tradition just this evening when my mother spirited me away to a wine-tasting party (the party was hosted by the local winery, it was low key and I wore a t-shirt) for one of the local delegates to the state legislature. Now I had no idea what to expect; I had never been to a true political party like this one. Low and behold, as soon as we arrived, there was Delegate Barbara Fleishauer. Before I could even so much as say hello, she was standing and greeting my mother and I by name! To my knowledge at the time, I had never seen her in my life, but here she was, knowing my name and where I was from. It was an exciting moment.
It turned out that Barbara and my mother were old friends and she knew from when I was a child. Just like old friends, they just went into a tail-spin over old times and recent events and what I was up to in the world. Then after a few minutes, from right on the spot, Barbara spoke up and gave her requisite speech on the need for better health care, equal rights for women, and the environment. I had a front-row seat to it all!
After that, my mother steered me anxiously introducing me to nearly half a dozen old friends. There were lawyers, professors, union officials and even another delegate. She new them all personally and had worked with them often times before I was born. Some of them she even joked and pranked around with; she recently turned 58, so needless to say I was surprised.
Her friends talked to me mostly as if they had known me for years. We talked about local and national politics, policies and ideas, and even how I could get more directly involved in the process. It was one of the best times I've had in a long time. These people were real, not stumping politicians; people fighting for what they thought could be a better world.
Ever since I was seven years old, my mother has told me about how she sees the world. For a long time I couldn't understand where her passion could come from, but here they were around me. These friends had been my mother’s companions in a cause for which they have fought their entire lives. Her passion is as much for those who have stood beside her as much as for her self.
As one who is only starting to take on my full rights and responsibilities as a citizen, having this community around me is amazingly nurturing. Among these wonderful people, democracy and participation in it are not onerous duties, but the very celebration of life. Here in America, the birth place of modern democracy, participation and interest in government are some of the lowest of any democracy in the world. We should encourage the building of more communities like the one my mother is a part of so that more young citizens can be brought in and engaged. I know this one has.