Bowling together

I did not participate in the march Saturday, for reasons that were both time-based and ideological. I'll get into that tomorrow, but now I want to say how I still found it inspiring.

I was inspired by how many of my friends marched as entire families. It reminds me that marriages can be supportive, and that children can be raised to be caring and engaged civicly.

It inspired me that even some rather conservative friends marched, and that their kind of old-school parents spoke up for them when fellow conservatives criticized their participation. It's easy to underestimate people, but they can surprise you.

I had not been aware of the hat thing when I had initially decided to participate, but I appreciate the way it tied the crowd together and made the field more visible.

It was also inspiring to see the pictures coming in from multiple locations. People make so many jokes about just getting rid of Texas, but there was a large crowd in Austin. There was a large crowd in Utah. A red state is still full of people who disagree, and who pay a higher price for that disagreement. We need to remember them.

It was exciting to see photos from Paris and Antarctica. I am still learning more about participation, including a virtual march for people with disabilities.

I see a lot of good in it, including an increased feeling of solidarity. Whether that is capitalized on - and used well - is a separate issue, but I think it is okay to take a moment and simply enjoy remembering that we are not alone. It is good to take a moment of celebration, even though fear is legitimate and work is necessary.

And it goes with the long reading list too.

One of the books was Robert D. Putnam's Bowling Along: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. I am afraid that the book is overly dry for a lot of readers to enjoy it, but the concepts are important. We are doing less together, both for fun and for efforts toward community improvement, but we need each other. We need the socialization, and we need the work. We are only going to be needing that more.

So it becomes a beautiful thing to see people coming together, and that was more than meeting up at the places. People that could crochet made extra hats. Shops started running out of pink yarn, so business got a boost. Some people coordinated rides. People made time.

We can do it. We are tired, overloaded people, but we can do it, and we can help each other do it.

http://www.shakesville.com/2017/01/womens-marches-prove-historic.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/disability-march-online-movement-womens-march-washington-disabled_us_58813a39e4b0e3a735680f3e