Casual Advocacy In Action

Carpe Diem To Make Your Case

More people might be open to discussing major societal and political issues if they were approached the right way. Of course, it’s understandable that someone might not want to share their opinions with a total stranger, especially in these chaotic times. On the other hand, it might be a welcome interaction for people who tend to avoid having difficult conversations with friends, family or colleagues because of the known conflict that would cause. Like so much in life, it’s all about timing and a kind opening.

Photo by Marco López on Unsplash

For example, I was coming home from a business trip and sat down at an airport bar to grab a quick dinner. I started a conversation with the man next to me, simply asking how his trip was going. He could have easily blown me off, but instead he seemed eager to talk about himself. He explained at some length that he had recently experienced an unexpected transition from employee to ex-employee to consultant for the exact same job at the exact same company.

When he added that the firm must have realized his expertise was needed after all, that gave me the opportunity to begin a larger conversation about the world we live in. I told him that “no one truly knows the value of a person until they are no longer around”. He laughed and agreed, and before long we were discussing a wide range of important topics from government-sponsored programs and economic downturns to homelessness and mental health. We also  commiserated over a shared sense that life is much tougher than it used to be and what we would like to see change for the better.

As I left to catch my flight, the gentleman stood to shake my hand. He thanked me, saying that we could all benefit if more citizens sat down to share their experiences like we did – without judgment or rancor. Let’s try to broaden our reach to protect democracy with the addition of some casual advocacy. We all know this is how a democracy is supposed to work. Help spread the word!

Post inspired by “Critical Conversations”, a post on Dave Brown’s personal Substack

Dave Brown is a volunteer with The Union from Colorado, a career technologist, and he works in the Opensource and Telecommunication industries. He grew up with politically active parents and has realized it will take all of us, as Americans, to make a difference. It takes getting involved and having critical conversations with the people you meet and connecting with them on a personal level to make a difference. One person having conversations like this is effective, but only on a small scale. Joining a group of people who are working with each other to have these conversations is incredibly powerful. It is these things that made him realize that he needed to join The Union.

Note: The views and opinions expressed by volunteer contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Union, a single-issue organization that welcomes all and is dedicated to protecting democracy.

If you’d like to help defend democracy in the US, we invite you to join The Union.