The Swelling Has Gone Down

You know those folks here and there that ask you for money to support advocacy groups? You know, they lobby Congress and write legislation that helps out their pet causes and they want your money to help them do that? Oh no, I don't mean oil companies or Southern California Edison- you pretty much have to give them your money, and they use your money- well I guess it's their money- to let politicians" know what will make it easier for them to make more money. That's democracy- your representative knows what you want, not by what you say directly- but by where you spend your money. Clearly we want what's best for oil companies because we give them so much. Isn't that a convenient arrangement?

Anyway, I don't mean them. I am referring to those people you may see in public places that ask you to support this or that cause that's not funded via inelastic demand (think.... think back to high school economics... what is that?) You know, causes like human rights concerns, environmental issues, affordable housing- junk like that. That's the people I mean. I'm one of them. Specifically I'm one of them. (If you've developed link fatigue- I'll tell you, I'm working for an environmental advocacy group.)

That may seem an odd move for me to make, but two conversations I've had (in the two days I've been with them) I think may explain more than anything else I could say.

Coworkers were asking me the general introductory get-to-know-you type questions this morning and after I said a little bit about my background and schooling someone said, "So why are you doing this? I mean most people don't go from talking about Jesus to environmentalism?" I said that's exactly why I was doing it.

Later in the day another coworker was telling me about the creative ways people say "no." Various responses informed by premillennialism made the list. I wonder if he's ever encountered the Friends youth pastor that told me not to recycle so that we could run out of everything and make Jesus come back? It is a small world...