Jessica Smith
In early October as I was packing my car for my two-week long road trip I had no idea that my journey would lead me to the campaign offices to defend traditional marriage in Maryland. During the time that I spent in the offices, I was fascinated by all that went into running a campaign. Prior to this experience, I had no idea how to determine “high propensity voters” or how many phone calls actually had to be made to spread a message.
What stood out to me the most was how many people that it took to make phone calls, help organize lists, lead campaigns, distribute materials, donate office space, phones, computers, folding mailers, printing materials, and spreading the message to the religious leaders in half of the counties in Maryland; all of these things have to be done by someone. There were so many volunteers who would sacrifice hours of their time to do even seemingly menial tasks.
Even though in the whole scheme of things and compared to the time others contributed my efforts were a small drop in a really large bucket, I saw that every person who is willing to help is essential. After seeing all of the time and effort go into fighting the good fight, I was devastated to see that in the end, it was to no avail.
It got me thinking, was it worth it to put so much time and effort into a battle that they weren’t likely to win?
As I have pondered over the question, I realized the change it had made in me. After leaving the campaign offices a fire was lit within me. I am more willing to voice my opinion and want to be more aware of the issues and make more informed decisions. I now love to read all things related to this battle that states will continue to face. In the words of Martin Luther, “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”
So what do you think? Is it worth fighting for even if we don’t win?
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