Service to our country feeds the soul
Good morning Engaged Durhamites for Democracy!
A great protest in DT Durham! They will not have one next Sat due to the June 14th march. Here is Diane’s report:
“We had 10 at today’s protest with 3 new people! Maria said she had seen us protesting on previous Saturday’s so found us on Mobilize.us. Two other people stopped to talk and said they will attend future of our regular Saturday protests and will also be participating next Saturday. There was a swap meet in our regular space today, so we gathered on the other side of the street and had a lot more local foot traffic than usual. I was really pleased that half of the people I talked to about the June 14th protest were aware and planned to attend. Many others were happy to get the information about it and will attend, whether local or not. Great day!”
Wow, almost 1/3 of folks were new!! We are growing!!!
Cynthia and her crew had another bridge protest yesterday in Raleigh. I hope it went well as her Friday morning protest continues to bring in new people. Go Cynthia organizing one two days in a row!!
Things are heating up in the regime’s response to protests. It is imperative that we be nonviolent, which all of our protests have been. The regime will do what they can to say they are not. See what is happening in LA. These protectors from ICE raids are so brave.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/07/us/trump-news#la-immigration-raids-ice
And the two narcissists likely will not kiss and make up. TACO will sell his Tesla. Who knows what Musk will do. We can only sit back and hope that Musk can have influence about the big bad bill.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/07/us/politics/trump-elon-musk.html
Today, I want to talk about my experiences of talking with both Estonian and Finnish men I met. They both talked about their compulsory military service. One of the things they found amazing was that it was a great equalizer. Every young man of a certain age was required to do military service. So, people are not getting out of it due to their status. And it was an incredibly bonding experience for their community to all be serving their country with a common mission. The Finnish man told me that he was the night guard on the night that TACO was first elected. He could not believe that across socioeconomic strata, everyone was shocked to hear that he had won. This impressed him and showed him unity among he and his fellow citizens from brick layer to future neurosurgeon.
I’m not in favor of compulsory military service in this country. I am, however, in favor of compulsory service to the country in some form.
I think service work, especially when done with community, is good for the soul. When we only do things that benefit ourselves, it’s not as rewarding as when we do things for others. And I like the aspect of it being across all strata of our society to bring us together. While many do volunteer work, so many people do not do any. They only do things that benefit themselves or their families only. When we help others, even strangers, it gives us a higher purpose and builds our connection with others.
My mother was a servant in many ways. When I grew up, it was not a matter of whether we should volunteer, it was how will we volunteer. Even though my siblings and I are different in a lot of ways, we each have that giving as part of our identity. We all have done volunteer work without really wondering if that was an option.
I’m thinking about this movement, it is definitely an act of service by all of you to take your time even if it’s just calling your elected officials or spending a few hours phone banking for a few hours, door knocking, or coming to a March. All that time could be spent doing things for yourself. Instead, you are doing things for your country, which is admirable.
So how do we encourage others to give their time for others? I would say the first step must be to share a story of someone who is suffering and how a little help can make their lives much better. People need to have strong outcome expectations that their efforts make a difference. This can be broader when we are talking about the cuts to Medicaid. When making calls with Down Home NC on Thursday nights (would love more to join!!), I highlight how those who most need health care (e.g., children, those who are disabled, children with special needs) will go without. Most people struggle thinking about that. Then, the ask is to call their elected official to ask them not to call Medicaid, which most of them agree to do when I get to that part of the conversation (will be honest that some hang up before I get there, but that is ok. Not everyone is ready to help others in that moment).
Then, what happens when someone unselfishly does something for someone else, their identity about themselves might shift ever so slightly from “I am not someone who helps others” to “I am someone who sometimes helps others.” The next act of service will come easier than the first. Then, it builds on itself to the point where the person’s identity shifts to, “I am someone who helps others.” Putting others ahead of yourself, particularly those who are in need feels good. We need more connection in our society and more opportunities to feel good about ourselves rather than the fear and isolation that many feel.
So, even though we cannot enact a compulsory year of service in this country, I urge you all to please continue to ask those who might not be doing anything yet that serves others to consider giving the biggest gift then can, which is their time. It is a win-win. I am also hoping that our YouTube channel helps others see the importance of the service work we are doing.
Speaking of service, only Bruce has sent me a video explaining why he is an activism warrior. I need more videos or emails please. Testimonials are what will motivate others to take the plunge. Please send them to me at Romeoboots@proton.me. Thank you!
I leave you with a great clip that compares one of the scariest episodes from The Twilight Zone that I watched with my Dad growing up and what is happening right now with those who are close to TACO. Thanks, Mark for sending.
Have a great Sunday! Thanks to those who are heading out to share the June 14th march QR code in your neighborhoods today (no need to come to my house to start). I will be doing that after going emotional rounding with my daughter, our service work this week.
Thanks also for all who have signed up for Action Opps this week. I love seeing all the new names on the sign-ups! Makes me so excited!!
And finally, our planning committee is meeting for the Triangle Human Chain protest tonight. We should have more details soon about what we are doing. Please mark July 4th on your calendar, most likely in the evening.
Have a super day all!
Warmly,
Kathryn