When it comes to doing good in the world, we sometimes forget that it can be done outside of the ideological sphere. I, guiltier than most, often try to “help” others by arguing for more health coverage or a higher rate of acceptance of refugees.
Sometimes we forget the work to make the world a better place can be done without governmental change.
The left and right are both guilty of this omission, and now, with highly polarizing issues arising daily, it is important for us to act, not just think, on our ideas of how to improve our world.
A good example of this is the recent restriction on refugees. Whether you believe refugees should be banned from our country or not, we can help them.
Not just through policy changes or voting a certain way but by individually contributing to their cause. There are many organizations that need volunteers and financial support, such as UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and the International Rescue Committee, in order to save the lives of those who are displaced and vulnerable.
Similarly, the problems of poverty in the U.S. can be addressed with and without policy changes. There are countless programs that can assist in fighting poverty all around us.
In Oxford, there are several ways to get involved with these efforts, such as the Food Pantry or the Interfaith Compassion Ministry.
This is not an argument for a larger or smaller government. Instead, it is an invitation to look past political ideas to serve one another.
For the Conservative, now is the time to prove you can make America great again. This can be achieved through caring about one another, therefore improving the nation as a whole.
For the Liberal, now is the time to make the changes you want to see in the country. No one can elect a new president today, but people can come together to make changes they want to see.
In looking past the political solutions to the personal ones, maybe there could be a decrease in the polarization we see across communities nationwide.
When we serve our neighbors, we see the humanity in them. We understand their circumstances and see ourselves in their place.
When people are seen as humans instead of political stances, we can set aside our differences to get real work done in individual communities and the government as a whole.
Our political ideas should push us toward serving others, not against it.
If you think the government is going in the wrong direction, change it.
If you think the government is going in the right direction, prove it.
We may find that in trying to change or prove our systems, our desires to stand by our beliefs will turn to desires to stand by our fellow humans.
Daniel Payne is a freshman integrated marketing communications major from Collierville, Tennessee.
