Impotence (Social, not Physical)

Driving down Western today, kid asleep in the back seat, I'm contemplating the idea of having a "place." "Being someone." And the satisfaction of being a cog in the machine.

How do you ignite a revolution? Charisma, certainly -- something I've always had trouble with. Well, likability more than "charisma." I'd be a good cult leader, I'm told. That being said, sitting in a room with me -- I've also been informed -- is a bit like sitting across from the Grand Inquisitor. Perhaps my real-life luck is an arcane artifact of having been Torquemada in a former life. Who knows?

Nonetheless, I contemplate the improbable here as I think about making a "difference." What that means, what it implies. Commitment, certainly, of the full-time variety. Does it come with daycare?

One of my standard composition assignments for my students is to ask them to write an essay "What is a hero?" I give them a bit of Superman and MLK and a handful of other things to read, we discuss it for a couple of weeks, and inevitably I get two kinds of essays: "My uncle took care of us kids" and "Firefighters are heroes." I don't doubt the personal validity of both of these types of positions. But every year, I try to push them to think beyond our supposed valorized citizens: teachers, police, firefighters. (I should also mention that, for heroes, their actual, real-world "celebration" (i.e. paycheck) is pretty poor.) I've noticed that hero status has an inverse relationship with income. I always thought Spider-Man should get a percentage of his merchandising, but that's just me, I guess. (Could have happened if Joe Q hadn't f'd up JMS's plotline...anyway...)

Is it more ethical to be on the edge of bankruptcy but committed to a "cause," or is there a way to do good and be solvent simultaneously? How do we create a system that rewards ethical behavior (and the inverse, of course)?

In the mean time, I'm once again working for free, publishing student work at my own time and expense...but it's always impressive to see your name in print, so the effort (while without pay and without substantial social or personal benefit) will help someone. When the book gets published to Amazon (I hope they figure out how to do this), I'll drop the link.

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