Indifference is Not Creative
On April 12, 1999, a few months before the turn of the millennium, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel was invited to give a speech in the White House’s historic East Room. He reminded those present of the conflicts of the past century – two world wars, countless civil wars and assassinations of leaders like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy and the inhumanity of gulags and concentration camps. And he warned them of the “perils of indifference.”
He asked, “Is it necessary at times to practice [indifference] simply to keep one’s sanity, live normally, enjoy a fine meal and a glass of wine, as the world around us experiences harrowing upheavals? Of course, indifference can be tempting – more than that, seductive.”
“Anger can at times be creative. One writes a great poem, a great symphony. One does something special for the sake of humanity because one is angry at the injustice that one witnesses. But indifference is never creative.”
Wiesel concluded his speech with examples of when people had acted to do good on behalf of others, such as with the liberation of the camps at Auschwitz and Treblinka, the NATO response during the strife in Kosovo, and the signing of the peace accord in Ireland. He ended with the words that we walk together into the future, “carried by profound fear and extraordinary hope.”
This is, indeed, a time of profound fear and extraordinary hope. At a time such as this, I choose the creative and regenerative path of resistance and renewal – not indifference to the suffering of others. There are so many ways that we can walk into the future with extraordinary hope. And I am glad to be on this journey with you.
Ways to Get Involved
Here are five ways to get involved as we move toward the midterm elections:
1. Be sure you are registered to vote. You have until October 13th to register to vote in the November 3rd election. Ballots will be mailed beginning the next day. You can check to see if your registration is current by searching your name and date of birth on the Oregon Secretary of State’s MyVote website. If it is not, you can update it online or you can do so in person at your County Clerk’s office in Salem for Marion County (555 Court Street NE, 2 nd Floor, Salem, OR 97301) or in Dallas for Polk County (850 Main Street, #201, Dallas, OR 97338).
2. Be sure your family and friends are registered to vote. (See above).
3. Knock on doors for a candidate. Please let us know if you can help by e-mailing my Campaign Manager, Jade Haddad, at Jade@DebPattersonOR.org. We have canvasses every Saturday and Sunday and can accommodate other days, as well.
4. Donate to help with campaign expenses. Your contribution helps a great deal. Thank you!
5. Would you like a yard sign? You can sign up to get a yard sign here, and we will get it to you ASAP. Thanks.
Thank you to Our Volunteers!
A big thank you to all of the volunteers who have been knocking on doors for my campaign! Here are a few friends from Saturday morning, and thanks to those who came out Saturday afternoon and on Sunday, as well! And a big thanks to my Campaign Manager, Jade Haddad, and our wonderful interns, Mackenzie, Parker, and Brendan.
Senator Patterson and volunteers last Saturday, October 3rd.
This campaign is powered by people who care deeply about our community and our future. If you believe in the work we’re doing, I hope you’ll consider making a contribution to help us keep moving forward—together.