Leading By Example

There’s this thing that I do when I want to feel like my actions matter. I think to myself, “I am not that special.”

It’s not the sort of pep talk that you might expect, and it’s pretty antithetical to what we were told as children. Back then, my parents and teachers would say, “You are unique. You can grow up to be anything in the world. Astronaut, scientist, veterinarian, President—you can be it!” And while I appreciate the sentiment, it’s not what motivates me these days.

The way I see it, with eight billion people on this planet, there has to be dozens hundreds thousands of 30-something-year-old white guys that are just like me. They were raised in a religious upbringing. They went to college. They got a job. Now they’re figuring out all the adult things that school didn’t really prepare us for. Hell, they probably even like rock climbing too.

But knowing that I’m a dime a dozen doesn’t leave me feeling lesser. Instead, it motivates me. Because, I tell myself, maybe if I do a thing, it’ll mean the rest of the people like me will also do that thing. And if all “the Jarrods” of the world choose to do that thing, well, our collective action could really make a difference.

Sometimes “that thing” is donating to a good cause. Sometimes it’s choosing to be kind and curious, rather than judgmental. Yesterday, “that thing” was to vote for Kamala Harris. My optimism said that “the Jarrods” could all see that the only sane choice in this election was to vote for character over chaos, and that everything would turn out alright. I did my part, and I expected that the rest of us would too.

Obviously, it didn’t work out this time. And I’m devastatingly disappointed in my fellow citizens who, with eyes wide open to the destruction he promised, have put Trump back in the White House.

But it hasn’t shaken my belief that it still matters to do what’s right, even when the odds are stacked against you. Because one person’s actions can indeed be a catalyst into a collective movement. It’s called leading by example, and it’s how I choose to live my life.

I could bury my head in the sand and wait for it all to be over. But that would be setting an example that I could not live with. I do not consent, and I will not be silent.

No, I promise to lead by example by speaking out against the unfairnesses I see. By working to protect the rights of people who are at risk of having them unjustly removed. By being kind and welcoming, and seeking to understand. By casting my vote, time after time, for the things I believe in.

Stand tall and strengthen your resolve. We must be the change we want to see in the world. For if not us, who?