Letter: It's not a passion, but a duty

To the editor,

Since we formed Indivisible Greater Grand Forks in March, loved ones have said to me, “I’m glad you found a passion to pursue in retirement.” I usually stammer a sort of thank-you, but over time, I’m developing a more honest reply. Defending democracy is not about passion. Compassion maybe. But it’s not something I rise each day excited to get after. Teaching was a passion, and I was blessed to be absorbed by it for 43 years. Championing democracy is something else altogether.

Certainly, other activists feel likewise. Nobody wants to undertake the work of protesting authoritarianism, not something we do to entertain ourselves, but something we take up reluctantly out of a strong sense of duty. To paraphrase Sartre, “[while] we are free, we are also inherently responsible.”