A revelation of sorts…

As you probably already know, the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 for the first time in 28 years and only the second time ever.

Great. Why am I mentioning this? I don’t even like sports.

I live in Philadelphia, and I was present for the mayhem that ensued shortly after the game ended. People crowded the streets screaming and yelling. Passengers hung out of car windows with their beer in tote cheering and stopping to give passersby high fives. Fans climbed to the tops of newsstands and bus stops egging the masses on. For Christ’s sake, there were people hanging from the traffic lights and street signs.

My friends and I joked that you could have gotten away with murder in the city that night as long as you were yelling “GO PHILLIES!” in the process.

While on our way home from Spring Garden, my friends and I saw an older woman carrying Obama/Biden lawn signs. We stopped, and she was more than happy to pass two through my window.

After it took us damn near an hour to get from Spring Garden back to South Philly, my best friend and I decided that this was the perfect time to campaign for Obama. I mean, seriously, everyone that lives in Philadelphia was on the streets. I can’t say that we were met with much enthusiasm.

We carried our signs with pride, and we told everyone we passed to vote for Obama. We were met with responses such as:

“You’re ruining the World Series.”

“Ew.”

“Fuck you. Go Phillies.”

I can honestly say that we were met with a positive response by only a handful of people.

Then it hit me. If all of these people were even half as excited as they were after that game about issues that are important, this world would be a different place. If all of those people cared about politics as much as sports, maybe there wouldn’t be inequality and poverty.

Maybe I would be able to get married someday. Maybe I wouldn’t. Maybe I would have the opportunity to make the same wage as a male working the same job. Maybe I wouldn’t. I’m not saying that everything would be exactly as I would want it to be if everyone got out there to vote, but maybe it would be.

That’s when I started telling people that I’m glad they care about one night more than the next four years of their lives.

I couldn’t even begin to guess how many people were out on the streets that night celebrating the Phillies victory, but one thing I do know is that half of those people will not be standing in lines on Election Day waiting to cast their ballot. There won’t be people celebrating in masses if Obama wins, or even if McCain does.

So this is why I’m urging you to get out there and vote on Tuesday, November 4th. We have been given the ability to change the direction our country is going by being able to choose our leaders. We have the chance to make a difference. We have the opportunity to make our voices be heard. In harsh times like these, would you want to look back and wonder what would be different if you had voted or be proud because the candidate you voted for is making a difference?