You can smell the election now... not in the way you smell it after four days of counting in a cramped community centre somewhere, but in the air, there’s a real sense of people wanting to be part of our new Councils.
We are now just fifty days out from electing a new council, and I am glad to report that the last two weeks have seen a surge of interest in who is running, what their policies are, and what doors they are knocking on. But, why should we be interested?
Well, the world is in a strange place at the moment. None of the old certainties seem certain anymore. We could be on the verge of generation-shaping conflict in the Middle East which could well impact the rest of the globe. There is a recent President of the US sitting in a US dock on trial; the leadership of our own country has changed three times in the past few years and could well again before the year is out. There is little left in the news that is capable of shocking us after all we have witnessed and heard over the past few years. From the trauma of lockdown, to the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East.
It was Gandhi who said that we should ‘be the change we want to see in the world.’ By standing up for what we believe in on a global scale, you can start this by doing it at a local level. By effecting social change, it does not have to happen all of a sudden on a worldwide scale. By working together with your community to change lives one day at a time, your actions can have a meaningful impact.
When we help others, it does not stop with that, and those around are more likely to help. The more we give of our time and resources, the more that others will give with us.
This is why so many community initiatives are so successful, be not afraid to ask for help in doing something for the greater good. Have the courage to ask and let yourself be surprised by just how generous others will be of their time and energy.
The Council that will be elected in fifty days time will be what we deserve, whether you vote or not. Try to shape it in the way you feel we need. Be the difference.
