Owner of Power

The New York Times had an article today in the International Section, "U.N. Study Finds More Women in Politics."  It focused on countries in Latin America and Africa, but presented some global statistics.  The quote by the title of my blog captured my attention, "We need to convince women to stop complaining and just be the owners of power, " Senator Cecilia Lopez Montano of the Liberal Party in Colombia, not only because I agree with it, but also because it reflects a key reason why I decided to go to law school.  For some reason I lost my ambition after high school.  Perhaps it was fear.  Maybe I unconsciously struggled with the notion of being both ambitious and moral.  Something told me it was too hard, or I simply didn't know what to be ambitious about anymore.  And then a couple of years ago I found myself in this space where it became crystal clear to me that the only way to be an instrument of change was to put myself out there and seek out a position of influence. 

Already I find people in law school chipping away at my notion that this is possible.  They tell me policy changes will never matter to the masses.  A person has to be rich and famous to be able to have real influence.  That at the very least a person has to make money and utilize that money for power.  And in so many ways I believe them.  Thankfully though, there is enough idealism left in me to believe in the movements of the masses, the spirit of humanity, the visions of community organizers, and the hopes of the less fortunate everywhere.  One of my law school textbooks stated the best we can hope for is to become skeptic idealists.  Age has already put me there.  My idealism tarnished more than a decade ago, but I refuse to let go completely.  Pragmatism keeps me grounded and my everyday heroes keep me lifting off again and again and again.  As many times as it takes to find my way.