Power of vision

A majority of the movements and achievements throughout history has often begun with a lone vision for which others are blind, just as the bystanders who were astonished by the blind man’s healing. There were many who called Susan B. Anthony’s dream of women having an equal right to vote in elections as “naive,” yet this dream was turned into a reality with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous sentiments about his dream of a post-racial society is a dream that we have yet to actually see, but one that has achieved real progress, and remains very much alive today. There are countless others throughout history who have dared to believe and see what others could not, some of which include the Wright brothers, Mahatma Gandhi, Amelia Earhart, etc.

It is equally important to have the courage to see what others cannot for our country. I learned this four years ago in my race for state Assembly in San Mateo County as I scrambled to knock on as many doors as possible before the June 3, 2014, election. Huffing, puffing and profusely sweating, I had knocked on about 300 doors by the time I reached downtown Burlingame. As I approached the last marked address on my campaign flier distribution list for that day, I could see that in the front yard, a father was playing catch with his son, who could not have been more than 6.

I explained to the father that I was running for state Assembly and handed him a flier. He stood there as if to compare the flier with the person he saw in front of him. Then, his son approached me. “Running kinda slow, don’t you think,” uttered the young boy. The boy’s father and I chuckled at his son’s statement. Slightly embarrassed, his father explained to his son that I was not literally running the streets of the neighborhood, but for an elected office.

The young boy replied, “Oh. I don’t think the politicians help us. Mommy says they can’t fix problems because they argue too much.” Before I could say anything, his father gently picked him up and said in a commanding tone, “We still vote in this house. There is always hope for things to get better here and in the country, OK?” The son nodded his head with a smile. “Good luck in your race,” the man shouted. I gave his 6-year-old another flier, thanked his father and continued on.

That was a defining moment for me. The experience reminded me that in spite of bleak times within our personal lives — be it living paycheck to paycheck or struggling to make ends meet for one’s family — our capacity to see a better day for ourselves and for our country is still alive and strong.

Last week marked the 242nd celebration of our nation’s independence. Moving forward, let us together have the courage to see what others cannot for our state and country — a brighter future. In short, the day we become blind to a vision of a better future for our country and for ourselves is the day we allow our fears to prevent us from exercising our greatest virtue — hope.

A native of Pacifica, Jonathan Madison worked as professional policy staff for the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, from 2011- 2013. Jonathan works as an attorney and can be reached via email at jonathanemadison@gmail.com.