If there is one thing that can be said unequivocally about this election, it is that it has reintroduced America—and the world—to all that is good about the American democratic process. In no other country does the electorate have the kind of access to its candidates that America affords its citizenry. The benefits of such a system are vast—for the last 18 months, Barack Obama and John McCain have been exposed to incredible scrutiny, and in this time both candidates have had ample opportunity to introduce their life stories to an interested electorate and a fascinated world. To overstate the historical proportions of this election would be impossible. Yet, both candidates have chosen to devote significant portions of their campaigns to their personal histories. The life story crafted for each candidate—a central facet of the campaign strategy for both sides—focuses on the time-honored tradition of volunteerism and self-sacrifice, to illustrate their moral fortitude and worthiness for the presidency. I believe that Columbia could stand to learn a great deal from both the examples and the principles that drive these great men.
When Obama and McCain speak today, the seventh anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, they will likely recount stories of their volunteerism and the importance of self-sacrifice. Obama might reference John F. Kennedy’s demand that we “ask not what your country can do for you,” while McCain could allude to his campaign slogan of “Country First.” During the Democratic Convention, many speakers mentioned that Barack Obama chose not to accept a high-powered job after Harvard Law School, opting to become a community organizer instead. John McCain’s sacrifice for our country goes almost without saying, except one can’t help but be reminded of his sacrifice at campaign rallies when he cannot lift his arms to wave to the crowd due to his torture in Vietnam. Yet, will either of these messages resonate within the Columbia community?
There is no doubt that Columbia volunteers. Even a cursory glance at last week’s activities fair showed myriad organizations devoted to all kinds of volunteer work. Columbia’s Dance Marathon has raised over $350,000 for research on pediatric AIDS. Organizations like Rotaract, Let’s Get Ready, Peace by P.E.A.C.E., Project HEALTH, and innumerable others volunteer their time on the local level. Even our Greek community volunteers its time to better Morningside Heights. Therefore, I come back to my earlier point—John McCain, at the end of his convention speech, asked Americans to “Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. ... Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.” Barack Obama, meanwhile, prizes his time when he fought for the local community in the South Side of Chicago. He says that, inasmuch as government can help fix national problems, these problems will also “require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us” to do our own part. I mentioned earlier that we could stand to learn a lot from these leaders. However, these sound like little more than feel-good statements that create little risk for the two politicians. What can we learn from these somewhat bromidic platitudes on patriotism? In order to see that, I believe that we need to look at a little-known part of the Columbia community—its Marine Corps contingent.
You have probably seen these Corpsmen around campus, or taken an art history class with them. Every day for them is also one more day of training for when they finish college and answer their country’s call to serve. One of them told me that Sept. 11 was a turning point in his life. Even though he was only 13 at the time, he knew that he had a higher purpose to serve—sacrificing himself for his country. Though I am not fit for military service, that does not mean I am not able to serve my country. My Marine friend believes that this is the best way for him to serve, and I am honored that he is willing to sacrifice his life to protect both his freedom and mine. However, the military is not the only way that we can sacrifice for it. I believe that John McCain stated the crux of volunteerism when he said that he loves his country “because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for.”
We volunteer for ideas. We volunteer for people. We volunteer for ourselves. Therefore, there is more than one way to volunteer. That John McCain fought for, and almost died for, our country is a sacrifice that is almost unfathomable. That Barack Obama worked to help a community get itself back on its feet is something that hits right at the heart of what it means to be American. So what can we learn from these two leaders about volunteerism? We learn that we can serve and sacrifice for America without picking up a gun, so long as we do so with a desire to bring America closer to its ideal. This ideal is about our common sacrifices—using our best resources and abilities, whether given or achieved—to help our collective effort in the greatest experiment in democracy and freedom the world has ever seen.
Serve by fighting; serve by defending an innocent; serve by repairing a community; serve by using the opportunities that Columbia and, by extension, this country have provided for us to repay it. It is up to us to serve however we can, to make the American Dream a reality.
The author is a Columbia College junior majoring in philosophy and economics. He is a senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institution.