Persuasion in Democratic Politics

Stand Still – An Introduction

My sister once told me that she would, if she were lost, rather find her own way out of the woods than be rescued and still not know her whereabouts or have acquired the skills to find home. This it has resonated in me some fifteen plus years, and now I share it with my students. I also read with them David Wagoner's poem, "Lost," which gives the advice to stand still and let the forest find you, that "wherever you are is called here." ¹ I want my students to know this but I further want them to realize that in standing still, they not only allow themselves to be found but they, more importantly, can find themselves to know their selves.

For students of today, it is increasingly easier, and perhaps more likely, to feel lost or become disconnected in this rapidly growing and ever changing society. While in some ways they can readily connect to, and participate in, society via technology, I believe those connections often take them away, superficially, from their immediate situations and conditions, and actually aggravate or perpetuate any alienation they may feel. It is difficult enough for adults, who presumably have the necessary skills and resources, to find their way in society and to have confidence in themselves, knowing who they are and what they believe. But for teens, being lost in society is even more distressing because they have yet to fully develop skills or the know-how for accessing and employing resources; and if they are not engaged in their own education or fail to establish a meaningful connection in the classroom, they easily find distractions that interfere with serious reflection and productive learning. Worse, though, this behavior hinders them, perhaps permanently, from actively and consciously seeking a truer sense of being. This condition leaves them vulnerable to the manipulations and persuasions of peers, politicians and advertising agencies that represent corporate interests, and not the interests of the students. Thus youth become subjects to be rescued or objects to be used, and rarely their own potential.