Mixed colour is the future
Having been brought up in Sweden, I remember a childhood without politics. I can’t even remember that I knew what an election was until I started middle school.
Camilla Appelgren is an Environmentalist
That was when I started to learn about how the government works and everything around it. Even after this time in my life I can’t remember any hype with regard to politics – who people voted for was a personal thing, and not something that one would share with others. So when the time came for me to vote, I had not had anyone affecting my opinion other than people telling me that voting was a good tool for voicing my opinions and being part of the community.
I had to do my research, so I researched all parties and what they stood for. I decided who to vote for based on this, and that decision changed from one election to another. Every time, I did my research to make sure that the party I voted for was the one reflecting my views of a good society.
I remember that during my early twenties I developed a big interest for politics. I had a strong understanding that politicians have their flaws, just like the rest of us, but it doesn’t mean that one can’t have a civilised discussion and agree on some points while disagreeing on others.
What has affected me the most though, are the political role models that put forward that they don’t think of themselves as a superior to others, not necessarily Swedish ones but also global.
Seeing them post on social media about cycling to work, shopping zero waste or raising their concerns about lack of sustainability when it comes to the environment. I simply look up to the few ones challenging the view of how people see the typical politician. I would be lying if I said that they haven’t partly influenced me to do what I do today. It seems that the skill of being able to have one foot in an NGO environment and a strong sense of civic pride together with a political role is a winning combination, a combination that way too few are practicing as it is today around the world.
The politicians I was surrounded by during my teenage years were all seen ‘as one of us’ and were very connected to the NGO community. I miss that climate so much. It was a climate that allowed me to choose what colour to identify with, or should I say colours. Because there is no way to be one colour only, not even for the individual politician. That is what I feel is missing today, no matter what country we look at. The collaboration beyond colours, the fact that it is ok to cheer good decisions, even if taken by the other side.
When I posted a photo where I was cheering our Prime Minister for the plastic bottle deposit scheme, people were fast to voice their personal opinion of the bad things that the government is doing even though my post didn’t cover that. This is an issue we need to address. We can’t have a climate where every time a good deed is done, it is met with examples of all the things not being done or the bad things being highlighted.
We need to be able to cheer what’s good, no matter what party colour or circumstance. What’s good is good, pride don’t belong in this context.
The pride is killing us, literally. It’s killing the vision of a society where we work together, although we at times may not agree. Why do we have to be a colour, why not be a mix? Do real colours even exist?
During the six years I have formed part of a pressure group, I always tried to stay in the grey area to not “choose a side.” I have always been very careful, yet I get labelled from time to time. Sometimes it feels like whatever I do, there will be people wanting me to do otherwise. There is no right way. The best advice I have got so far, is from a member of my cleanup group. “You simply have to do what you personally feel is right, you can’t please everyone.”
What we can do on the other hand is to communicate with respect, cheer the good, fight the bad while not taking the colour into consideration. There is good and bad in society, on all sides. First when we acknowledge that, we will start to develop a climate where people can thrive and feel motivated to contribute towards the future of our children, of our country.
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.”