It wasn't money the RA wanted
Each year the RA challenges its members to individually support the AOT political action committee (PAC), the organization that funds AOTA's lobbying, both on Capitol Hill and within the states as requested and needed. Each year many RA members rise to the challenge. But until lately, the assembly has shied away from requiring such support. The debate is a legitimate one: should the congress of AOTA state representatives make it a part of a rep's job responsibility to donate personal money to the cause?
Over time, the debate has boiled down to an argument over whether leaders in the profession should, so to speak, put their money where their mouths are. The donations are always anonymous to the public. It's not a matter of putting anyone on the spot. Nonetheless, the word "require" sends up a red flag to many free-minded people
I have to admit that as a journalist, I am one of those people. When the inevitable annual motion to set this in stone comes up, my first reaction is to say no. It should be a personal decision. This smacks of dictatorial reasoning.
But suddenly, Friday morning when the motion came up, something opened my eyes. It lifted me above my rebellion. I saw there was another side to this story that goes beyond loyalty and role modeling. It lies in the very real power of purpose. OTs and OTAs see that power at work every day in their professional lives. It is the wellspring of the ordinary miracle. The visions of the future that therapists help their patients/clients see and achieve, come to fruition because people are more than the sum of their parts. Once an individual or group of individuals recognizes that fact, he learns to trust in the force behind it. Psychologist Carl Jung would call the font of that power the universal consciousness. Others call it spiritual grace. But it doesn't really matter what you call it - it is a universal law that bread cast upon the waters returns.
It will take much money and effort to bring the Centennial Vision to reality. The RA is asking that its members take a leap of faith. If we succeed by 2017, it will not be because we made all the right moves, dodged all the bullets or saw the future with a clear eye. It will be because our faith in our purpose was strong enough. And we'll have to sacrifice - pay a price - for what we desire. That is the message of life.
The RA passed the requirement for 2008 Friday morning; but even before it did, I could tell that I wasn't the only one who had sensed the truth. There was 100 percent donation. It was an a-ha moment. I hope we see a lot more of those.
- E.J. Brown