{"id":6082,"date":"2024-11-29T14:23:09","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T22:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vilni-media.com\/?p=6082"},"modified":"2025-03-07T14:14:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T22:14:17","slug":"dzvinky-shcho-riatuiut-zhyttia-chomu-ia-desiatylittiamy-boialasia-zvertatysia-do-svoikh-konhresmeniv-i-iak-nareshti-tse-podolala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vilni-media.com\/en\/2024\/11\/29\/dzvinky-shcho-riatuiut-zhyttia-chomu-ia-desiatylittiamy-boialasia-zvertatysia-do-svoikh-konhresmeniv-i-iak-nareshti-tse-podolala\/","title":{"rendered":"Making calls, saving lives: why I spent decades afraid of contacting my congressmen and how I finally got over it"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cHi,\u201d I begin, my voice shaking a little. \u201cI\u2019m Katerina Manoff, your constituent from Rockville, and I\u2019m calling to urge you to continue your support for Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>

I\u2019m sitting in my car, speaking with a staffer in a Maryland Senator\u2019s office, the Razom Advocacy website pulled up on my phone. This is very out of character for me - an avowedly apolitical person who shares the healthy distrust of government common to most Ukrainians. I\u2019ve always been skeptical of government bureaucracy, of politicians\u2019 integrity, and the potential for me, as one regular person, to make a real impact through advocacy.<\/p>

I\u2019ve passionately supported Ukraine\u2019s struggle for freedom from russian influence since 2014, but in those early days, I never contacted my representatives. I much preferred grassroots, individual-level change: people helping people by focusing on what they can control. A meal for a soldier in rehabilitation at a nearby hospital; donations for humanitarian aid; a ride for a refugee family; reaching out to the press to connect reporters to important Ukrainian stories.<\/p>

Even after russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when it became clear that US government support was essential to Ukraine\u2019s survival, I was hesitant to pick up the phone. I heard the appeal over and over - \u201cPlease, please take a minute and call your Congressmen\u201d - but I almost always ignored it.<\/p>

I\u2019m not alone. According to one survey, less than half of Americans even know who represents them in Congress. Only a tiny minority regularly pick up the phone or write an email to share their opinions or requests.<\/p>

Logically, this makes no sense. Contacting our elected representatives in Congress is literally the easiest thing we can do to support causes we care about. It takes two minutes and doesn\u2019t cost a cent. And yet, we are much more likely to make donations, attend charity events, volunteer, or go to a rally - actions that require much more of our time and money.<\/p>

Why? There are several mental blocks that prevent most of us from regularly calling our representatives. Here are the most common (and I admit that I\u2019ve experienced them all).<\/p>