I have always believed that movements are more than just a conglomeration of people. I also hold the opinion that so-called movements centered around a politician are not real movements. As I told my friend, for me, these so-called movements are just campaign machinery.

I may be wrong but I did some checking and I found 2 interesting articles on the subject matter in http://movementbuilders.com. The first one sought to define what a movement is; the second one what it isn’t. The following excerpt from the second article is exactly what I was looking for:

Political campaigns, however, typically fail to involve their members past the electoral cycle.  They may well be a mini-movement while approaching the election, but they fall short of becoming a true movement by ending their efforts too early.

With all the movements sprouting everywhere, I think it’s about time we all learn to distinguish the real movements from the rest. We should be especially concerned about this because, in our country, even the most idealistic movements inevitably end up being commandeered by politicians. “Epal” (pumapapel) as my good friend would like to call it. There’s just no way we can stop politicians from embedding themselves in movements. “Epal” is in their nature. All of them.

Many of us will most likely join a movement especially come election time. To those who will may I suggest a minor adjustment. Instead of basing your choice on the politicians they represent why not base it on the SPECIFIC PLANS (not motherhood vision statements) that these politicians propose. Simply put, let’s support the PLANS, the PLATFORMS not the personality.

I’m sure many of us have wondered what drives politicians to run for public office. The salary of a public servant — and this includes the president — isn’t much. Top executives in private companies earn so much more. There are also the hazards of the job: constant criticisms, nasty rumors, coup d’ etats, destabilization etcetera, etcetera. And, let’s not forget, the many problems that he/she will have to address.

Our politicians must really be crazy. But, seriously, I wonder why they would even think of running. Is it because of a deep, patriotic desire to serve or a belief that they are God’s instrument? They won’t directly make such a claim but they are not above leading the voting public on to assume that they are the answer to all our problems, the achiever of all our hopes and dreams.

The question remains: What drives our politicians to run for office?