Active Citizenry

Several thought threads wove together nicely today, leading to more questions than answers in my brain. They are of such a complex nature so as to keep me occupied philosophically for a while. You’ll probably be hearing more about this in the weeks to come.

Going along the theme of public service, I read a French book entitled La Communication publique, by Pierre Zémor. It’s basically a break down of the varieties and purposes of all forms of public communication; that is, from governmental sources. It made me think of the difference between being a resident and being an active citizen. For residents, it’s “What can my city do for me? What benefits does it offer?” The citizens’ question, à la JFK, is “What can I do to improve my community? How can I get involved?” That’s a fundamental difference.

In all groups, there are the passive and active people, with some who dabble with joining should it suit them. To live in a city minimally means that’s where you go home at the end of the day. Using a municipal based service like the library is not being ‘active’, but it at least counts you in as a beneficiary of the city’s offerings. It’s hard enough getting every resident to do even that. First they have to see the point - how it helps them in their daily lives. You’d be surprised how difficult getting that across is. Beyond that level of involvement is a whole other story. Is it only a certain type of person who takes part? I’d like not to believe that to be the case, but I suspect it is. 

When I was gardening this entire afternoon, my mind flashed to an article I had recently read about Victory Gardens during the Second World War, and how they supplied 53% of American produce during that period. That’s incredible, but goes along the lines of doing what you can as a citizen (never mind the health and taste benefits of fresh veggies). Does it have to take a war or cataclysmic event to remind people that they belong somewhere? That of course begs a further question about multiple layers of identity and sense of community, but I won’t go there tonight. In fact, I’d better stop, because this post is straying very far from books altogether.