What Can YOU Do About It?

On the next installment of PPTS, I would just love to hear callers taking this battle to heart, and choosing to do something with this information. I do understand the "curb appeal" of sitting on the sidelines, and letting others do the heavy lifting. The entire engagement idea can be  hypnotizing to consider, and certainly can be interesting to watch. These choices, however, are insufficient for citizen. Choosing to observe engagement is a much safer (usually) option, until you come to understand that this is where democracy fails. More specifically, this is where citizen fails democracy.

Democracy is not--at least for citizen--a spectator sport. Neither is argument. Both only occur when you are engaged, involved, and passionately active within them. Snarking, or sniping from the sidelines is not participation in either democracy OR reasoned argument; it is evasion. This, too is a choice. I know this may sound a bit "preach-ey" as you read it; it is not meant to be. It is truth.

So, as for the title. The first thing YOU can do about it is to clearly understand that the choices are many, and as diverse as there are people reading these words, hearing our conversation, or walking upright. It's easy to create a list of possibilities, and I will--after Sunday's show. What I'm really looking forward to is to hear from, and share with you those ideas YOU are working on, or have employed in YOUR reasoned arguments. Innovation within ethical, moral and legal boundaries has been the exciting lifeblood of American democratic politics from the beginning. That has not changed, and there are those near you (or very far away) who are creating new opportunities to become engaged in reasoned argument every day that are valid, that are making a significant difference within twelve blocks of where they live.

While I will highlight a few of these, I'm really looking forward to hearing from those who are engaged, who are presenting their reasoned arguments for that which they passionately believe should be the change they seek.

This is perhaps the biggest lesson to be learned, and the most effective reason for any truly significant argument you create: Become the change you seek. You must understand that this truth stands at the center of the opposition against you, your idea(s), your plans and/or actions.

That's really true. It is also the most important thing YOU can do about it, no matter what "it" is. That is the power of citizen. Speaking truth to power, things change.