Democratic Strengths
Even while our major political institutions have fallen into deepening dysfunction, we have maintained a vibrant capacity to solve problems and realize opportunities closer to home. This solid democratic ground right under our feet provides the base from which we can rescue our floundering institutions. Here are a few of the arenas where this is happening:
COMMUNITY BUILDING
We too often take for granted the self-governing vigor with which millions of Americans are engaged every day in caring for and improving their communities. As James Fallows wrote recently:
“Serious as the era’s problems are, more people, in more places, told us they felt hopeful about their ability to move circumstances the right way than you would ever guess from national news coverage or most political discourse.
Even as the country is becoming worse in obvious ways—angrier, more divided, less able to do the basic business of governing itself—it is becoming distinctly better on a range of other indicators that are harder to perceive.”
James Fallows: “Reinventing America” The Atlantic May, 2018
SOLVING PROBLEMS TOGETHER
Citizens have actually been getting better at democratic problem-solving at the same time that our larger political institutions have become steadily less capable of solving the biggest problems facing our society. With the help of a number of creative and capable organizations, more and more Americans have been teaching themselves to engage in honest, open, respectful and productive dialogue across divides of party, ideology, and race. Meanwhile, stakeholders who for decades have battled each other in public hearings or on social media have begun to engage in serious, face-to-face, problem-solving work together.
GIVING BACK
Whether focusing on racial injustice, religious freedom, climate change, inequalities of wealth and income, gender discrimination or the Second Amendment, Americans have continued to develop new mechanisms for civic engagement while breathing new life into some time-honored forms of active citizenship. Much of this civic engagement is sustained or encouraged by private philanthropy, either from individuals, families, foundations of all kinds, or corporations. In fact, the field of philanthropy is playing a steadily more important role in every aspect of healing our democracy.
