Second Week of May
Civic relates to citizenship, which, at its core means belonging to a society. By our very nature we are citizens. Humans are interdependent and caring. We survive together by contributing to society and benefitting from it. By law citizenship is more complicated than that, however, and consequently civic duty requires us to do more than just what comes naturally. Civic duty asks us to understand our citizenship–our local, state, and federal government–and to engage with it.
The bodies that govern us impact our lives and there is great value in understanding how we, in turn, can impact the government. There are simple things we can do: understand what matters in local elections, donate time to candidates and causes we believe in, whenever possible visit the places that utilize our taxes, sign petitions to local government, volunteer, and engage in thoughtful discourse about what is happening in our society. Invite others to join in.
Society is more than government so good citizenship can truly be carried out anywhere. Being connected and interdependent means that our actions transcend our own experience. Be mindful of shared resources and honor shared pleasures. Contribute however you can and benefit from the efforts of other caring citizens.
