If we are responsible and committed citizens, then the government is really us. If we are lazy, distracted and inconsistent as citizens, then the government is a disconnected entity that we can blame and complain about.
We expect the government to take care of all of our problems, like drug addiction, homelessness, violence, obesity, child abuse, family planning and more. Yet we are responsible for these problems ourselves, if only by inaction or neglect. We build billion-dollar stadiums that often sit empty. We don’t vote. We want entertainment that is filled with sex and violence. We don’t pay our teachers and public servants for the work they do. We are numbed by consumption. We live lives of excess in the face of climate change.
Passing laws and throwing money at the problems may help some. But the real task is to support and enable citizens to develop a set of values that help them act with responsibility and good citizenship?
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