In this she is partially right and partially wrong.
Clearly it would be a benefit for the USA if we got someone in the White House who was substantially different, both in character and life experience. But that in itself is not enough. The quality and character of the art of citizenship must change as well.
It will really make little different if we change the actor in the White House. The most important change has to occur at the level of citizenship, wherein we move from thinking mostly of our rights, to how best to carry out the related responsibilities. Whatever our elective public servants are able to do will be completely dependent upon the qualities of citizenship among our People.
We are quite past those historical ages when "leadership" had any real meaning in the sense of a People following a strong leader. Today it is really the People who have to provide the fundamental "leadership" in that it is through them that we come to know by what Star the Ship of State is to be guided.
The necessary principles for responsible citizenship were well articulated in the popular film Pay It Forward. Each act of responsible citizenship is a free gift - free in the sense that only we define its nature - no one is to compel what we do. Hidden in the film is the idea that not only is a free gift important and essential to a healthy social life, but also that the power of the gift is directly related to the cost (or sacrifice) to us. Only so much as we "spend" in the gift, will the gift have value. And, this spending is not monetary in nature, but rather understood by the reluctance we feel. We part with something, and feel the pain of that parting, and in that know the value of the gift.
It could be something so simple as our humbling ourselves by taking up a chore we ordinarily do not do - that we usually consider beneath ourselves. For example, a rich may can easily give money, there is no cost there. But for a rich man to clean the toilets in a homeless shelter - ah, that would be a gift indeed.
I have written elsewhere that:
"What then do we seek? Do we want a civilization dominated by self interest, and driven by fear of the other? Do we want an America known for its materialism and is racism? Will we leave to the power seeking politician the determination of the content of the political dialogue? Or will we really be free? Not just free to buy and sell, but free, as well, to become? For there is no true self government, in a political sense, if there is not an equal proportion of self governing by the individual, of himself, in a moral sense.
"Fundamentally, just like an individual, our real measure as a People will not be seen in what we have achieved, but rather in that ideal for which we have reached, and whose character only we ourselves may legitimately judge.
"And then, finally, we will in this way truly become: "...a government of the People, by the People, and for the People..."
"This then is the "Song of the Grandfathers", heard in the dialogues, in the seeking for wisdom, in the inner listening, in the quite voice of conscience...
"We dream America
We sing Her shadow and Her light
We dream America
And America dreams us."
Originally posted March 11, 2003
