Participate More
Impacts: Mind, Community
“Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again.” – Ronald Reagan
“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” – Abraham Lincoln
“You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.” – Martin Luther
Participating in democracy, your community, and all relationships with other people and even the environment that surrounds you protects your freedom. Ideally it means you take time to consider all choices before you vote with a ballot, choice or action. Subscribing to a political party or belief system is our natural tendency but allowing these affiliations to divide us and tell us how to choose can cause serious trouble. But it’s not easy to always be engaged and aware. Most of us just don’t have the time to stay informed on all the issues and we often end up relying on TV news sound bites. In politics its also really easy to just fall into the blue state and red state role.
We each have a vested interest in moving our communities in the right direction and although our individual votes and impacts may seem almost valueless, each little bit adds up. Any small step you can make toward increasing your awareness of the issues moves us all toward a better world.
Take Action
- Stay informed on political and community issues.
- Learn about the people irregardless of their affiliations.
- Vote by ballot.
- Vote with your wallet.
- Stay informed on the decisions your elected representatives make on your behalf. A complete list is available on USA.gov.
