Solutions require effort — First step, make sure you know the names of your neighbors

The recent shootings in Nashville and Louisville highlight that, in addition to guns, there are factors at play in the US we must confront. As we approach another election season, the political industry will continue to leverage the issue’s divisive power. Don’t let them.

In order for our democracy to address America’s greatest challenges, we need an engaged and active citizenry. It’s increasingly clear, however, that civic life in America continues to decline. To up our game, I encourage you to explore the work of both Robert Putnam (who I’ve introduced you to before) and Brene Brown.

Putnam, a political scientist, argues in his book “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community” that social capital, the networks of relationships and trust that bind people together, is declining in America. He presents this decline as a result of increased individualism and a lack of individual place in and commitment to community. Without these networks — uniquely human in both their resilience and vulnerability — civic life suffers and people become less engaged in their communities and less likely to participate in the democratic process.

Similarly, Brown, a researcher on shame and vulnerability, argues that a lack of connection and community can lead to feelings of isolation that foster disengagement. Brown emphasizes the importance of authentic connection in building strong relationships and creating a sense of belonging.

Speaking only for myself, I believe the challenges of the past couple of years, from pandemic to toxic politics, have complicated the engagement landscape tremendously, enabling the ends of the political spectrum and discouraging the middle majority.

Working together, we can rebuild our social capital and reintroduce strong communities where people feel connected and engaged. By fostering spaces for meaningful dialog and collaboration, encouraging civic participation and volunteerism, and promoting policies that support community building, we can get back to delivering the next American Century. Our elected representatives should be building doorways to this opportunity and leading us through them, not actively working to keep certain voices on the outside.

As Brown notes, “True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.” We can have a stronger, more vibrant democracy if we want. It’s up to each of us and all of us to build it.

At my non-profit, USTomorrow, we’ll be making a couple of changes to these communications in the near future.

Drop me a line to let me know how you’re doing and what you’re seeing out there.

Joseph