This is Seeing Clearly. The whole purpose of these segments is to think out loud about what I believe are the critical issues we face as residents — as citizens — living in a democratic system the way we do here in the United States. What I want to do here is simple. I want to describe four types of people who live inside that system, and then put a direct question to you: Which type am I? And just as important — which type am I called to be?
I'll lay them out as a climb, because that is honestly how I think about them — four rungs, from the person who has given everything away to the person a democracy actually depends on.
↑ Tap a rung to consider where you stand today
The Disengaged the lowest level
Not informed, and not trying to be. "Somebody else will make the decisions — the issues are too complex, too far removed from me." This is the citizen who wants to live off the grid, politically: "I have nothing to say, so I will not be involved." I'll say it plainly, because I believe it — that posture is not appropriate for a resident of a democracy.
The Non-Voter aware, but absent
Different from the disengaged. The non-voter knows there is an election. They know there are issues being argued at the city, the state, the federal level — they'll even pay attention now and then. But the attention stays thin and the information stays incomplete, because they have already decided not to vote. "It's too complicated; I can't cast a responsible ballot, so I'll leave it to someone else." And the moment you leave the decision to someone else, your role in the democracy is negated. You have no voice in policy. No voice in where your city, your state, or your country is going.
The Voter the first real step
We've all seen it — the little sticker, I Voted Today, worn like a badge. And it should be. Voting matters. Turnout matters. It is critical to the whole enterprise. But here is the question I want to sit with: is that the only thing we are called to do? Once we've voted, can we say, "I've done my civic duty, I've discharged my responsibility, and now I can go back to my life"? I'd argue voting is not the finish line. It is the first step toward being an effective citizen.
The Worker Bee what we aspire to
The one we should all be climbing toward. Long before a ballot is cast, there is work to be done — and a campaign runs on three things. It runs on money: literature, mailings, and advertising all cost real dollars, and if the rest of us don't give, the people with the deepest resources decide the direction. It runs on time: phone banks, reminding neighbors to vote, talking through the issues. And it runs on labor: yard signs, hosting a coffee or a tea or a backyard barbecue where people can meet a candidate and hear the issues out loud.
Now, why a worker bee, and not a fighter? Watch a beehive. The bees build. They do not turn on each other — and the moment a hive does, it deteriorates. It dies. No honey, no next generation. A worker bee contributes time, energy, and effort, and it does so cooperatively. That is the model I want for us.
In our campaign literature, candidates love to say, "I will fight for you." I think that's a mistake. I would rather hear someone say: I will work for you. I will work for the common good.
Build a civic society that will survive — one that will still be here for our children and our grandchildren. That is the call. And remember where this country came from: our system of government was not founded on conflict between individuals. It was founded on agreeing about a common purpose.
So let's be honest about where we stand. We are not called to be disengaged. We are not called to be non-voters. We can be voters — but that is only the first step. We are called to be worker bees: informed ourselves, and working to inform and equip the people around us to make good decisions.
That is the whole goal — to inform ourselves, and to inform one another. Think on these things as the seasons turn: as the primaries arrive, as the general election arrives.
That's seeing clearly.