However, for what I am about to write, there was an
equal emphasis from all of them on the importance of Americans working together to
solve problems, deal with disasters, fix broken lives, and give of themselves in
service to others, no matter what our differences as human beings. This concept was perhaps nobly represented by
the Points of Light Foundation, founded and signed into law by President George
H.W. Bush. It was, at the time of
signing, taken rather lightly by the press and others, but has gained its own
place among the volunteer programs associated with the Corporation for
National and Community Service (CNCS), which currently sponsors and oversees
AMERICORPS, the Senior Volunteer Programs – Foster Grandparents, Senior
Companions and Retired Senior Volunteer Program -- plus the Volunteer
Generation Fund. So, let us concentrate
on what is somewhat unique about our Nation – it’s penchant for volunteer
community service and relief efforts.
Of course, we cannot claim sole possession of a spirit of
community service and cooperation in relief efforts. The nation from which we separated – Great
Britain – can claim credit for leading the way in certain volunteer efforts, as
can other nations from which we have evolved.
The period of the
late 18th and early 19th centuries was a time of dynamic economic change. The factory system, the discovery and use of
steam power, improved inland transportation (canals and turnpikes), the ready
supply of coal and iron, a remarkable series of inventions, and men with
capital who were eager to invest—all these elements came together to produce
the epochal change known as the Industrial Revolution.
The social unrest
following these developments provided a fertile field for Methodism,
which had been advanced by Anglican clergyman John Wesley in the mid-18th century.,
and from its beginnings, Methodism put great emphasis on social service and
education. Methodism was especially popular in the new industrial areas, in some of which the Church of England provided no services. It has been theorized that by pacifying social unrest Methodism contributed to the prevention of political and social revolution in Britain.” (encyclopedia.com)
It was during this period that many other volunteer relief and reform
efforts flourished. To name a few: The
Chartist Movement, Anti-Slavery Movement, Women’s Suffrage, Reform of child Labor
laws, Trades Union growth, and the growth of public health institutions like
hospitals and nursing schools.
And, out of these reform movements came volunteer service groups
like:
1. The Young Men's Christian Association
– “founded in London, England, on June 6, 1844, by George Williams and a group
of drapers in response to unhealthy social conditions arising in the big cities
at the end of the Industrial Revolution (roughly 1750 to 1850). Growth of the
railroads and centralization of commerce and industry brought many rural young
men who needed jobs into cities like London. They worked 10 to 12 hours a day,
six days a week and often lived at the workplace. The first YMCA was organized to substitute Bible
study and prayer for life on the streets. By 1851 there were 24 Y’s in Great Britain,
with a combined membership of 2,700. That same year the Y arrived in North
America: It was established in Montreal on November 25, and in Boston on
December 29. The idea proved popular
everywhere.” (http://www.mfldymca.org)
2.
The
Red Cross “Clara Barton and a circle of her acquaintances founded the
American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881. Barton first heard of
the Swiss-inspired global Red Cross network while visiting Europe
following the Civil War. Returning home, she campaigned for an American Red
Cross and for ratification of the Geneva Convention protecting the war-injured,
which the United States ratified in 1882.”
(http://embed.widencdn.net)
As a colony of Britain, America not only picked up many of
the same volunteer movements and groups begun in England, but also inherited
the community values inherited from earliest settlers in Jamestown and
Massachusetts, where concern for neighbors often meant the difference between a
healthy, vibrant community and a community torn apart. The Quakers, the Huguenots, and the Dutch all
contributed something to that concept from their own religious beliefs and
colonizing experiences. Perhaps
surprisingly, the Islamic community claims some of that tradition as well: “Throughout the Ismaili tradition, the role
of the volunteers was to serve the academic institutions, community
organizations and religious institutions. This service (or what is called seva)
was to be given freely, with devotion and without expectation of payment.”
Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous Frenchman who
keenly observed American life and then wrote Democracy in America, published
in France in 1835 and 1840, is reported to have said: "America is a nation of joiners,"
although that translation from the French has been under question. “Tocqueville viewed the proliferation of ‘associations’
as a unique response that was not only critical to the success of the
experiment of democratic government, but also served to provide for the well-being
of all of its citizens in accordance with a sense of equality that was
previously unknown (Tocqueville 1840).”
(Learningtogive.org)
"In the
United States, as soon as several inhabitants have taken an opinion or an idea
they wish to promote in society, they seek each other out and unite together
once they have made contact. From that moment, they are no longer isolated but
have become a power seen from afar whose activities serve as an example and
whose words are heeded" (Tocqueville 1840, 599).
It may be fairly
said that once the colonists fought for and won their independence, the associative
spirit of America began thriving on its own as Tocqueville acknowledged, and
democracy was forever deepened by the nature of that spirit and norm of giving
back to the community, the colony or state, the nation, something of oneself – time,
talent, and/or treasure – so that all might have a better, richer life.
It is a concept
that is now paid lip service by certain so-called leaders and office-holders,
who have written and spoken about “de-construction” of government
and institutions and even programs that grew out of this fundamental
community-building nature. There is
abroad today, the very antithesis of the philosophy that democracy is based
upon religious and humanitarian concepts of mutual responsibility for one
another. It is unforgiveable that the
holders of such beliefs are, in fact, denying their religious heritage, their
democratic heritage, their philosophical heritage from the Enlightenment and their
own form of government that has its basis in looking after the welfare of all
its People.
Instead of the
concepts of “philanthropy” and “charity,” we are subjected to the antithetical
concepts of competition and conflict in the pursuit of self-aggrandizement. Instead of the principle of mutual
responsibility, we are met with the antithetical concept of tax-breaks for the
rich. Instead of the concept of
neighborliness and welcoming of others, we are put upon by walls of separation
and conflict. Unity out of diversity is
challenged by a false white nationalistic fervor that believes in the
inferiority of other groups.
Instead of
a nation that has grown under the development of inclusion and broadening of
the electorate, we are now faced with laws that divide and exclude people from
Associations that increase their freedoms and their power, and with laws that
restrict the free expression of voting for whom the diverse electorate determines
is their choice for office. Instead of
organizational and institutional memberships based on equality, we are
subjected to a government that seemingly will stop at nothing to subjugate others
to an authoritarian concept of religion, law & order and military dominance
and superiority.
We are, if nothing else, facing a constitutional crisis,
perhaps deeper and broader than ever faced before; deeper than that of the
fight for independence from George III, deeper than the move from confederation
of states to a centralized governance by three-co-equal branches of national governmental
infrastructure. It will eventually be
even deeper than dissolution of the Union by means of the War
Between the States over slavery, known as the “Civil War.”
We are surely facing, not de-construction, but destruction. The Alt Right of the Republican Party is on a
path that can lead to the de-stabilization of democratic principles, the
destruction of democratic ideals and freedoms, and the eventual undermining of
our constitution, our institutions and our concept of equal justice under
principled law. Unless the concepts of
responsibility for building community, offering community service, and
enfranchising and strengthening every member of our communities are re-invigorated,
we shall come to ruin.
The seeds of de-construction have been or are being planted right
now. Hillary was always right (in spite of her detractors): there is, and has been, a vast right-wing
conspiracy, and now, for the first time in history, the anarchists of the right
have enough leverage and power to bring it to fruition. Here are a few of those ‘seeds:’
ü
Use of language so that fact and fiction can be
confused, and the minds of voters attuned to accepting fiction as fact – false
or fake news and attacks upon the press serve to confuse and bring every
foundational principle under scrutiny
ü
Attack on government as “the problem” so that the
electorate gives up on one of its most prized possessions - a government that
works to enhance people’s lives.
ü
Privatization
then becomes a possibility for almost every governmental function; start with
the military and sub-contract many functions to the private sector – remember
Blackwater? Continue with prisons – no one cares what happens there; then pick
on public schools and emphasize what charter schools can do that they
can’t. All that will make the
privatization of Social Security much easier, and Big Banks can take over the
billions in the Social Security Trust Fund – but make sure false news says that
the Trust fund is going broke!
[Since I have written about these “seeds” before in a Blog
entitled: “FOURTEEN REASONS to be ANTI-TRUMP” find more detail on each of the
14 Reasons by consulting this posting at 11/23/2016.]
What does all this mean?
It Means: WE ARE HEADED IN THE
WRONG DIRECTION!
We should be returning, not to a tyrannical, nationalistic,
white supremacist state that protects corporations and the wealthy. We should be re-invigorating the concept of
national and community service, under which the service of men and women in the
armed forces can be fully recognized along with the many volunteer efforts that
are prevalent in towns and cities across this nation.
We need to re-introduce the principle of mutual
responsibility for each other – that the unequal distribution of wealth, the
suppression of some people’s right to vote, that the unjust killing of one
person, the denial of free choice to one woman, the sexual harassment of one
person by another or the offenses against others by the state or by its
representatives or beneficiaries – are offenses against me and everyone
else. The loss of one life in any way is
a loss to each one of us and to all of us as a corporate entity – just ask the
active military who feel deeply the loss of even one combatant. And, what about that principle the Marine
Corps espouses that no one gets left behind because every life is too important to the
Corps to be left behind?
There is no better way to instill a sense of mutual
responsibility and interdependence in our society than to promote national and
community service as a universal obligation for all of us as an act of
thankfulness for American citizenship. There
is no better way to rehabilitate an anti-social, irresponsible, uncaring and
unengaged personality (a law-breaker) than to change the whole prison system
from one based on punishment to one based on obligation and service to
others as one's "sentence".
Can it be done? Well, except for a few successful caring- for-animals
programs for prisoners, it hasn’t really been tried and tested all that
much. We are content, it seems with some
educational classes, some therapies, some work-related assignments, but
full-blown programs of community service seem to be lacking. (Although we did try forced labor for a long
while (“chain gangs”), but that was deemed cruel and unusual punishment, which
it was).
As a society, we seem reluctant to obligate people to
something. We expect them to
volunteer. But, we quickly find that
only about 20-30% of the population do freely volunteer for some form of
community service (it varies in terms of what is counted as ‘community service’). An older volunteer program under the CNCS,
called “Learn and Serve” was, along with Points of Light, an attempt to make
volunteering more of an accepted part of what it means to be a citizen of this
nation. L&S did make an impact in
that service learning is now more widely accepted in schools and colleges as a
part of the curriculum.
All rights and freedoms carry with them certain
responsibilities [except for 2nd Amendment rights, which
apparently carry no responsibilities at all, not even safety (and certainly not
universal background checks of potential gun owners), according to the
pronouncements and actions of the NRA].
In spite of that, it is a widely accepted principle that responsibilities
are part and parcel of rights and freedoms: you can’t yell “FIRE” in a crowded
theater; you can’t print scurrilous attacks upon others without some
consequences under libel laws; you can’t lie about the abilities or contents of
a product or service; you can marry whomever you wish, but if you don’t
disclose certain information about your background, (a prior marriage still in
effect, or an inability to consent to the marriage contract), that marriage can
be declared invalid (annulled).
We are not likely to convince the current administration that
community service should be a responsibility of anyone who has been born to or
given the right to citizenship. However,
we can, as individuals and as groups, begin to sow the 'seeds' of this idea in every
corner of our existence. How about
influencing a tax reform law that recognizes volunteer hours (not just miles
driven) as in-kind charitable donations, worth a certain amount per hour and
documentable? Or, how about the By-laws
of the organizations to which you belong: what are the current obligations or
responsibilities of members? If even mentioned, do they include an obligation
to serve one’s community? And what about
other politicians -- are there any you could influence to write laws about a citizen's
(or corporation's) obligation to serve local and national communities?
For more detail on national and community service, please
read my Blog post of 2/8/2016.
