Think Little. Think Local.

It is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of all that is (and is not) happening in the national news circuit. As we approach the end of 2019, we have a dozen Democratic candidates vying for the party’s presidential nominee, an outpouring of criticism of our country’s international dealings, and a contested impeachment inquiry of our president.

Washington D.C. and all that relates to it, dominates the media on every platform and likely dominates the attention of the American people. Every day, headlines challenge the stability and strength of our democracy. Will it withstand these trials with unprecedented elements, like Twitter, to navigate?

But the strength of our democracy is not completely determined by what happens on the Hill. Yes, the health of our judicial, executive, and legislative branches (and their relationships with one another) are paramount, but they do not comprehensively comprise the health of the American federal republic.

The strength of our democracy is determined by how involved citizens are with what is happening in our country and in our communities. If the public is uninformed and unengaged, the decisions about who will govern us will be left in the same hands of times past. Hands that have clearly been self-serving for far too long. Hands that take what is not theirs. Hands for whom this country has been great. Hands that are aggressive, deceitful, and dirty.

Politics has become so theatrical, it seems we’ve all forgotten it is intended to be functional. It has been said before that there is no Republican or Democratic way to take out the trash, but I think we could all stand to hear it again. Partisanship has served as yet another tool to divide the American public against one another. Like most other tools in that box (gender, race, and religion, to name a few), it is a superficial contrast to the substance of the human struggle. Yet it has served powerfully in its purpose of preventing people from realizing their shared needs and collective power.

When an issue gets politicized, it often becomes polarized and completely constricts collaboration and creative solutions. I have seen first-hand a person so caught up in a cause, every interpersonal interaction directly undermined their stated purpose of valuing human life. The cause was so big it was disconnected from the very heart that gave birth to it and blind to the little ways that purpose could be furthered on a daily basis through kindness and concern.

Wendell Berry has an essay entitled Think Little about this very issue. He writes, “While the government is … organizing its Big Thought, nothing is being done. But the citizen who is willing to Think Little, and, accepting the discipline of that, to go ahead on his own, is already solving the problem. A man who is trying to live as a neighbor to his neighbors will have a lively and practical understanding of the work of peace and brotherhood, and let there be no mistake about it - he is doing that work...”

Barry, a writer, farmer, and radical, has long promoted the power of the people at the bottom. And, perhaps the more difficult pill to swallow, he insists the antidote requires patience. When I served in the Peace Corps, I remember volunteers quitting early on because they couldn’t see how they were making a difference. I always thought it rather humorous and American for someone to waltz into a foreign country, volunteer for a few months, suffer through living without luxuries, and expect to significantly impact a rural community by their mere presence and sacrifice. Development work is much like farming; it isn’t enough to plant seeds, we must tend the garden. We cannot forsake the little things; the little things will grow. Change comes through the combination of commitment and patience.

There are many, many, many ways to think little. Not the least of which is staying attuned to your local government. Know who your officials are, know what they are discussing and voting on, know if someone else could be doing a better job and support that someone else. And, of course, VOTE! Every time. As I left the polls this past Tuesday, I felt proud knowing that I have played some small part in supporting our public schools by favoring the penny tax. My one vote shows the students of my community that they are valued and supported.

Another way is to volunteer. I guarantee you the opportunities are there if you look for them. Reach out to your elementary schools about helping with a reading program. Ask your homeless shelter what resources they need. Donate food and paper products to your local food bank or help deliver the goods.

Commitment and patience. A healthy community will lead to healthy individuals. Do not allow the Big Thought of politics to overwhelm and cripple you. Thinking little and thinking local can improve our community one day at a time. We have a collective power waiting to be claimed. What are we waiting for?