This month’s election is one of the most critical in our nation’s history. Our leaders are being called upon to make choices that are far from simple and choosing whom to trust to make these choices is no easier a task. However, this is not an article about the election. There are enough voices to be heard from on that subject. This is an article about each one of us being ready to be an effective part of the election process.

       Our founding fathers had incredible vision and imagined a participatory process that required much from its citizens. The most important obligation we bear as citizens is to become informed, educated and reasoned in our choices; not just in the choices that we make on Election Day, but in the choices we make daily that shape the quality of our citizenship on behalf of our society, from our local communities to our global relationships. George Washington believed in an educated citizenry and knew “that the continuation of the American experiment depends upon a united, virtuous, educated citizenry and a strong central government to hold disparate groups together.”ⁱ

       The education that we need today to represent that educated citizenry begins in the classroom but it does not end there.  The education that we are responsible for attaining is one that extends deeply into our character and our thinking. 

 

v    Are we accustomed to critical appraisal – the act of gathering all the facts, evaluating their importance and relevance to a given question — balancing values, need and reality to discern the most right and appropriate choice?

 

v    Are we engaged in civic and social activities so we can understand the context of an issue?

 

v    Are we observing political, social and economic events so that we are informed about the factors that influence the issues?

 

v    And finally, are we engaged in continuous learning so that we can objectively make sense of what we are seeing in the world around us?

 

       This is the type of education that our founding fathers were depending on their citizens to develop in order to build and sustain an emerging nation. This is the type of education that our current and future leaders need us to have so that we make wise, balanced choices because those choices will shape our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren.

       As you go about your work or school today, remember to choose to become an educated citizen. Every day that we make that choice, we make an affirmative vote for our children, our community and our country. The mission of Step Up Springfield is to help you become the best you can be and to be ready for life. Remember, we can stand behind you, but you must stand up for yourself first.  For more information on learning to believe in yourself, contact Step Up Springfield at (413) 693-0228.

 

ⁱ A Letter to the People of America, from General Washington, on His Resignation of the Office of President of the United States. Printed in London by Cooper and Graham, 1796. posted May 01, 2006, 18th Century Reading Room, Retrieved on October 2, 2008 from http://18thcenturyreadingroom.blogspot.com/2006/05/item-of-day-george-washingtons.html, ¶1.  n