The three essential ingredients for active citizenship | Eric Liu | TEDxChristchurch

Summary

The speaker reflects on Dean Acheson, a key figure in shaping the post-World War II world, and parallels the creation of global institutions like the UN and NATO to the rebuilding of Christchurch after disaster. They emphasize that we are currently in a transformative time, marked by shifts in technology and power dynamics. The talk explores the elements of citizenship: power, imagination, and character, urging us to claim power, practice imagination, and cultivate collective civic character. Ultimately, it highlights the importance of proactive citizenship in shaping a better society.

Takeaways

• 📚 Dean Acheson, an American diplomat and Secretary of State under Truman, played a key role in shaping post-WWII institutions like NATO and the United Nations.
• 🌍 The speaker draws a parallel between post-war reconstruction and the rebuilding of Christchurch after natural disasters, emphasizing the power of reimagining a city and society.
• ⚖️ We live in a time of 'tectonic shifts,' where technology and social change are disrupting old systems and creating new opportunities for democratization and empowerment.
• 💥 These societal changes also bring challenges, such as the rise of extremism and hatred, as seen in movements like ISIS.
• 💡 Citizenship in today's world requires an understanding of power, which is not a zero-sum game but something that grows stronger with inclusivity and shared agency.
• 📣 Power must be claimed, not granted, and citizens must learn to navigate different forms of power like money, laws, and social norms.
• 🌈 Imagination is essential for civic life, allowing people to envision new ways of relating and building a better society.
• 🌱 The absence of imagination can have destructive consequences, such as failing to foresee the impact of climate change or societal exclusion.
• 💪 Character is the third pillar of citizenship, involving collective responsibility and pro-social behavior, beyond individual virtues.
• 🏙️ Christchurch’s resilience and community-driven rebuilding efforts serve as a global example of how power, imagination, and character can shape a society.

Q & A

What is the significance of Dean Acheson's book 'Present at the Creation'?

'Present at the Creation' is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Dean Acheson that discusses the formation of post-World War II institutions, including the United Nations, NATO, and the Marshall Plan. Acheson reflects on the role he and others played in shaping the modern world order.

Who were 'the wise men' mentioned in the script?

The 'wise men' refers to a group of American diplomats and policymakers, including Dean Acheson, who helped design and establish the international institutions and agreements that shaped the post-World War II world.

How does the speaker relate Christchurch's reconstruction to the concept of being 'present at the creation'?

The speaker compares Christchurch's rebuilding after the earthquake to the post-war rebuilding of the world, emphasizing the power of imagination, resilience, and civic engagement in reimagining a city and society.

What are the three key aspects of citizenship discussed in the speech?

The three key aspects of citizenship discussed are power, imagination, and character. Power refers to understanding and exercising influence, imagination to envisioning new possibilities, and character to embodying pro-social behaviors and responsibility.

How does the speaker define power in the context of citizenship?

The speaker defines power as the capacity to ensure that others do as you would have them do. It's not a zero-sum game, and the more power marginalized people gain, the stronger the community becomes.

Why is imagination important in civic life according to the speaker?

Imagination is crucial in civic life because it allows people to envision new ways of relating to one another and rethinking societal structures. It's necessary for creating inclusive, innovative, and resilient communities.

What does the speaker mean by 'character' in civic life?

The speaker refers to character as collective values and norms that promote pro-social behavior and responsibility. It involves cultivating a sense of mutuality and reciprocity in the community.

How does the speaker contrast rights and responsibilities in civic life?

The speaker notes that in some societies, such as the U.S., there's an overemphasis on rights and a neglect of responsibilities. He argues that every right inherently carries a responsibility, and focusing on collective responsibility is essential for a healthy society.

What is the role of culture in shaping civic life according to the speaker?

The speaker emphasizes that culture, not just laws or policies, plays a key role in shaping civic life. Cultural values, mutuality, and community spirit can foster a sense of shared purpose and help rebuild societies, as seen in Christchurch.

What lesson does Christchurch offer to other cities and societies?

Christchurch serves as a model of resilience and civic engagement. The speaker highlights how the city's response to the earthquake, through creativity and collaboration, exemplifies how communities can rebuild and reinvent themselves without waiting for crises.

Outlines

00:00

📖 Dean Acheson and Post-War Diplomacy

This paragraph introduces Dean Acheson, an American diplomat and Secretary of State under President Truman, emphasizing his role in shaping the post-World War II international order. Acheson was one of the 'wise men' responsible for institutions like the Marshall Plan, NATO, and the United Nations. The speaker draws a comparison between Acheson’s world-building efforts and modern efforts in Christchurch after a natural disaster, relating it to broader global shifts today.

05:00

🌍 Power as a Positive-Sum Entity

The speaker explains that power, contrary to popular belief, is not a zero-sum game. The more inclusive a society becomes, the stronger and more resilient it is. They highlight the need for marginalized voices to claim power for the benefit of the community. The paragraph emphasizes that power must be claimed, not simply granted, and explores different types of power (e.g., money, ideas, numbers), advocating for a proactive and literate approach to civic engagement.

10:00

💡 The Power of Imagination in Civic Life

Imagination is described as the ability to conceive what does not yet exist, and its importance in civic life is highlighted. The speaker gives examples from history, like Dean Acheson imagining post-war cooperation, and addresses the dangers of failing to imagine the consequences of our actions. They argue that imagination is crucial for empathy and collective action, especially in building inclusive and resilient communities.

15:01

🛡️ The Role of Character in Citizenship

The speaker argues that power and imagination alone are not enough, using examples of historical figures like Hitler to emphasize the need for civic character. Civic character is defined as the collective values and behaviors that promote social good. The speaker stresses the importance of responsibility in free societies like New Zealand and the United States, contrasting a focus on individual rights with the need for a culture of shared sacrifice and mutual responsibility.

20:02

🏛️ Christchurch as a Model for Global Citizenship

The final paragraph honors Christchurch’s response to disaster as a model of civic engagement. The speaker emphasizes that Christchurch’s recovery is not just about physical rebuilding, but also about cultivating imagination, power, and character in the community. The city is presented as a global symbol of resilience, showing that profound societal transformation can happen without catastrophe, simply through conscious and active citizenship.

Keywords

💡Present at the creation

This phrase is central to the video's theme, representing moments of great transformation or the establishment of new systems. It refers to pivotal historical figures like Dean Acheson, who helped shape the post-World War II order, and it is used metaphorically to describe modern times of rapid change, such as technological shifts and social movements.

💡Dean Acheson

Dean Acheson was a U.S. diplomat and Secretary of State under President Harry Truman. He played a crucial role in designing the post-World War II global order, including institutions like NATO and the United Nations. His example is used to illustrate the power of imagination and leadership in creating a new world.

💡Tectonic shifts

In the video, this metaphor is used to describe the deep, global changes that are happening, particularly in technology, society, and demographics. These shifts fundamentally alter societal norms and structures, leading to both positive and negative outcomes, such as the rise of social justice movements or radical groups like ISIS.

💡Power

Power, as discussed in the video, is defined as the ability to make others do what you want them to do. The speaker emphasizes that power is not a zero-sum game; it grows when more people, especially those on the margins, are included. The concept of power is also tied to civic responsibility, and understanding power dynamics is essential to being an active citizen.

💡Imagination

Imagination is defined as the capacity to conceive of what does not yet exist. The video stresses that imagination is a key element in civic life, allowing people to envision better futures and new ways of organizing society. The speaker uses examples like Dean Acheson’s post-war world-building and Christchurch’s reconstruction after disaster to highlight this concept.

💡Character

In the video, character refers not just to personal virtues like honesty but to civic character, which is about contributing to the collective good of society. The speaker argues that power and imagination without character can be dangerous, citing historical figures like Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden as examples of how power and imagination can be used for harmful purposes.

💡Inclusion

Inclusion is portrayed as a key driver of community and societal strength. The speaker argues that societies that include marginalized groups, such as immigrants or ethnic minorities, become stronger and more resilient. The concept is contrasted with zero-sum thinking, suggesting that including others doesn’t take away power but rather enhances it.

💡Civic literacy

Civic literacy refers to the understanding of how power operates in society and how individuals can engage with and influence these power structures. The speaker emphasizes that to be an active citizen, one must understand the various forms of power—such as money, laws, and social norms—and know how to use them to effect change.

💡Responsibility

Responsibility is linked to the concept of citizenship. The speaker contrasts the focus on individual rights in the U.S., such as gun rights, with the need for greater emphasis on civic responsibility. He argues that true citizenship involves recognizing the balance between rights and responsibilities, and that every right carries an inherent responsibility to the community.

💡Rebuild and reimagine

This concept is exemplified by Christchurch’s recovery after the earthquakes. The speaker uses the city as a metaphor for civic action, imagination, and responsibility, urging people to not wait for disasters to innovate and rebuild their communities. Instead, he calls on citizens to actively engage in the ongoing process of shaping their environments.

Highlights

Dean Acheson, an American diplomat and Secretary of State, played a key role in shaping the post-WWII world.

Acheson was part of a group known as 'The Wise Men,' responsible for creating institutions like the Marshall Plan, UN, NATO, and IMF.

The speaker draws parallels between Acheson's role in world creation and Christchurch's rebuilding after the earthquake.

We are currently in a moment of global 'tectonic shifts,' driven by technology and demographic changes, challenging old institutions.

New movements and networks, such as TEDx and social justice efforts, are democratizing voice and influence.

However, negative aspects of these shifts include the rise of extremism and networked hatred, such as ISIS.

Citizens must engage with three key elements of civic life: power, imagination, and character.

Power is defined as the ability to ensure others act as you would have them act, but it should be seen as positive-sum, not zero-sum.

Inclusion of marginalized voices strengthens communities and societies, enhancing their resilience and adaptability.

Power must be claimed, not granted. Citizens need literacy in different forms of power, such as money, ideas, and social norms.

Imagination is essential in civic life, allowing us to envision new possibilities and empathetic, interconnected futures.

Imagination failure can lead to serious consequences, such as the introduction of rabbits to Australia or inaction on climate change.

A lack of civic imagination can also lead to failing to see others as equal participants in society.

The third element, character, involves collective values, norms, and being a pro-social contributor to society.

Christchurch exemplifies the resilience, imagination, and power needed to rebuild a community post-disaster.

Transcripts

present at the creation that's not just

a concept we've been immersed in all day

it's the title of a great book a book

that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1970

written by somebody who most people

today have never heard of the author was

Dean Acheson

Dean Acheson was an American diplomat

during the years of World War two and he

became Secretary of State under

President Harry Truman Dean Acheson was

one of a small group of what were called

unerotic Lee the wise men a group of

people who out of the ruins of the

post-war world imagined designed and

built the web of institutions that still

in some frail way today shape our world

the Marshall Plan the United Nations

NATO what would become the European

Union the International Monetary Fund

they were present at the creation of a

new world and I've been thinking about

Atchison and his generation and that

cohort and his book for a lot of

different reasons not least of which the

last few days I've been spending here in

Christchurch my first time as an

American to New Zealand and recognizing

all the ways in which this community

itself has been present and a recreation

a reimagining of what a city can be out

of the ruins not of war but of disaster

it's not just Christchurch though this

idea of being present at the creation

describes the moment we are in all

around the world today we live in an

incredible time of if I may use the

metaphor tectonic shifts deep deep

shifts of technology and demography that

are changing all the frames of what we

think of as normal impossible old

institutions are giving way

two new flattened networks hierarchies

are collapsing there's this mass

democratization and webbing up a voice

and it takes many exciting exhilarating

forms TEDx is one of them social media

social justice movements that are rising

and emerging all around the world

influencing one another learning from

one another in real-time but this moment

of tectonic shifts also takes less

benign forms as well

turbulent even terrifying forms the rise

of Isis the rise of networked forms of

hatred and bigotry and fundamentalism

that are running rampant around the

globe today and so as we think about

what it means to be present at the

creation of a new age we are called

every one of us to think about our lives

as citizens to think about three

particular aspects of citizenship power

imagination and character these are the

elements that I spend all my time

thinking and working on in the work of

citizen University a nonprofit

organization that I run in the United

States but these elements of power

imagination and character are at the

core of everything everyone in this room

does and at the core of why we're

gathered together here today so I want

to spend a few moments speaking about

each one of these three elements and

I'll begin with power as John said in

another occasion I've defined power very

simply and rather bluntly it's the

capacity to ensure that others do as you

would have them do now that may sound a

little bit menacing a little bit

threatening I've learned enough about

New Zealand society to know it seems

rather impolite to be that direct and

blunt about the meaning of power but if

it makes you uncomfortable if it feels a

little bit unseemly to you to name power

much less to imagine and reckon with the

inequities of power that surround us

every day in our lives of citizens

well then to quote our young heroine of

a speaker earlier in this program today

get over it get over it we have an

obligation of citizens to understand to

anatomize and to become literate in

power to understand two things in

particular about power and how it

operates in civic life first of all

there's this power is not a zero-sum

game this goes against a lot of the

intuitions we have when we think about

relationships that we are in whether

it's a parent to a teenager or a worker

to a boss or a citizen to an elected

official the instinct that we have is to

think it's a zero-sum game if one person

gains power the other person loses the

reality is if you just zoom out a little

bit from that scale of one to one and as

so many of our speakers today have been

saying imagine the whole imagine the

greater picture you begin to understand

that power actually is a rather positive

some entity to put it another way the

more power and voice and agency that

people have who have previously been on

the margins or at the bottom of a

community the more strong adaptive

resilient and yes powerful that

community and society becomes inclusion

into the ranks of voice inclusion into

the fold of agency is a source of power

that does run against intuition but

here's what doesn't it can be boiled

down for is simply inclusion wins when a

community or society chooses to

integrate immigrants and newcomers

chooses to ensure that people who are

ethnic and racial minorities are not

second-class citizens chooses to see

people who don't get to call themselves

white or male or able-bodied are still

understood as normal when a society does

those

things that society becomes more

powerful relative to societies that do

not make that choice and that cannot

make that choice that's the first thing

to know about power but the second one

is this power is never simply granted

power must be claimed and to claim power

and civic life demands a level of

literacy of understanding about the

forms of power whether it is money power

or ideas power the power of force and

violence the power of the state to make

rules and laws the power of social norms

the power of social reputation the power

of numbers vast numbers of people coming

together these different elemental forms

of civic power are things that we must

become fluent in and then moreover

become fluent in the ways that we can

move and combine and recombine all of

these elemental forms of power to

understand what it means to organize

what it means to lobby what it means to

frame issues what it means to make

arguments in public what it means to

bypass broken systems what it means to

ensure that your voice is heard we

aren't born knowing these things and

even in a free society like New Zealand

or the United States we aren't asked on

a regular basis if we would like to

exercise these muscles we must claim the

right to flex them and we must flex them

and I don't have to tell you this

because this is the story of

Christchurch in the years since the

earthquakes the ways in which this

community has not just come together

spontaneously in that great Kiwi spirit

of volunteerism and problem-solving but

has come together to claim voice has

come together to wrestle with the

elemental question of power which is who

decides who decides what the shape of

the city will be who decides what this

precinct will have and that precinct

will not who decides what your City

Council will look like in a few years

who decides when next spring serie gives

way to another entity and a different

way of making to say

about the future of the city who decides

that is the question of power and it

behooves you not only to reckon with

that question intellectually but to

practice it to get out there and try and

play and fail together and over time to

win well this brings me to the second

element of citizenship that I wanted to

speak to today and that is imagination i

define imagination simply as the

capacity to conceive of what is not in

that capacity most people again have

this knee-jerk reflex this intuition

that says imagination is one of those

things that either you got it or you

don't

and most people beg off and say oh I I

don't have that I'm not one of those

imaginative types I beg to differ

everybody in this room has a capacity

for imagination some people have been

cultivating and developing and

practicing it others have let it lay

fallow uncultivated but it's there and

in civic life the power of imagination

is palpable if you think about what it

means to imagine new ways of seeing one

another seeing the world we are in to

imagine as dean acheson zenner a shindig

what it is like in the immediate

aftermath of a war in which zero-sum

thinking was blood aliy palpable what it

must have been like to imagine a future

of interdependence to imagine an eco

systemic view and not an atomistic one

to imagine the institutionalization of

empathy and common cause that kind of

imagination cannot just be the province

of one small group of wise men in one

moment in history that kind of

imagination is the job of all of us now

the absence of imagination in civic life

can be very painful and costly it can

take many different forms one form is

simply a failure to see consequences a

failure to recognize the ways in which

our

linear step-by-step actions can create

exponential consequences we all are

learning about that in the context of

climate change in the ways that we are

producing carbon 150 years ago Thomas

Austin I believe was his name

learned that when he introduced twenty

four rabbits to Australia thinking what

harm could it do to have a few rabbits

for sport that failure of imagination to

see the ways in which exponential

consequences arise from linear actions

and there's another failure of

imagination that plagues civic life as

well the failure the unwillingness the

inability to see another as oneself that

unwillingness to see someone in another

body as your body to see all of us as a

body that kind of imagination can be

cultivated it is not simply a matter of

you have it or you don't and the way you

cultivated is you come to gatherings

like TEDx the way you cultivated is you

show up at council hearings and

community meetings about the rebuild and

reconstruction of a city like

Christchurch the way that it is

cultivated is that you make audacious

arguments about what a place like this

can be when you have an unwittingly

unwillingly blank canvas to work with

well it's one thing if you have both of

these capacities a fluency and power and

a capacity to practice imagination in

public life that's one thing and that's

pretty good but if that's all you have I

guess I just would have to congratulate

you that you've simply attained the same

level of enlightenment and spiritual

development that was attained by Adolf

Hitler where Osama bin Laden

they both had great fluency in power

they both understood well what it was

like to have audacious imaginations to

break the frame of the possible to do

things that were considered unthinkable

and undoable know a third element is

needed

if you want to be something more than a

sociopath

and I submit to you that part of our job

here today it may sound like we're

setting the bar pretty low but part of

our job here is to be something more

than sociopaths and that missing element

that has to be combined with power and

imagination is an element of character

and when I talk about character I'm not

talking about individual virtues like

honesty and diligence and so forth that

was matter those are important what I'm

talking about

when I speak of civic character is

character in the collective the values

the norms behaviors of being a

pro-social contributor to a collective a

member of the greater body again a non

sociopath and these elements of civic

character are again not something that

we are born necessarily having they must

be intentionally cultivated in ways

large and small and certainly in a

self-governing free society like this

one or the one that I am from it becomes

absolutely incumbent upon us to be

mindful continuously of whether we are

in fact cultivating character the

political historian David Hackett

Fischer has talked about a comparison of

New Zealand in the United States and

their political cultures wrote a

wonderful book called fairness and

freedom he talks about how these two

societies though both descended from the

same British political cultural DNA

evolved in slightly different ways so

that New Zealand has evolved so that

there's a greater emphasis here on

fairness on mutuality on reciprocity

whereas in the United States things have

evolved in a way that places greater

emphasis on freedom on Liberty on don't

tread on me

but even accounting for those

differences what you see in common

across these two societies what you see

in common when you begin to think about

what it means to be a citizen of any

society is a basic core thing called

responsibility

in the united states we talk a lot about

rights i stand here today the day after

as most of you know yet another mass

shooting has unfolded in my country and

the debate that unfolds in the wake of

the mass shooting like that is always a

debate about gun rights about the Second

Amendment of our Constitution and the

rights protected there for people for

citizens to bear arms in America we have

this overdeveloped conversation about

rights and this incredibly atrophied

conversation about responsibility and

what citizenship means when we think

about character is recognizing that

there is no right without responsibility

that indeed properly understood every

right is a responsibility and what all

of us understand but particularly you

here in Christchurch who have had to

reconstruct a civic society from scratch

is to recognize that when you're trying

to cultivate this kind of civic

character it's really not primarily not

even initially about lawmaking and

policymaking what it's primarily about

is culture how we each of us as artists

as architects as physicians as students

as parents as healers as musicians as

painters as humans how each of us can

set up set off a contagion of this kind

of pro-social behavior a contagion of

mutuality a contagion of reciprocity a

contagion of shared sacrifice and common

purpose and that means recognizing that

each one of us is indeed a node and a

what in any network capable of setting

off that kind of contagion that is the

essence of what it takes out and that is

about culture whether you're talking

about New Zealand what are you talking

about the United States and here in

Christchurch what is so tangible so

gritty and exciting to a newcomer and a

visitor is the way in which that kind of

culture is emerging in all these

different ways yes your great stone

cathedral lays in ruins

lies in ruins but just a few blocks away

the glorious monument of the cardboard

Cathedral which is as good a metaphor

for imagination and resilience as can be

found the existence of gap-filler and

the work that gap-filler has done is

probably the most profound metaphor I've

ever come across in civic life for what

it means to be a citizen you see a gap

you fill it you see a gap you fill it

you fill that gap with art you fill that

gap with voice you fill that gap with

food you fill that gap with heart you

fill that gap with spirit you fill that

gap with purpose that's what it means to

cultivate character and so I want to

close again in recognizing and honoring

the work in the life of all of you who

are citizens of Christchurch in

recognizing that power harnessed to

imagination guided by character this is

the blueprint for the construction and

reconstruction of a Great Society it is

the blueprint you have been following

whether you know it or not but this

isn't just about Christchurch

Christchurch stands as it should in our

globalized age in this age of network

localism Christchurch stands for every

town for every city for any community in

the United States in New Zealand around

the planet and certainly any community

where people have the privilege of

calling themselves free citizens and

what Christchurch reminds us is simply

this we do not need an earthquake to

clear our psychic landscapes we do not

need ruin and devastation in our

physical infrastructure to imagine new

ways of relating to one another we do

not need a national emergency to be

committed to the integration of

newcomers to the integration of

outsiders to the integration of those

who in different ways are on the margins

of social and civic life

all we need to do is to remember that

every single day what it means to live

like a citizen is simply this to live as

if we were perpetually perpetually and

irresistibly present at the creation of

a new world because we are thank you

very much