The three essential ingredients for active citizenship | Eric Liu | TEDxChristchurch
Summary
TLDRThe 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
📖 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.
🌍 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.
💡 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.
🛡️ 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.
🏛️ 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Present at the creation
💡Dean Acheson
💡Tectonic shifts
💡Power
💡Imagination
💡Character
💡Inclusion
💡Civic literacy
💡Responsibility
💡Rebuild and reimagine
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
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