Reference no: EM133709239

Throughout the course of this term, you have opted to give of your time and your talent to serve others. Arguably, you have given up some of your right to as you please in order to promote a good society. In this activity, you will be reflecting on your Civic Engagement Project and what you have learned about engaged citizenship in a good society.

Read the following:

On the Nature of Liberty and License, Mortimer Adler, 1971 (3 pp.)

The purpose of the Kirkpatrick Signature Series (KSS) is to teach and encourage engaged citizenship; and the KSS materials, including the Civic Engagement Project, highlight the notion that with rights, come duties and responsibilities. Recall from the Declaration of Independence studied in Week 4 that Jefferson tells the reader that with their independence, they have a "duty" to pursue a better society (Jefferson, 1776).

Simply because you have the right to do something does not mean it is the right thing to do. As noted in the essay above, total autonomy is not feasible without impinging on the rights of others. In another of his essays, Adler writes that impeding another's pursuit of happiness is an unjust act. Sacrificing one's own right to action such that another person can seek happiness is a choice to pursue justice for someone else. It is a selfless act to perpetuate the pursuit of a better society.

In your application assignment for this week, you learned about radical individualism. Some suggest that radical individualism is the single greatest threat to the United States and to American vision and values. They argue that extreme individualism actually decreases individual liberty as the onus of responsibility for a "good society" shifts to the government. As we allow the government to assume that role, there is no space for social capital to develop (see Putnam's discussion on Social Capital in 1.4 Application Assignment reading, Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital).

While these arguments may or may not be overstated, their very existence suggests that the choices we make every day, in our actions and words, matter. In some way, what we do defines whether or not we live in a good society. Society is a mirrored reflection of who you and I are as a people. If you don't like the society we live in, you have both the constitutional authority to change society through your vote and the personal choice to improve society through your actions. Your foray into civic engagement through the CEP is arguably a choice toward building and maintaining a better world and a "good society." Congratulations! You have made a difference.

For your next reflection entry, summarize your project, its relation to the course themes and readings, and your feelings about your project experiences.

In addition to your overall summary and reflection on the experience, address the following topics in the context of your reflection:

• The argument that an engaged citizen, defined in whatever way you feel is appropriate, makes their country stronger.
• Ways in which your community engagement project demonstrates your commitment to a good society and to engaged citizenship. Incorporate references to course material to explain these concepts and how your project related to them.
• What you would do differently, if you were to redo your CEP, to allow you to do more to support a good society or be a more engaged citizen?