Hope and Success in a Society Plagued by the Civic Virus
Where Do We Begin?
The fault lines we face in society—educational concerns, mental health, systemic racism, even loneliness, and more—don’t have simple, linear solutions. Progress can be slow and often comes in fits and starts. Given this reality, and the civic virus plaguing the American people who are caught in the grips of fight or flight, how do we engage and inspire our communities to step forward to work on effective solutions? Here are three key starting points.
Understanding the Stages of Community Life
First, we must understand that each community is in its own stage of life. We have a framework that outlines five of them. Many are at rock bottom, struggling to even address one challenge before another crashes down. There are others that are moving forward, hopeful with small successes but in danger of losing momentum as they fail to keep in motion or bite off too much at once. And there are others that are just totally stuck—in a kind of waiting place.
Our framework helps explain why an initiative may take off in one community but fall flat when tried elsewhere. We have to know and understand at which stage our community sits so we can create the conditions in which they can move forward, rather than further locking them in with unrealistic and unattainable goals.
Redefining Progress, Creating New Narratives
Second, we need to reframe what success looks like. Rather than impose unrealistic expectations, we’d be better off asking our communities what signs of progress they need to see so that, national trendlines notwithstanding, they feel that they are moving in a better direction. We need to help our communities learn how to articulate that for themselves and make their stories of progress visible, no matter how small.
“We can do this. We can get started to renew and reclaim our connection to one another and, importantly, our sense of possibility and hope as we move forward.”
Third, we have to actively counter the message of polarization being spread by political leaders, news media, and social media. The notion that we are polarized and there’s nothing we can do about it has become a misdiagnosis and an excuse for why we seem unable to address fundamental issues facing the country. If we believe it, it locks us in.
But if we help our communities create new narratives—based on their shared aspirations and what they seek to create together—we enable them to shape their own futures. We open the door to hope.
Success amid America’s civic virus is getting in motion with community-led actions toward a more hopeful trajectory for society. Hope is the belief that tomorrow can be better than today. Depending on where a community is in its development, its forward movements may look very different from another. But our shared belief that we can get things done together—the can-do narrative of hope—is universal.
WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON IN OUR NATION?
Conventional wisdom–and virtually every politician and media outlet in the country–will tell you that Americans are more polarized than ever before. Conventional wisdom is wrong. The Harwood Institute’s groundbreaking report, Civic Virus: Why Polarization Is a Misdiagnosis. can help you better understand what ails our country and how you can help build a more hopeful path forward. Learn more about America’s Civic Virus here.
For over 30 years, The Harwood Institute has created breakthroughs on how to address the hardest and most vital societal challenges and strengthen our civic culture. Through each part of our work, we are dedicated to catalyzing a larger force for change in the world. Want to step forward and take action to transform your community?