Emulating Roger Ascham's "Toxophilus"

So many individuals today attempt to participate in local government and discuss their views but are promptly unable to, often due to the actions of individuals whose views deviate from that of others. Millions refuse to share their political inclinations or beliefs in pure fear of consequences - attacks, vitriol, and shunning. It is an unfortunate example for citizens to follow: that is, division can kindle fear, and fear accentuates division in a selfamplifying cycle.

By this matter, I mean the distinctly American participation in local government that is being replaced with communication in close or private circles only - a direct result of the growing division in this country. This is immensely saddening as it indicates the decay of American democracy itself. If I had any authority, regardless of the safety of private circles, I would encourage all Americans to ardently participate in their local government and refuse to change it with any other thing. Americans should be securing freedom of speech for themselves and their fellow citizens. Liberals should use it as the most active form of change, and conservatives should use it as the most inert vessel of constancy. In private circles, views are individually secure but democratically destructive. By becoming active in local government, citizens are able to safely share their views, intelligibly debate on issues, and work to advance their beliefs to a national audience. Discussion in private circles should not take away local government, for one is not better than the other, but joined together they will create both cooperation and passion. Local governments are the cradle for compromise, which our country is in dire need of.

For this purpose, I, partly influenced by my own experience, partly urged by peers, and partly swayed by my reverence to our country, am writing this small discourse. I hope that my views do not offend any reader, since I write this with equal respect towards all Americans and their views. My plea is simple: Americans must assemble in our local governments again to preserve our beautiful democracy. I am not the first to discuss this matter and I hope that I certainly will not be the last. If any loyal citizen disagrees with my writing, I urge them to rectify it; or, if I say too little, I urge the loyal citizen to expand it.

My mind is, in appealing to every citizen, not to heighten division on this issue but rather to unite all Americans under the banner of democracy. It is so that youth be plucked from preaching on social media to effecting direct change; so that senior citizens are moved to share their experience and wisdom in democracy. It is for youth to be plucked from drugs, violence, and hatred to knowledge, peace, and respect. It is to see patriotism fill the hearts of citizens and security fill their bodies - vanquishing fear forever. Local government is not shameful for Republicans to participate in or a position of power for Democrats. Rather, it guarantees all citizens equal rights and opportunity, as long as their rights are used intelligibly.

And here I would desire that all citizens use local government as a vector for defending their beliefs and to equally respect the views of others; that the secularity of privacy should not impede the foundations of democracy. The extreme division in our nation should never hurt the fundamental way our governments function.

If any citizen disagrees with me, finds our country to be divided beyond reconnection, or is displeased from such writing, I remind them that I am merely an average high school student seeking to fix what is broken. I have no college degree in political science nor do I write in elaborate language. I hope to reach the average citizen whose power has always been crucial for maintaining our democracy. The United States of America has always relied on local government and this is taught to us early in education. Let us remember our America in the early eighteenth century - a patchwork of communities with no centrally unifying force. The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, as any American is aware of, writes, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”. We, as Americans, have this constitutional right to pursue local government. The Founding Fathers allowed this amendment to facilitate the local government that they knew had begun the ever crucial American Revolution. From colonial governments to now, the principle is the same. That is the power of a community. Such is the patriotic nature of America - neighbor aiding neighbor to create change. Americans have always enjoyed having governments near them rather than always reporting to a distant capital. What is stressed with local government participation is the immediate influence of the individual. Every individual citizen is able to take direct initiative, which creates an energetic and receptive environment for the advancement or discussion of views. Foreign governments have learned from our majestic government. Alexis de Tocqueville, a Frenchman sent to study American government in 1831, wrote that “local assemblies of citizens constitute the strength of free nations”. Let us pray we do not give this strength away, or sacrifice it, because of sheer ignorance nor for fear, two grave faults, seldom the one out of the company of the other.

The reduction of participation in local government indicates this loss of civic responsibility. Given the volatile political climate in America, most Americans are terrified to share their views beyond close circles. A figure released in August of 2012 by the Federal Census Bureau indicated 89,004 local governments existed in the United States, down by 89,476 in 2007. This includes counties, municipalities, townships, and special districts among a few others. I am cognizant that most of the remaining local governments are sectionally divided past reconciliation, almost entirely on party lines. Some will marvel how I, someone who has not participated in voting, should seek to explain democracy. These individuals should strongly consider the relationship of any animal in its environment. As frugal an example as it is, consider the implications of war. Those on the homefront may not be fighting the enemy directly, but they are well aware of the danger presented and the necessary course of action. I understand it may be difficult but I also understand that democracy is the most precious God-given gift of our nation, making fear practically impertinent.

Rather than discussing our differences today, we should unite behind our patriotism. We are a democratic government - not a communist government or a dictatorship. America is the leader of the free world and the country that taught the rest of the world the value of democracy. When divided, we, of all people, should overcome differences and refuse to accentuate them for the sake of the greater good. Although many may argue that sharing views in any way these days can be dangerous to one’s safety, it is better to address a wound to our democracy now rather than to allow it to continuously fester. We need compromise, not division. Unless local governments are drawn back into action, we cannot fix our country. If compromise occurs in local governments, it will influence their representatives in Congress. You cannot drive an automobile if its tires are punctured, battery is dead, or its radiator has overheated. The collective whole is not operable when parts are fractured. It starts with the local government - it always has and always does.

I trust that no patriot will be offended by this amateur discourse other than those who provoke violence themselves, who feel their values are somehow superior to that of every other citizen. Yet I hold that those who draw acid on this sacred wound are no patriot. Rather, those individuals are traitors to their motherland and are individuals who would seek personal revenge over the wellbeing of a nation. I will not distinguish between Antifa or the Proud Boys; I denounce them both. For if they were honest citizens, they would not jeopardize the safety of others or turn a blind eye to the beliefs of others. Violence is never the key regardless of any justification used. Any true patriot would want a united country and would never seek to create fear in the mind of their fellow citizens. Given they will be offended, surely the words of a patriot that sees the need in their community are more valuable than the words of a traitor who incites violence. They still have time to amend their errors and to see the light.

Yet, as I said before, no honest patriot will be aggrieved in me, seeing that I am not a politician who twists words or a citizen who propagates violence. This small discourse, I hope, will be a call to unity for our nation. I pray that this writing creates positive change and a sense of community; a supportive environment in which all individuals share their views, create change, and ameliorate past wrongs by progressively advancing all concerns to a national audience. Without local compromise or discussion, we cannot expect discussion at national levels. I am simply a patriot who hopes the best for our country. I am someone that wants to ensure a free and safe America for my children, just as my parents once hoped for myself. Let us work together in local government to change the course of our nation and unite it for the better. With God’s help, God Bless America.