We are now in the year twenty twenty one, and like every year people, the world, and our own selves change. I know I changed tremendously within from the beginning of 2020 to now. My take on the state of civic life today varies. I want to look at it through COVID-19 and how people approach it, and I think that it is still a very huge part of our lives and apart of the political atmosphere.
I know I am supposed to be talking about the current state of civic life, but first I want to talk about when the virus first came out. I’m not going to lie when it first started happening I was selfishly excited like other kids around the world for getting a two weeks break from school. Little did we all know it was going to be a lot longer than two weeks and that a lot of restrictions would be coming along with it. All graduating students of 2020 lost their senior year, most lost their prom, and some lost their graduation. I say some lost their graduation because most people I know got a make-up graduation, but like my high school, and probably a few other high schools as well, we didn’t get a make-up graduation. Now the same thing is happening for the graduating class of 2021. I can’t even begin to imagine how bad it was for college graduating students to lose their graduation. Now this isn’t about what we have lost from the Corona Virus as students because there are people who have lost their lives, family, friends, and co workers from COVID-19. Yes we as students can be selfish and upset for what we have lost, but when it comes down to it, we had to move on and be apart of something bigger, which is trying to bring the world back to a more safe place.
When I think about civic life in America, a few things pop into my mind. For instance I think of what it means in my view, which is to be promoting, helping, being involved somehow in the community either in a political or nonpolitical way. To be participating in something bigger than one, that as a whole we make something with. I think about different ways one can do their part in civic life today such as by voting, volunteering, do basic responsibilities, etc. There are many more things I could think of as well like I think how it is your civic duty to help someone who may look ill, like if you pass a person on the street and they collapse, don’t just walk away, but rather approach them and call for help, or another thing I think of is don’t kill anyone. Another thing is if you hit someone’s car while parking in a parking lot in front of Target for instance, leave a note with your information instead of just leaving and pretending like it didn’t happen. These are all basic things one should be doing, but not everyone does it. When I think about basic things one should be doing now, I think they should wear a mask, they should be responsible and test, they should isolate themselves if they feel sick and let anyone they came into contact with know, I think people should respect each others space, and be very careful with being clean. If you were to ask me a year ago today what the basic things I thought civic duties pertained, I would have said the first things that popped to my head which are voting, abiding the law, being active in ones community, but if you ask me now, I still would say the basic civic duties I listed, but one of the first things I would say is to wear a mask and respect everyones safety.
The way I see it is even if you are not scared of the virus, and you think it would just pass through you, or you don’t believe in it, or think it is not as serious as everyone says it is, it doesn’t change the facts of the amount of people that have died from it, the amount of people it has affected and hurt, the amount of people that have lost loved ones, and more. I am very much all over the place with the virus and how I feel about it. I had it in March, and I ended up being fine after the two weeks, but I let people who I came into contact with know, I stayed isolated, and I was very careful because I didn’t want to risk giving it to anyone. After having it I have not been that worried about getting it, but then again my antibodies are gone now and I could get it again, but regardless, I was careful toward others regardless of my opinion. I believe that it is our choice to do what we want individually to ourselves, but this is a worldwide problem, and it is something we all have to get past together. Acting out and purposely putting others at risk all because one doesn’t “want” to wear their mask, or be safe and get tested, and things like that are being selfish and are not doing their civic duties.
With the vaccine out now, I feel like there is going to be a huge controversy between people thinking everyone should take it, and that they will be forced to take it, and people thinking it is a choice to take it, and that not everyone has t0 nor will they. However, this has a much more depth problem facing religious differences about vaccines, and forcing one to vaccinate is also going against their freedom as a person, but then you look at the other side, and how this would be helping the world move on from a devastating pandemic that has ruined lives and killed people. But it is not that simple, and I feel as if you had your basic vaccinations as a kid, like when you went to school or when you were born, that you have the capability to get the COVID-19 vaccine once it is available to the public, and once the vaccine is able to be obtained, that as well will be considered a civic duty in my opinion.
This whole blog was basically me explaining why I think it is a civic duty to be safe during the pandemic, but it was supposed to highlight the difference of peoples approach to this virus. I described the people who are doing their civic duties by being safe and protected, and then I described the people who are not doing their civic duties by putting others in danger with their ignorance for COVID-19. I believe that the status of civic life today is a little all over the place mainly because of how split some people are between what they believe is right and wrong pertaining the COVID-19 virus. And because people are like this, I believe that not everyone is fulfilling their basic civic duties to the world. My take on the state of civic life today is simple, I think it’s very polarized, and I fear that the state of civic life won’t be changing from this state for a while.
I think it is interesting that you bring in the concept of different civic duties based on what is happening during the time. Like you said, a year ago civic duties would have been voting, abiding the law, and being active in ones community and now it is wearing a mask and respecting one’s safety.