[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.74,0:00:02.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I bring you greetings
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.29,0:00:04.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the 52nd-freest nation on earth.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.08,0:00:10.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As an American, it irritates me\Nthat my nation keeps sinking
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.79,0:00:13.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the annual rankings\Npublished by Freedom House.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.67,0:00:15.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm the son of immigrants.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.42,0:00:18.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My parents were born in China\Nduring war and revolution,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.79,0:00:21.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,went to Taiwan and then came\Nto the United States,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.79,0:00:23.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which means all my life,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.36,0:00:28.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've been acutely aware just how fragile\Nan inheritance freedom truly is.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.36,0:00:33.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's why I spend my time teaching,\Npreaching and practicing democracy.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.76,0:00:36.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have no illusions.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.63,0:00:37.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All around the world now,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:37.91,0:00:40.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people are doubting\Nwhether democracy can deliver.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.28,0:00:43.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Autocrats and demagogues seem emboldened,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.74,0:00:45.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even cocky.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.26,0:00:47.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The free world feels leaderless.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.09,0:00:50.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yet, I remain hopeful.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.41,0:00:53.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't mean optimistic.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.39,0:00:55.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Optimism is for spectators.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.52,0:00:57.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hope implies agency.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.98,0:01:00.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It says I have a hand in the outcome.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.30,0:01:02.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Democratic hope requires faith
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.76,0:01:06.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not in a strongman or a charismatic savior
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.08,0:01:08.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but in each other,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.08,0:01:12.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it forces us to ask:\NHow can we become worthy of such faith?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.88,0:01:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I believe we are at a moment\Nof moral awakening,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.03,0:01:20.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the kind that comes\Nwhen old certainties collapse.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.50,0:01:25.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the heart of that awakening\Nis what I call "civic religion."
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.31,0:01:30.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And today, I want to talk about\Nwhat civic religion is,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.35,0:01:31.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how we practice it,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.98,0:01:34.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and why it matters now more than ever.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.46,0:01:35.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let me start with the what.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.93,0:01:42.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I define civic religion as a system\Nof shared beliefs and collective practices
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.12,0:01:45.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by which the members\Nof a self-governing community
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.84,0:01:47.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,choose to live like citizens.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.64,0:01:52.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, when I say "citizen" here,\NI'm not referring to papers or passports.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.29,0:01:55.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm talking about a deeper,\Nbroader, ethical conception
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.53,0:01:58.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of being a contributor to community,\Na member of the body.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.12,0:02:04.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To speak of civic religion as religion\Nis not poetic license.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.63,0:02:05.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's because democracy
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.80,0:02:08.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is one of the most faith-fueled\Nhuman activities there is.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.84,0:02:13.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Democracy works only when enough of us\Nbelieve democracy works.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.61,0:02:17.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is at once a gamble and a miracle.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.44,0:02:23.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Its legitimacy comes not from\Nthe outer frame of constitutional rules,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.47,0:02:26.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but from the inner workings\Nof civic spirit.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.63,0:02:30.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Civic religion, like any religion,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.03,0:02:34.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,contains a sacred creed,\Nsacred deeds and sacred rituals.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.06,0:02:39.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My creed includes words like\N"equal protection of the laws"
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.83,0:02:41.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and "we the people."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.71,0:02:46.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My roll call of hallowed deeds\Nincludes abolition, women's suffrage,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.27,0:02:47.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the civil rights movement,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.89,0:02:50.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Allied landing at Normandy,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.23,0:02:51.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.66,0:02:56.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I have a new civic ritual\Nthat I'll tell you about in a moment.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.34,0:02:59.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Wherever on earth you're from,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.22,0:03:03.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can find or make\Nyour own set of creed, deed and ritual.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.42,0:03:08.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The practice of civic religion\Nis not about worship of the state
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.70,0:03:11.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or obedience to a ruling party.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.10,0:03:12.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is about commitment to one another
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.96,0:03:14.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and our common ideals.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.94,0:03:19.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the sacredness of civic religion\Nis not about divinity or the supernatural.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.57,0:03:23.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is about a group of unlike people
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.34,0:03:26.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,speaking into being our alikeness,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.46,0:03:27.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our groupness.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.29,0:03:31.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Perhaps now you're getting\Na little worried
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.35,0:03:33.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I'm trying to sell you on a cult.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.50,0:03:35.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Relax, I'm not.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.38,0:03:37.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't need to sell you.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.17,0:03:40.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As a human, you are always\Nin the market for a cult,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.89,0:03:43.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for some variety of religious experience.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.74,0:03:47.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are wired to seek\Ncosmological explanations,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.10,0:03:50.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to sacralize beliefs\Nthat unite us in transcendent purpose.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.56,0:03:54.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Humans make religion\Nbecause humans make groups.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.26,0:03:59.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The only choice we have is whether\Nto activate that groupness for good.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.20,0:04:03.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you are a devout person, you know this.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.29,0:04:04.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you are not,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.95,0:04:06.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you no longer go to prayer services
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.82,0:04:08.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or never did,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.50,0:04:12.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then perhaps you'll say\Nthat yoga is your religion,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.30,0:04:14.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or Premier League football,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.86,0:04:17.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or knitting, or coding or TED Talks.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.95,0:04:23.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But whether you believe in a God\Nor in the absence of gods,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.46,0:04:27.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,civic religion does not require you\Nto renounce your beliefs.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.26,0:04:30.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It requires you only\Nto show up as a citizen.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.58,0:04:34.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that brings me to my second topic:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.10,0:04:37.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how we can practice\Ncivic religion productively.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.29,0:04:40.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let me tell you now\Nabout that new civic ritual.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.98,0:04:42.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's called "Civic Saturday,"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.92,0:04:45.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it follows the arc\Nof a faith gathering.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.72,0:04:47.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We sing together,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.09,0:04:51.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we turn to the strangers next to us\Nto discuss a common question,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.20,0:04:54.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we hear poetry and scripture,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.37,0:04:57.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's a sermon that ties those texts
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.20,0:04:59.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the ethical choices\Nand controversies of our time,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.89,0:05:03.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the song and scripture and the sermon
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.40,0:05:06.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are not from church\Nor synagogue or mosque.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.08,0:05:07.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are civic,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.48,0:05:09.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,drawn from our shared civic ideals
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.66,0:05:14.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a shared history of claiming\Nand contesting those ideals.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.02,0:05:20.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Afterwards, we form up in circles\Nto organize rallies, register voters,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.56,0:05:22.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,join new clubs, make new friends.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.24,0:05:27.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My colleagues and I\Nstarted organizing Civic Saturdays
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.10,0:05:29.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Seattle in 2016.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.42,0:05:32.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Since then, they have spread\Nacross the continent.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.32,0:05:35.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes hundreds attend,\Nsometimes dozens.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.58,0:05:38.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They happen in libraries\Nand community centers
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.28,0:05:39.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and coworking spaces,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.66,0:05:42.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,under festive tents\Nand inside great halls.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.11,0:05:46.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's nothing high-tech\Nabout this social technology.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.12,0:05:51.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It speaks to a basic human yearning\Nfor face-to-face fellowship.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.37,0:05:55.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It draws young and old, left and right,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.95,0:05:58.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,poor and rich, churched and unchurched,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.78,0:06:00.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of all races.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.13,0:06:06.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When you come to a Civic Saturday\Nand are invited to discuss a question
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.10,0:06:08.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like "Who are you responsible for?"
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.33,0:06:14.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or "What are you willing to risk\Nor to give up for your community?"
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.36,0:06:17.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When that happens, something moves.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.43,0:06:19.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You are moved.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.30,0:06:21.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You start telling your story.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.12,0:06:23.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We start actually seeing one another.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.83,0:06:28.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You realize that homelessness,\Ngun violence, gentrification,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.14,0:06:31.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,terrible traffic, mistrust\Nof newcomers, fake news --
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.62,0:06:34.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,these things\Naren't someone else's problem,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.05,0:06:37.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they are the aggregation\Nof your own habits and omissions.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.32,0:06:40.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Society becomes how you behave.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.48,0:06:48.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are never asked to reflect\Non the content of our citizenship.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.24,0:06:54.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most of us are never invited\Nto do more or to be more,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.97,0:06:59.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and most of us have no idea\Nhow much we crave that invitation.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.01,0:07:03.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We've since created a civic seminary
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.33,0:07:07.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to start training people from all over\Nto lead Civic Saturday gatherings
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.13,0:07:08.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on their own, in their own towns.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.86,0:07:12.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the community of Athens, Tennessee,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.25,0:07:14.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a feisty leader named Whitney Kimball Coe
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.86,0:07:17.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,leads hers in an art and framing shop
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.33,0:07:19.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a youth choir\Nand lots of little flags.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.20,0:07:22.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A young activist named Berto Aguayo
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.44,0:07:24.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,led his Civic Saturday on a street corner
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.91,0:07:27.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the Back of the Yards\Nneighborhood of Chicago.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.90,0:07:30.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Berto was once involved with gangs.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.19,0:07:32.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, he's keeping the peace
Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.70,0:07:34.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and organizing political campaigns.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.70,0:07:38.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Honolulu, Rafael Bergstrom,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.52,0:07:43.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a former pro baseball player\Nturned photographer and conservationist,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.19,0:07:45.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,leads his under the banner\N"Civics IS Sexy."
Dialogue: 0,0:07:46.79,0:07:47.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.97,0:07:50.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.62,0:07:53.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes I'm asked,\Neven by our seminarians:
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.03,0:07:55.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Isn't it dangerous\Nto use religious language?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.98,0:08:00.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Won't that just make our politics\Neven more dogmatic and self-righteous?"
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.38,0:08:04.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this view assumes that all religion\Nis fanatical fundamentalism.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:04.99,0:08:06.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is not.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:06.77,0:08:10.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Religion is also moral discernment,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.62,0:08:12.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an embrace of doubt,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:12.58,0:08:16.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a commitment to detach from self\Nand serve others,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.12,0:08:18.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a challenge to repair the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:19.06,0:08:23.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In this sense, politics could stand\Nto be a little more like religion,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.38,0:08:24.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not less.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.75,0:08:28.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thus, my final topic today:
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.32,0:08:30.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why civic religion matters now.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.54,0:08:33.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want to offer two reasons.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.49,0:08:37.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One is to counter the culture\Nof hyperindividualism.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.19,0:08:41.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Every message we get\Nfrom every screen and surface
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.40,0:08:43.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the modern marketplace
Dialogue: 0,0:08:43.26,0:08:45.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that each of us is on our own,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.07,0:08:46.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a free agent,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.64,0:08:48.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,free to manage our own brands,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:48.91,0:08:50.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,free to live under bridges,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.94,0:08:52.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,free to have side hustles,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.96,0:08:54.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,free to die alone without insurance.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.03,0:09:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Market liberalism tells us\Nwe are masters beholden to none,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.03,0:09:03.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but then it enslaves us
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.16,0:09:06.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the awful isolation\Nof consumerism and status anxiety.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.00,0:09:08.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Audience) Yeah!
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.21,0:09:11.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Millions of us are on to the con now.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.24,0:09:14.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are realizing now
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.25,0:09:17.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that a free-for-all is not the same\Nas freedom for all.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.78,0:09:23.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:09:23.67,0:09:26.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What truly makes us free\Nis being bound to others
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.43,0:09:28.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in mutual aid and obligation,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.54,0:09:32.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,having to work things out the best we can\Nin our neighborhoods and towns,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:32.94,0:09:35.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as if our fates were entwined --
Dialogue: 0,0:09:35.06,0:09:36.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they are --
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.47,0:09:39.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as if we could not secede\Nfrom one another,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:39.07,0:09:40.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because, in the end, we cannot.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.79,0:09:45.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Binding ourselves this way\Nactually liberates us.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.64,0:09:49.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It reveals that we are equal in dignity.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.06,0:09:51.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It reminds us that rights\Ncome with responsibilities.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:53.20,0:09:54.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It reminds us, in fact,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.74,0:09:58.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that rights properly understood\Nare responsibilities.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.13,0:10:03.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The second reason\Nwhy civic religion matters now
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.27,0:10:07.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that it offers the healthiest\Npossible story of us and them.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:08.54,0:10:14.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We talk about identity politics today\Nas if it were something new,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:14.88,0:10:17.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's not.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.04,0:10:19.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All politics is identity politics,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.17,0:10:22.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a never-ending struggle\Nto define who truly belongs.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.38,0:10:28.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead of noxious myths of blood and soil\Nthat mark some as forever outsiders,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:28.80,0:10:32.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,civic religion offers everyone\Na path to belonging
Dialogue: 0,0:10:32.57,0:10:37.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,based only a universal creed\Nof contribution, participation,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:37.30,0:10:38.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,inclusion.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:39.08,0:10:43.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In civic religion, the "us"\Nis those who wish to serve,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.02,0:10:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,volunteer, vote, listen, learn,\Nempathize, argue better,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:48.02,0:10:50.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,circulate power rather than hoard it.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.79,0:10:52.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The "them" is those who don't.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:54.25,0:10:57.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is possible to judge the them harshly,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:57.42,0:10:59.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it isn't necessary,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.40,0:11:03.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for at any time, one of them\Ncan become one of us,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:03.97,0:11:06.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,simply by choosing to live like a citizen.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.84,0:11:09.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So let's welcome them in.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:10.03,0:11:13.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Whitney and Berto and Rafael\Nare gifted welcomers.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:14.60,0:11:17.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Each has a distinctive, locally rooted way
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.72,0:11:20.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make faith in democracy\Nrelatable to others.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:21.49,0:11:25.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their slang might be Appalachian\Nor South Side or Hawaiian.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.07,0:11:26.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their message is the same:
Dialogue: 0,0:11:26.97,0:11:31.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,civic love, civic spirit,\Ncivic responsibility.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:32.82,0:11:35.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now you might think\Nthat all this civic religion stuff
Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.42,0:11:38.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is just for overzealous\Nsecond-generation Americans like me.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.04,0:11:42.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But actually, it is for anyone, anywhere,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:42.86,0:11:45.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who wants to kindle the bonds of trust,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:45.14,0:11:47.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,affection and joint action
Dialogue: 0,0:11:47.74,0:11:49.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,needed to govern ourselves in freedom.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:50.85,0:11:53.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now maybe Civic Saturdays aren't for you.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:53.42,0:11:54.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's OK.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:54.86,0:11:58.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Find your own ways to foster\Ncivic habits of the heart.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:00.36,0:12:03.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Many forms of beloved\Ncivic community are thriving now,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:03.62,0:12:05.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this age of awakening.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:05.44,0:12:07.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Groups like Community Organizing Japan,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:07.96,0:12:11.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which uses creative performative\Nrituals of storytelling
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.31,0:12:13.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to promote equality for women.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:14.08,0:12:16.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Iceland, civil confirmations,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:16.77,0:12:18.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where young people are led by an elder
Dialogue: 0,0:12:18.80,0:12:22.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to learn the history\Nand civic traditions of their society,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:22.15,0:12:25.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,culminating in a rite-of-passage ceremony
Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.05,0:12:26.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,akin to church confirmation.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:27.98,0:12:30.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ben Franklin Circles in the United States,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.44,0:12:32.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where friends meet monthly
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.43,0:12:35.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to discuss and reflect upon the virtues\Nthat Franklin codified
Dialogue: 0,0:12:36.02,0:12:37.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in his autobiography,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:37.95,0:12:41.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like justice and gratitude\Nand forgiveness.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:43.39,0:12:45.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I know civic religion is not enough
Dialogue: 0,0:12:45.90,0:12:48.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to remedy the radical\Ninequities of our age.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.02,0:12:50.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need power for that.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:51.32,0:12:55.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But power without character\Nis a cure worse than the disease.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.39,0:12:59.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I know civic religion alone\Ncan't fix corrupt institutions,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:01.24,0:13:05.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but institutional reforms\Nwithout new norms will not last.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:06.38,0:13:08.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Culture is upstream of law.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.52,0:13:10.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Spirit is upstream of policy.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.00,0:13:13.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The soul is upstream of the state.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:13.97,0:13:18.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We cannot unpollute our politics\Nif we clean only downstream.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:18.59,0:13:20.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We must get to the source.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:20.85,0:13:22.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The source is our values,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:23.75,0:13:28.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and on the topic of values,\Nmy advice is simple: have some.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:28.56,0:13:30.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:13:30.100,0:13:35.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:13:35.53,0:13:37.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Make sure those values are prosocial.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:37.98,0:13:39.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Put them into practice,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:39.67,0:13:41.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and do so in the company of others,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:41.90,0:13:45.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a structure of creed,\Ndeed and joyful ritual
Dialogue: 0,0:13:45.74,0:13:47.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that'll keep all of you coming back.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:49.07,0:13:52.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those of us who believe in democracy\Nand believe it is still possible,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:52.91,0:13:55.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we have the burden of proving it.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:55.26,0:13:58.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But remember, it is no burden at all
Dialogue: 0,0:13:58.42,0:14:01.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be in a community\Nwhere you are seen as fully human,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:01.79,0:14:04.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where you have a say\Nin the things that affect you,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:04.24,0:14:06.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where you don't need\Nto be connected to be respected.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:07.88,0:14:09.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That is called a blessing,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:10.17,0:14:12.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it is available to all who believe.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:13.43,0:14:14.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:14.61,0:14:20.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)