[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.94,0:00:02.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I bring you greetings
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.53,0:00:05.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from the 52nd-freest nation on Earth.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.28,0:00:10.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As an American, it irritates me\Nthat my nation keeps sinking
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.84,0:00:13.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the annual rankings\Npublished by Freedom House.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.96,0:00:15.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm the son of immigrants.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.62,0:00:18.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My parents were born in China\Nduring war and revolution,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.99,0:00:22.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,went to Taiwan and then came\Nto the United States,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.07,0:00:23.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which means all my life
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.56,0:00:29.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I've been acutely aware just how fragile\Nan inheritance freedom truly is.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.63,0:00:34.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's why I spend my time teaching,\Npreaching and practice democracy.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.88,0:00:36.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have no illusions.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.89,0:00:39.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All around the world now,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.50,0:00:41.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,people are doubting\Nwhether democracy can deliver.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.56,0:00:44.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Autocrats and demagogues seem emboldened,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.14,0:00:45.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even cocky.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.59,0:00:48.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The free world feels leaderless.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.29,0:00:50.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yet, I remain hopeful.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.61,0:00:53.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't mean optimistic.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.59,0:00:55.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Optimism is for spectators.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.83,0:00:58.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hope implies agency.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.18,0:01:00.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It says I have a hand in the outcome.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.38,0:01:03.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Democratic hope requires faith
Dialogue: 0,0:01:03.05,0:01:06.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not in a strongman\Nor a charismatic savior
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.28,0:01:08.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but in each other,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.43,0:01:13.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it forces us to ask:\Nhow can we become worthy of such faith?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.16,0:01:17.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I believe we are a moment\Nof moral awakening,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.98,0:01:21.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the kind that comes\Nwhen old certainties collapse.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.74,0:01:26.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the heart of that awakening\Nis what I call civic religion,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.56,0:01:30.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and today I want to talk about\Nwhat civic religion is,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.60,0:01:32.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how we practice it,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.45,0:01:34.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and why it matters now more than ever.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.98,0:01:37.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let me start with the what.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.31,0:01:42.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I define civic religion as a system\Nof shared beliefs and collective practices
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.37,0:01:46.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by which the members\Nof a self-governing community
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.48,0:01:48.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,choose to live like citizens.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.92,0:01:52.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, when I say citizen here,\NI'm not referring to papers or passports.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.59,0:01:55.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm talking about a deeper,\Nbroader ethical conception
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.80,0:01:57.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of being a contributor to community,\Na member of the body.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.60,0:01:59.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To speak of civic religion as religion\Nis not poetic license.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.35,0:02:03.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's because democracy
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.90,0:02:10.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is one of the most faith-fueled\Nhuman activities there is.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.73,0:02:14.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Democracy works only when enough of us\Nbelieves democracy works.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.88,0:02:18.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is at once a gamble and a miracle.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.64,0:02:23.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Its legitimacy comes not from\Nthe outer frame of constitutional rules,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.67,0:02:27.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but from the inner workings\Nof civic spirit.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.87,0:02:30.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Civic religion, like any religion,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.56,0:02:32.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,contains a sacred creed,\Nsacred deeds and sacred rituals.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.38,0:02:40.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My creed includes words like\N"equal protection of the laws"
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.08,0:02:42.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and "we the people."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.06,0:02:46.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My roll call of hallowed deeds\Nincludes abolition, women's suffrage,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.78,0:02:48.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Civil Rights Movement,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.51,0:02:50.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Allied landing at Normandy,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.52,0:02:52.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.88,0:02:54.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I have a new civic ritual\Nthat I'll tell you about in a moment.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.97,0:02:59.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Wherever on Earth you're from,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.18,0:03:04.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can find or make\Nyour own set of creed, deed and ritual.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.70,0:03:08.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The practice of civic religion\Nis not about worship of the state
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.98,0:03:11.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or obedience to a ruling party.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.68,0:03:15.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is about commitment to one another
Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.20,0:03:16.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and our common ideals.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.51,0:03:20.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the sacredness of civic religion\Nis not about divinity or the supernatural.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.50,0:03:23.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is about a group of unlike people
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.45,0:03:26.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,speaking into being our alikeness,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.93,0:03:28.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our groupness.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.61,0:03:30.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Perhaps now you're getting\Na little worried
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.95,0:03:33.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I'm trying to sell you on a cult.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.85,0:03:35.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Relax, I'm not.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.42,0:03:37.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I don't need to sell you.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.24,0:03:40.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As a human, you are always\Nin the market for a cult,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.28,0:03:44.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for some variety of religious experience.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.12,0:03:47.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are wired to seek\Ncosmological explanations,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.34,0:03:49.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to sacralize beliefs\Nthat unite in transcendent purpose.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.30,0:03:51.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Humans make religion\Nbecause humans make groups.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.84,0:04:00.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The only choice we have is whether\Nto activate that groupness for good.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:00.44,0:04:03.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you are a devout person, you know this.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.53,0:04:05.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you are not,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.69,0:04:08.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you no longer go to prayer services
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.61,0:04:09.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or never did,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.21,0:04:12.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then perhaps you'll say\Nthat yoga is your religion
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.59,0:04:15.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or Premier League Football
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.30,0:04:18.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or knitting or coding or TED Talks.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.80,0:04:21.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But whether you believe in a God\Nor in the absence of gods,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.56,0:04:27.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,civic religion does not require you\Nto renounce your beliefs.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.66,0:04:31.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It requires you only\Nto show up as a citizen.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.87,0:04:34.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that brings me to my second topic:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.21,0:04:37.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,how we can practice\Ncivic religion productively.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.56,0:04:41.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let me tell you now\Nabout that new civic ritual.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.25,0:04:43.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's called "Civic Saturday,"
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.16,0:04:46.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it follows the arc\Nof a faith gathering.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.02,0:04:47.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We sing together,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.44,0:04:52.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we turn to the strangers next to us\Nto discuss a common question,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.05,0:04:54.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we hear poetry and scripture,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.71,0:04:57.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's a sermon that ties those texts
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.90,0:05:01.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the ethical choices\Nand controversies of our time,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.48,0:05:03.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but the song and scripture and the sermon
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.84,0:05:06.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are not from church\Nor synagogue or mosque.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.50,0:05:07.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They are civic,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.55,0:05:09.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,drawn from our shared civic ideals
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.90,0:05:15.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a shared history of claiming\Nand contesting those ideals.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.24,0:05:20.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Afterwards, we form up in circles\Nto organize rallies, register voters,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.84,0:05:23.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,join new clubs, make new friends.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.44,0:05:27.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My colleagues and I\Nstarted organizing Civic Saturdays
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.59,0:05:29.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Seattle in 2016.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.71,0:05:32.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Since then, they have spread\Nacross the continent.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.69,0:05:35.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes hundreds attend,\Nsometimes dozens.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.88,0:05:39.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They happen in libraries\Nand community centers
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.90,0:05:41.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and coworking spaces,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.03,0:05:43.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,under festive tents\Nand inside great halls.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.39,0:05:47.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's nothing high-tech\Nabout this social technology.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.43,0:05:51.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It speaks to a basic human yearning\Nfor face-to-face fellowship.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.57,0:05:56.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It draws young and old, left and right,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:56.15,0:05:59.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,poor and rich, churched and unchurched
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.10,0:06:01.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of all races.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.33,0:06:06.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When you come to a Civic Saturday\Nand are invited to discuss a question
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.79,0:06:08.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like, "Who are you responsible for?"
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.66,0:06:12.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or "What are you willing to risk\Nor to give up for your community?"
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.51,0:06:17.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when that happens, something moves.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.78,0:06:19.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You are moved.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.65,0:06:21.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You start telling your story.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.32,0:06:24.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We start actually seeing one another.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.16,0:06:28.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You realize that homelessness,\Ngun violence, gentrification,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.47,0:06:30.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,terrible traffic, mistrust of newcomers,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:30.60,0:06:34.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,fake news, these things\Naren't someone else's problem,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.25,0:06:38.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they are the aggregation\Nof your own habits and omissions.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.71,0:06:41.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Society becomes how you behave.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.74,0:06:46.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are never asked
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.100,0:06:49.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to reflect on the content\Nof our citizenship.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.54,0:06:53.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most of us are never invited to do more
Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.43,0:06:55.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or to be more,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.52,0:07:01.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and most of us have no idea\Nhow much we crave that invitation.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.21,0:07:03.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We've since created a civic seminary
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.65,0:07:06.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to start training people from all over\Nto lead Civic Saturday gatherings
Dialogue: 0,0:07:06.96,0:07:10.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on their own in their own towns.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.14,0:07:12.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the community of Athens, Tennessee,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.53,0:07:15.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a feisty leader named Whitney Kimball Coe
Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.13,0:07:17.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,leads hers is an art and framing shop
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.82,0:07:20.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a youth choir\Nand lots of little flags.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.30,0:07:22.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A young activist named [?]
Dialogue: 0,0:07:22.64,0:07:25.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,led his Civic Saturday on a street corner
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.31,0:07:28.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the Back of the Yards\Nneighborhood of Chicago.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.12,0:07:30.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Berto was once involved with gangs.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.52,0:07:33.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, he's keeping the peace
Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.03,0:07:35.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and organizing political campaigns.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.95,0:07:38.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Honolulu, Rafael Bergstrom,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.76,0:07:43.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a former pro baseball player\Nturned photographer and conservationist,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.43,0:07:47.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,leads his under the banner\N"Civics Is Sexy."
Dialogue: 0,0:07:47.07,0:07:48.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.21,0:07:50.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:07:50.85,0:07:53.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes I'm asked,\Neven by our seminarians,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.42,0:07:56.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,isn't it dangerous\Nto use religious language?
Dialogue: 0,0:07:56.42,0:08:00.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Won't that just make our politics\Neven more dogmatic and self-righteous?
Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.58,0:08:05.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this view assumes that all religion\Nis fanatical fundamentalism.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.31,0:08:07.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is not.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.15,0:08:10.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Religion is also moral discernment,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.90,0:08:12.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an embrace of doubt,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:12.98,0:08:16.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a commitment to detach from self\Nand serve others,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.42,0:08:19.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a challenge to repair the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:19.36,0:08:23.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In this sense, politics could stand\Nto be a little more like religion,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.68,0:08:25.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,not less.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.73,0:08:28.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thus, my final topic today:
Dialogue: 0,0:08:28.68,0:08:31.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why civic religion matters now.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:31.88,0:08:33.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I want to offer two reasons.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.83,0:08:38.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One is to counter the culture\Nof hyper-individualism.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.45,0:08:41.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Every message we get\Nfrom every screen and surface
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.66,0:08:44.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the modern marketplace
Dialogue: 0,0:08:44.17,0:08:45.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that each of us is on our own,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.34,0:08:46.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a free agent,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.64,0:08:49.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,free to manage our own brands,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.06,0:08:51.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,free to live under bridges,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.21,0:08:53.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,free to have side hustles,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:53.16,0:08:56.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,free to die alone without insurance.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:56.32,0:08:58.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Market liberalism tells us
Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.01,0:09:00.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we are masters beholden to none,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.31,0:09:03.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but then it enslaves us
Dialogue: 0,0:09:03.23,0:09:05.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the awful isolation\Nof consumerism and status anxiety.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.79,0:09:11.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Millions of us are on to the con now.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.52,0:09:14.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We are realizing now
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.53,0:09:18.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that a free-for-all is not the same\Nas freedom for all.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.39,0:09:22.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.09,0:09:28.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What truly makes us free\Nis being bound to others
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.74,0:09:29.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in mutual aid and obligation,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.22,0:09:32.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,having to work things out the best we can\Nin our neighborhoods and towns,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:32.85,0:09:34.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as if our fates were entwined,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.87,0:09:36.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because they are,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:36.71,0:09:39.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as if we could not secede\Nfrom one another,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:39.31,0:09:41.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because in the end we cannot.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.99,0:09:43.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Binding ourselves this way
Dialogue: 0,0:09:43.97,0:09:45.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,actually liberates us.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:45.98,0:09:49.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It reveals that we are equal in dignity.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.36,0:09:53.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It reminds us that rights\Ncome with responsibilities.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:53.50,0:09:54.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It reminds us, in fact,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:54.99,0:10:00.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that rights properly understood\Nare responsibilities.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.07,0:10:03.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The second reason\Nwhy civic religion matters now
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.23,0:10:07.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that it offers the healthiest\Npossible story of us and them.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:09.75,0:10:12.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We talk about identity politics today
Dialogue: 0,0:10:12.93,0:10:14.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as if it were something new,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.14,0:10:17.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it's not.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.29,0:10:19.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All politics is identity politics,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.37,0:10:23.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a never-ending struggle\Nto define who truly belongs.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.30,0:10:29.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead of noxious myth of blood and soil\Nthat mark some as forever outsiders,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:29.26,0:10:32.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,civic religion offers everyone\Na path to belonging
Dialogue: 0,0:10:32.83,0:10:36.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,based only a universal creed\Nof contribution, participation,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:36.90,0:10:39.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,inclusion.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:39.47,0:10:44.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In civic religion, the us\Nis those who wish to serve,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.24,0:10:48.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,volunteer, vote, listen, learn,\Nempathize, argue better,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:48.22,0:10:51.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,circulate power rather than hoard it.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.10,0:10:54.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The them is those who don't.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:54.51,0:10:57.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is possible to judge the them harshly,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:57.50,0:10:59.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but it isn't necessary,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.56,0:11:04.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for at any time one of them\Ncan become one of us
Dialogue: 0,0:11:04.23,0:11:07.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,simply by choosing to live like a citizen.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:08.11,0:11:10.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So let's welcome them in.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:10.29,0:11:14.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Whitney and Berto and Rafael\Nare gifted welcomers.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:14.96,0:11:17.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Each has a distinctive, locally rooted way
Dialogue: 0,0:11:17.87,0:11:21.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make faith in democracy\Nrelatable to others.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:21.96,0:11:25.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their slang might be Appalachian\Nor South Side or Hawaiian.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.27,0:11:27.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Their message is the same:
Dialogue: 0,0:11:27.26,0:11:30.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,civic love, civic spirit,\Ncivic responsibility.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:30.12,0:11:35.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now you might think\Nthat all this civic religion stuff
Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.65,0:11:40.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is just for over-zealous\Nsecond generation Americans like me,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.12,0:11:43.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but actually it is for anyone anywhere
Dialogue: 0,0:11:43.36,0:11:45.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who wants to kindle the bonds of trust,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:45.34,0:11:48.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,affection, and joint action
Dialogue: 0,0:11:48.22,0:11:51.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,needed to govern ourselves in freedom.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:51.17,0:11:53.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now maybe Civic Saturdays aren't for you.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:53.65,0:11:55.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's OK.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:55.10,0:11:59.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Find your own ways to foster\Ncivic habits of the heart.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:59.75,0:12:03.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Many forms of beloved\Ncivic community are thriving now
Dialogue: 0,0:12:03.84,0:12:05.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this age of awakening,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:05.73,0:12:08.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,groups like Community Organizing Japan,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:08.16,0:12:11.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which uses creative performative\Nrituals of storytelling
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.37,0:12:13.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to promote equality for women:
Dialogue: 0,0:12:13.60,0:12:16.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Iceland, civil confirmations,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:16.48,0:12:19.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where young people are led by an elder
Dialogue: 0,0:12:19.43,0:12:22.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to learn the history\Nand civic traditions of their society,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:22.35,0:12:25.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,culminating in a rite of passage ceremony
Dialogue: 0,0:12:25.04,0:12:27.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,akin to church confirmation;
Dialogue: 0,0:12:27.67,0:12:30.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ben Franklin circles in the United States,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:30.76,0:12:32.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where friends meet monthly
Dialogue: 0,0:12:32.47,0:12:36.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to discuss and reflect upon the virtues\Nthat Franklin codified
Dialogue: 0,0:12:36.33,0:12:38.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in his autobiography
Dialogue: 0,0:12:38.15,0:12:42.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like justice and gratitude\Nand forgiveness.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:43.63,0:12:45.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I know civic religion is not enough
Dialogue: 0,0:12:45.94,0:12:49.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to remedy the radical\Ninequities of our age.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:49.10,0:12:51.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We need power for that.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:51.05,0:12:56.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But power without character\Nis a cure worse than the disease.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:56.03,0:12:59.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I know civic religion alone\Ncan't fix corrupt institutions,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:59.84,0:13:06.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but institutional reforms\Nwithout new norms will not last.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:06.61,0:13:08.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Culture is upstream of law.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:08.92,0:13:11.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Spirit is upstream of policy.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:11.28,0:13:14.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The soul is upstream of the state.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:14.30,0:13:16.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We cannot unpollute our politics
Dialogue: 0,0:13:16.47,0:13:18.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if we clean only downstream.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:18.99,0:13:21.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We must get to the source.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:21.13,0:13:23.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The source is our values,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:23.95,0:13:28.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and on the topic of values,\Nmy advice is simple: have some.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:29.03,0:13:32.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:13:32.81,0:13:35.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)
Dialogue: 0,0:13:35.80,0:13:38.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Make sure those values are pro-social.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:38.12,0:13:39.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Put them into practice,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:39.79,0:13:42.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and do so in the company of others
Dialogue: 0,0:13:42.18,0:13:45.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a structure of creed,\Ndeed and joyful ritual
Dialogue: 0,0:13:45.95,0:13:49.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that'll keep all of you coming back.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:49.27,0:13:53.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those of us who believe in democracy\Nand believe it is still possible,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:53.24,0:13:55.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we have the burden of proving it.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:55.48,0:13:56.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but remember,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:56.84,0:13:58.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it is no burden at all
Dialogue: 0,0:13:58.71,0:14:02.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be in a community where you\Nare seen as fully human,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:02.04,0:14:04.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where you have a say\Nin the things that affect you,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:04.56,0:14:08.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where you don't need\Nto be connected to be respected.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:08.12,0:14:10.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That is called a blessing,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:10.37,0:14:13.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it is available to all who believe.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:13.63,0:14:15.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:15.62,0:14:18.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)