Travels with Harley Paper #1
Civilization itself has always revolved around engagement and action from ordinary people in every facet of life. From the ancient republic of Athens to the United States today engagement on every level whether it be a local community or on a national scale is what drives society forward to a better future. Engagement with both society and the government is a fundamental duty and privilege for everyone and its importance is just as important today as it was when Ancient Athenians voted on every single issue no matter how big or how small.
In the book Travels with Harley by Christopher Holshek he comes across many examples that emphasize the importance of being engaged and participating. Col. Holshek illustrates this when he talks about how everyone takes a personal journey to discover what it means to be a member of not just a local community but a global community as well. He states that “If we don’t find our own identity, it will be provided for us”, which means that to discover what we value and take meaning from is important for both ourselves and our communities because without this personal journey of discovery we would replace these deep meaningful beliefs with a selfish and nonsensical worldview predicated on nothing but baseless instinct to provide for ourselves and nobody but ourselves. Or in Col.Holshek’s words, “It is only through service to others and personal engagement within and beyond the known worlds of our communities and our nation that we can gain a true sense of ourselves, refresh our own sense of a connective national identity, transcendent of social divisions, and keep them both balanced and strong”. This belief of engagement as being a means to transcend barriers and discover our identity as individuals as well as a community are a central tenant of society, we learn from one another and discover things about ourselves that we would never have if left by ourselves.
Another point about community involvement and engagement mentioned by Col.Holshek is the importance of Volunteerism in America. It is an important facet of being engaged in the community and defines what it means to be an American. This sense of Volunteerism is an important aspect of American life and is emphasized when Col.Holshek states that, “Whenever you serve others in society, you are serving your country, to one degree or another. Our long-standing sense of charity and volunteerism in the private sector is one of the things that has made the United States a great country”. Service through volunteering in a community reverberates through the nation and shapes its values. Through volunteering people become better citizens of the nation as well as the world as they learn to give to others selflessly and learn the values needed to have a stable and healthy society. As Col.Holshek states on the importance of the wellbeing of the citizen, “Yet, the rise and fall of nations begins at the collective individual level. Having a sense of values, ethics, and morality instills a person with an identity that is personal and yet connected to the identities of tribe and nation”. America is the most prosperous and safe nation in the world because of the community activism and volunteer work done by millions of people all across the nation.Engaging with the community through civil service like the military or volunteering for programs such as Habitat for Humanity is what shapes us as individuals as well as a community and the lessons and beliefs we take from them echo through the world. This tradition of helping others is what makes the United States a beacon of light in an otherwise dark world of tyrants, famine, and war, through nonprofit organizations, government programs and private individuals, communities as well as individuals volunteer and work to alleviate problems for those in need. This tradition of selflessness and volunteering is what makes the United States so great and so unique and shapes our society into the idealistic utopia our founders originally envisioned.
Often times real pressing issues take a backseat to partisan issues that both sides will fight tooth and nail to uphold and because of this the community begins to lose faith in the country as well as one another. A critical issue that Col.Holshek states over and over again is being engaged with your government whether that be on the local, state or federal level. However, Americans have lost the tradition and value of engaging with one another in government and because of this Americans have lost faith in the government and complain endlessly about the incompetence of the government despite never participating in government or agitating for any change. Col.Holshek puts it best when he says that, “The painful moment of truth has arrived. If we don’t like what’s going on in or with our country, the first place to look is in the mirror. We say we don’t like our government, but when so few of us show up to vote or sit in on a town hall meeting, we’re getting exactly what we deserve”. What gives Col.Holshek hope for a renewed sense of community involvement and civic participation is in our local communities as he states that “The good news is that networks of metropolitan and municipal leaders—mayors, business and labor leaders, educators, and philanthropists—are stepping up to move the nation forward, in a demonstration of cooperation among organizations that once competed with each other. Participation is a hallmark of American Democracy since its inception and being involved with government is such a crucial part of our very way of life, in many ways it is the lifeblood of our nation and that is why it is of the utmost importance not just for ourselves and our nation but to the world as well.
I believe that all of Col.Holshek’s points about community engagement and civil service are correct and sorely needed to understand the great upheaval and challenges of the 21st century. Through being engaged we grow as individuals and communities as we learn from one another and break down boundaries that have separated us for millennia. It makes us learn to emphasize with one another and learn about ourselves and what we value in not just ourselves but as nations and communities. His statements of volunteerism in American life and how it shaped our nation was eye-opening for me as I saw the deep tradition of helping each other as well as nations abroad and realized the importance and role that we share with one another. Participation in government is as important as water for our republic and if we as a people don’t become more engaged and active the problems that have plagued us for years will multiply and multiply with no end in sight. Overall Col.Holshek did an amazing job at illustrating and emphasizing the importance of being engaged with one another and how this engagement shapes the world. Citizenship is a double-edged sword, it is both a sacred duty and a heavy burden that is entrusted to people who very often disagree with one another and blame each other for everything imaginable. It means participation in something greater than one’s self and putting aside any biases or beliefs for the greater good of the nation.Col.Holshek believes in many of these facets of citizenship and has many strong beliefs on what citizenship means to both the individual and the community. His beliefs in service as it pertains to citizenship can best be summed it when he says,”citizenship begins on the block. In an interconnected world, when you serve your community, you serve your country”. Service is something critical to being a citizen in Holshek’s worldview because without a citizen that has good values and beliefs that can only come from helping and learning from one another the nation itself would not have any good values. Col.Holshek also believes that morality, beliefs, and leadership a
re intertwined with one another and are inseparable parts of a greater picture. He equates citizenship with character and these two parts make what a nation values and represents to the global community as he states, “In a country like ours, only good citizenship can ultimately engender good leadership, morally grounded in an ethos of personal and social responsibility, service to others, and living the values we say we uphold”. In Col.Holshek’s view through serving others we grow as people and citizens, both concepts are inseparable with one another and as we grow as people we also grow as citizens. Col.Holshek shows his belief in the connection when he states that “At the center of everything in our public lives is citizenship. Citizenship is ultimately a form of service to others—and by serving others, you serve (and save) yourself. Citizenship as a form of service is ultimately Col. Holshek’s fundamental belief about what citizenship is and the duties that it falls under and this is his ultimate belief on the subject.
I agree with all of Col. Holshek’s beliefs as participating in citizenship as I believe participation and serving others is the very best ideal that we as citizens should strive for every day. Participation and serving others is what the founders envisioned when creating this country and I believe that we should always try to live up to their lofty idealistic vision for not just ourselves but for the posterity of future generations. I believe I have a duty to others in my community to serve in any capacity that I can and participate in local issues that otherwise are ignored by the majority of people. I believe I have a duty to be a moral person who participates and engages with the community in both participating in government and working with others in the community. I have a duty to stay involved in government at every level whether that be local, state or federal and to voice my opinions and beliefs with others. To be a good citizen you have to be a good morally sound person and I strive to live up to that every day. Globally being a citizen means being involved in global initiatives such as using more green energy or helping international organizations such as the Red Cross and the Peace Corp.
Being a citizen is so much more than being born in the nation you reside, if it were that simple we would all be model citizens. Citizenship is an ideal that we have strived to achieve since the foundation of the United States, it represents a status that many around the world clamor and dream of and it is a sacred duty that we must all uphold if we are to remain the shining city on the hill. Service and Citizenship are points that are emphasized over and over again in Travels with Harley and this is ultimately what I believe defines citizenship. Citizenship means helping one another before worrying about yourself, it means putting the needs of a larger purpose like the community and the nation above one's own selfish desires. Citizenship is what both defines who we are as people and challenges us to be better almost idealistic versions of ourselves and because of this we grow and become better people, communities, and nations.
I, Parker Bond give permission to share my paper with Col. Holshek and allow him to use it on his website or in any other way he deems fit.