Any critiques and edits are appreciated.
If you had the complete attention of your community for five minutes, what would you say, and what would you hope to accomplish?
If I had the attention of my community for five minutes, I would tell them to be informed. As a country and as a society, we are more ignorant than any other time in history. Many people do not understand nor wish to understand the issues facing them. The average person today is more likely to know the details of the General Petraeus affair than the details of how our healthcare system works. In fact, ignorance has led many people into deep apathy towards important matters that define our political, economic and social state as a country and as people. Thus, ignorance has led to more than just not knowing or not wanting to know about important issues, it has has led to an unwillingness to participate in the democratic process. It is the reason we do not see people voting and not being active in the way every citizen can and should be. To me, ignorance is the major culprit in society today which is directly responsible for the American laziness and inactivity we so often see. For these reasons, I would tell my community that staying informed is the only sure way to express the concern that leads to action. As Thomas Jefferson once said, "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." You see, Jefferson understood that without being informed one would not be aware of the problems we face, thus concern and action would be left by the wayside and the liberty of the people could potentially be diminished or worse lost. So, for the preservation of their liberties I would tell my community to be informed because ignorance is not bliss.
If you had the complete attention of your community for five minutes, what would you say, and what would you hope to accomplish?
If I had the attention of my community for five minutes, I would tell them to be informed. As a country and as a society, we are more ignorant than any other time in history. Many people do not understand nor wish to understand the issues facing them. The average person today is more likely to know the details of the General Petraeus affair than the details of how our healthcare system works. In fact, ignorance has led many people into deep apathy towards important matters that define our political, economic and social state as a country and as people. Thus, ignorance has led to more than just not knowing or not wanting to know about important issues, it has has led to an unwillingness to participate in the democratic process. It is the reason we do not see people voting and not being active in the way every citizen can and should be. To me, ignorance is the major culprit in society today which is directly responsible for the American laziness and inactivity we so often see. For these reasons, I would tell my community that staying informed is the only sure way to express the concern that leads to action. As Thomas Jefferson once said, "Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." You see, Jefferson understood that without being informed one would not be aware of the problems we face, thus concern and action would be left by the wayside and the liberty of the people could potentially be diminished or worse lost. So, for the preservation of their liberties I would tell my community to be informed because ignorance is not bliss.
