Book Review: Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner's "What Unites Us"

2017 was quite the doozy, to put it mildly. To get 2018 off to a better start, I thought I'd review a book with an overwhelmingly positive message about our country and the people that live in it. That book is Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner's 2017 treatise What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism. In this collection of essays concerning various (now) controversial aspects of our civic life (such as free speech, science, and immigration), Rather and Kirschner both remind us of the inherent goodness of people and serves as a much-needed manual (and reminder) for personal and civic improvement. In other words, it reads as a frank yet positive New Year's guide. Here are some resolutions all of us can commit to in 2018 as U.S. citizens and as individuals.

1. We should all strive for an "active, constructive patriotism" (Rather & Kirschner, 2017, p. 17).
• In other words, Rather and Kirschner warn against falling into the trap of confusing nationalism (raising one's country and culture on a pedestal as superior) with patriotism (a national dialogue among citizens on the nation's faults and ways to improve the country). Take the opportunity in 2018 to engage more with your fellow citizens, anything from having informed debates on the issues of the day to engaging in grassroots activism to volunteering for a good cause. 
2. Get out and vote! 
• At the risk of repeating this slogan ad nauseam, this remains as important as ever for those of us that wish to improve our democracy, from the local to national levels. Vote in that local school board election, vote in that congressional race. Make your voice heard more loudly with every vote in every race and the more likely it is that the powers that be will hear you and change.
3. Support your local newspaper/news station.
• Seriously though, news outlets could use your help. Donate your money or time or both to a newspaper near you. Remember, the free press is one of the cornerstones of any democracy and media company consolidations, recent staff cuts and increase in advertisement-fueled media means less investigative and international reporting. As Rather and Kirschner write, local media have a huge influence on reporting all the way up to the national level because it provides "checks on local and state governments" where much of the governing happening effects citizens directly and also helps to transmit stories that have implications for the democratic experiment at large (p. 67). It is also a vehicle for constructive dissent, to keep those in power accountable. 
4. Get to know your neighbors.
• Whether it is saying "hi" to them every now and then to hosting a neighborhood block party (whatever works best for you). You never know who you're going to meet and what their story is. It helps to remind us all of each other's humanity and that we're all in this together (both recent immigrants and descendants of immigrants alike) if we're going to make this democratic experiment we call the United States work in the long run. 
5. Always be curious. 
• Ask those dumb questions, read a new book about a subject you're not familiar about, or take up a new hobby. Humanity as a whole is an exploratory species, but we all don't have to be Magellans or Armstrongs to push us all forward. We need adventurers, to both push the physical frontiers (space exploration, anyone?) and their intellectual/scientific/cultural/artistic equivalents. 
6. Visit a library near you!
• Whether or not you prefer an e-book to a traditional print equivalent, libraries have all of those in abundance. Libraries are a vast repository of knowledge, with both non-fiction and fiction alike providing insights to human nature, how we can improve ourselves, and all that humanity has achieved (and possibly will achieve). In other words, there's something at the library for everyone and library cards are generally free. Take advantage of this invaluable resource and be better informed citizens. 
7. Go and visit a national park. Or a local park.
• Visit a park near you (or go an visit a national one). Or plant a tree. It's good for one's health to get away from it all and reconnect with nature. Also, it reminds us of the importance of preserving one's environment for both present and future generations. 
8. Be steady. 
• Meditate. Visit a park. Read a book. Take the time to do anything (on a regular basis) to help ground you in the chaotic present and remind you that you're more resilient than you might think. Rather and Kirschner write about this in What Unites Us on a personal level as well, but serves to make it a more national level focus, reminding all of us that in times of panic and unsteadiness, our democratic institutions have come under strain but ultimately have weathered the storm (so to speak). They have been able to because of the simultaneous embrace of the democratic status quo while heeding radical voices of change (and incorporating them into those same institutions to make them more adaptable). We must be the same on a personal level: incorporate the good change and reject the bad. Be adaptable, yet steady.

Happy New Year's everyone!

Works Cited:

Rather, Dan, & Kirschner, Elliot. (2017). What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism. New York: Workman Publishing.