Eric Liu: How to revive your belief in democracy
إريك ليو: كيف تحيي إيمانك بالديمقراطية
Eric Liu is founder of Citizen University, which teaches the art of powerful citizenship, and the executive director of the Aspen Institute Citizenship & American Identity Program. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
حسب مؤشر الأمم الأكثر حرية على وجه الأرض.
that my nation keeps sinking
تستمر في الهبوط
published by Freedom House.
during war and revolution,
to the United States,
وبعدها أتيا إلى الولايات المتحدة،
an inheritance freedom truly is.
preaching and practicing democracy.
والتبشير وممارسة الديمقراطية.
whether democracy can deliver.
أكثر جرأة،
How can we become worthy of such faith?
كيف يمكن أن نصبح جديرين بهذا الإيمان؟
of moral awakening,
when old certainties collapse.
تنهار المعتقدات القديمة.
is what I call "civic religion."
يوجد ما أسميه الدين المدني.
what civic religion is,
of shared beliefs and collective practices
من المعتقدات المشتركة والممارسات الجماعية
of a self-governing community
يختار أعضاء مجتمع يتمتع بالحكم الذاتي
I'm not referring to papers or passports.
فإنني لا أشير إلى الوثائق أو جوازات السفر.
broader, ethical conception
أكثر عمقًا وأوسع نطاقًا
a member of the body.
وعضوًا في المجموعة.
is not poetic license.
ترخيصًا شعريًا لتشوية الحقائق.
human activities there is.
التي يغذيها الإيمان.
believe democracy works.
أنّ الديمقراطية فعالة.
the outer frame of constitutional rules,
للقواعد الدستورية،
of civic spirit.
sacred deeds and sacred rituals.
وطقوس مقدسة.
"equal protection of the laws"
"الحماية المتساوية بموجب القوانين"
includes abolition, women's suffrage,
مثل إلغاء حق المرأة في التصويت،
that I'll tell you about in a moment.
سأطلعكم عليها فيما بعد.
your own set of creed, deed and ritual.
وأعمالك وطقوسك.
is not about worship of the state
في عبادة الدولة
is not about divinity or the supernatural.
أو الظواهر الخارقة للطبيعة.
a little worried
in the market for a cult,
في سوق لطائفة دينية،
cosmological explanations,
that unite us in transcendent purpose.
في سبيل غرض سامٍ.
because humans make groups.
لأن البشر يكّونون مجموعات.
to activate that groupness for good.
تفعيل ذلك التجمع لأجل الخير.
that yoga is your religion,
or in the absence of gods,
to renounce your beliefs.
عن معتقداتكم.
to show up as a citizen.
civic religion productively.
بطريقة مثمرة.
about that new civic ritual.
عن هذا الطَقس المدني الجديد.
of a faith gathering.
to discuss a common question,
لمناقشة مسألة عامة
and controversies of our time,
or synagogue or mosque.
and contesting those ideals.
من أجل هذه المثل.
to organize rallies, register voters,
وتسجيل الناخبين،
وتكوين صداقات جديدة.
started organizing Civic Saturdays
across the continent.
أنحاء القارة.
sometimes dozens.
وفي أوقات أخرى العشرات.
and community centers
and inside great halls.
وداخل القاعات الكبرى.
about this social technology.
حول هذه التقنية الاجتماعية.
for face-to-face fellowship.
للحصول على صحبة وجهًا لوجه.
واليساريين واليمينين،
والمتدينين وغير المتدينين،
and are invited to discuss a question
ودعيتم لمناقشة سؤال
or to give up for your community?"
أو التخلي عنه من أجل مجتمعكم؟"
gun violence, gentrification,
of newcomers, fake news --
والأخبار المزيفة...
aren't someone else's problem,
of your own habits and omissions.
on the content of our citizenship.
أو أن نكون أكثر من ذلك،
to do more or to be more,
بهذه الدعوة.
how much we crave that invitation.
لقيادة تجمعات السبت المدنية
to lead Civic Saturday gatherings
والكثير من الأعلام الصغيرة.
and lots of little flags.
في مدينة شيكاغو.
neighborhood of Chicago.
أصبح مصورًا ومحافظًا على البيئة
turned photographer and conservationist,
تحت شعار "التربية المدنية المثيرة"
"Civics IS Sexy."
في المدارس الدينية:
even by our seminarians:
to use religious language?
even more dogmatic and self-righteous?"
أكثر عقائدية ونفاقًا؟"
تنبني على الأصولية المتعصبة.
is fanatical fundamentalism.
وخدمة الآخرين
and serve others,
to be a little more like religion,
أن تتشابه مع الدين قليلًا،
of hyperindividualism.
from every screen and surface
أننا أسياد لا ندين لأحد،
we are masters beholden to none,
of consumerism and status anxiety.
كالحرية للجميع.
as freedom for all.
is being bound to others
هو ارتباطنا بالآخرين
نستطيع في أحيائنا وبلداتنا،
in our neighborhoods and towns,
from one another,
عن بعضنا البعض،
actually liberates us.
come with responsibilities.
are responsibilities.
هي المسؤوليات.
why civic religion matters now
possible story of us and them.
as if it were something new,
كما لو أنها أمر جديد،
to define who truly belongs.
that mark some as forever outsiders,
التي تحدد البعض على أنهم غرباء إلى الأبد،
a path to belonging
للمساهمة والمشاركة،
of contribution, participation,
is those who wish to serve,
أولئك الذين يرغبون في الخدمة،
والتعاطف والمناقشة بشكل أفضل
empathize, argue better,
can become one of us,
قد يصبح في أي وقت واحدًا منا،
موهوبين ومرحبًا بهم.
are gifted welcomers.
مرتبطًا بالآخرين.
relatable to others.
أو عامية منطقة الساوث سايد أو الهاوانية.
or South Side or Hawaiian.
civic responsibility.
والمسؤولية المدنية.
that all this civic religion stuff
second-generation Americans like me.
من الأمريكيين المتحمسين مثلي.
في كل مكان،
civic habits of the heart.
لبناء العادات المدنية للقلب.
من أشكال المجتمعات المدنية المحبوبة
civic community are thriving now,
التنظيم المجتمعي الياباني،
في السرد القصصي
rituals of storytelling
and civic traditions of their society,
that Franklin codified
في الفضائل التي دونها فرانكلين
and forgiveness.
inequities of our age.
هي علاج أسوأ من المرض.
is a cure worse than the disease.
لا يستطيع إصلاح المؤسسات الفاسدة،
can't fix corrupt institutions,
without new norms will not last.
دون معايير جديدة.
إذا نظفنا المصب فقط.
if we clean only downstream.
my advice is simple: have some.
نصيحتي بسيطة: تحلّوا ببعضٍ منها.
deed and joyful ritual
and believe it is still possible,
ونعتقد أنها لا تزال ممكنة،
حيث يُنظر إليكم كالبشر تمامًا،
where you are seen as fully human,
in the things that affect you,
على ارتباط لتنالوا الاحترام
to be connected to be respected.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Eric Liu - Civics educatorEric Liu is founder of Citizen University, which teaches the art of powerful citizenship, and the executive director of the Aspen Institute Citizenship & American Identity Program.
Why you should listen
Eric Liu is an author, educator and civic entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Citizen University, which promotes and teaches the art of great citizenship through a portfolio of national programs, and the executive director of the Aspen Institute Citizenship and American Identity Program.
Liu's books include the national bestsellers The Gardens of Democracy, and The True Patriot, co-authored with Nick Hanauer. His most recent book is A Chinaman's Chance, published in July, 2014. His first book, The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker, was a New York Times Notable Book featured in the PBS documentary "Matters of Race." His other books include Guiding Lights: How to Mentor – and Find Life's Purpose, the Official Book of National Mentoring Month; and Imagination First, co-authored with Scott Noppe-Brandon of the Lincoln Center Institute, which explores ways to unlock imagination in education, politics, business and the arts.
Liu served as a White House speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and later as the President's deputy domestic policy adviser. After the White House, he was an executive at the digital media company RealNetworks. In 2002 he was named one of the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders of Tomorrow, and in 2010 he was awarded the Bill Grace Leadership Legacy Award by the Center for Ethical Leadership.
Liu lives in Seattle, where he teaches civic leadership at the University of Washington and hosts Citizen University TV, a television program about civic power. In addition to speaking regularly at venues across the country, he also serves on numerous nonprofit and civic boards. He is the co-founder of the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility. A board member of the Corporation for National and Community Service, he is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School.
Eric Liu | Speaker | TED.com