Shawnee Love   •   April 6, 2020

One positive thing that has come from this COVID crisis is the resurrection of Civic Duty.

I mean honestly, did you even know you had a civic duty?

I know my grandparents knew. They served their countries in wars and their communities with participation in service organizations.  My parents know too, because civic duty was taught and talked about around the dinner table.

But for the generations following the Boomers, are you confident you know what your Civic Duty is?

I mean we know we have the right to vote but marketing messages around voting are more about taking your opportunity to have your voice heard rather than a civic duty. Consider:

• Jury duty… something to be avoided where possible among many. Who has the time?
• Helping others through volunteerism… often seen as a resume padding tool or a way to grow their career.
• Follow the rules…. as long as someone could be looking.

We have come to equate duty with chores, rather than a way to foster a meaningful life and contribute to the greater good.

And that is the issue.  Somewhere in recent history, the rights and goals and desires of the individual surpassed the rights of society.

From anti-vaxxers to violent offenders, their individual rights have come to be more important than the safety of the community around them.

Media and marketing have transformed civic duties by focusing on what is in it for the individual.  It’s a change grounded in the self-serving theory of motivation that most people are more likely to act in ways that serve themselves.

But along comes this corona virus and reminds us that it isn’t all about the individual. We have a civic duty. A responsibility to others.  Our family, friends, neighbours and even people we don’t know.  To protect others.  To take only what we need. To share and help. To give.

It takes a healthy functioning society to be good for individuals. I hope this lesson outlives this bloody virus. If you want to know more about our Civic Duties in Canada, you can find them here.