Last week I voted in my community’s municipal elections, something I highly encourage. My country’s new president has sparked hope for political reform, but the people benefitting the most from Obama’s leadership will be those who have direct and accountable relationships with local elected officials. Building those accountable relationships will require us to vote and mobilize our neighbors, friends, and family to do the same. So do it. It’s not just about being , “a good citizen,” as nice as that is. It’s about advancing our self-interest.
I take pride in 2 acts fo good citizenship from election day. Getting to the polls on time was one of them. Number two is that I rode my bicycle to the edge of town in order to talk to Robert Pierce, long time Madison resident, coordinator of the South Madison Farmer’s Market and member of Growing Power. I arrived just as he was ploughing his field. Robert P. is a serious vegetable grower. Serious vegetable grower’s tend to be busy people. Lucky for me, he was gracious enough to chat with me about soil.
Soil literacy is another part of good citizenship. Vandana Shiva convinced me of this. In her best selling writings she coined the term Earth Democracy. In my country we are used to restricting our political thought to electoral democracy, a dry world of polling stations, voter rolls and debates on the Senate floor. The demands of the future will require us to get beyond that world and into the realm of Earth Democracy, an exciting world of dirt, microorganisms, organic fertilizers, top soil and the incredible food those resources produce.
On election day I participated in both forms of democracy. I’m happy to say that the woman I voted for won. Kathleen Falk will continue to be my county’s Executive. She has a strong record of wetland conservation and restoration, so from that perspective I believe my ideals will benefit from her continued public service. At the same time, ideals, good citizenship, and the needs of democracy in all its forms demand that we take the initiative for community improvement, rather than letting politicians do it for us. So for that reason, I am also very grateful for my conversation with Robert Pierce. We discussed some plans to build soil this summer. The vision is manifesting as I write this. Earth Democracy is being served. Praise Be.
