Here’s to a stronger sense of community in 2025
President Jimmy Carter greets residents in the South Bronx, Oct. 5, 1977. U.S. National Archives photo
In listening to the tributes regarding the death of President Jimmy Carter, a phrase from his inauguration speech struck a chord: “…. individual sacrifice for the common good.”
Having spent nearly all my career working in community journalism, I’ve been fortunate enough to have some part in producing hundreds of feature stories and profiles about people who embody that spirit of public service that Carter and his wife, Rosalyn, displayed for more than 40 years after he left the White House in 1980.
And, of course, there are also the thousands of untold stories of people who do volunteer and public service work who are never profiled, who never receive recognition for their service and who don’t want it. They just do it. The retired baker and retired surgeon who work together to cook meals at the homeless shelter, the stay-at-home mom who volunteers her time at thrift stores that support those in need, the octogenarian who volunteers for a program that helps at-risk kids improve their reading skills, the entrepreneur who serves on the board of the organization that helps abused children. These are real people doing boots-on-the-ground service for the “common good,” sacrificing to make our communities a better place to live.
It's interesting to note how working for the common good scales. The individuals doing work like I mentioned in the last paragraph aren’t billionaires, but they are helping individuals. Then you have people like Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, who is worth $10 billion and has promised to give all her money away to combat climate change and help children and families. She is the pipeline that allows many nonprofits to survive and make use of individuals who volunteer their time.
In so many of the stories we’ve published about people who sacrifice for the common good, there’s a recurring theme: community, being a part of something bigger than themselves and trying to make that community better, stronger, more humane. However, recent studies say that the sense of community and engagement in civic life that has defined America is in decline.
A National Review article last year looked at a study by researchers who had produced what they called the Belonging Barometer, which they say is a “new empirical tool used to quantify levels of belonging in a society.” It was produced by the American Immigration Council and Over Zero, and concluded that the majority of Americans feel a lack of belonging to their “family, friends, workplace and local and national communities.”
Related Items
2024 A Look Back: Continuous groan award
2024 A Look Back: Least influential YouTube influencer award
2024 A Look Back: Trailblazer award
2024 A Look Back: Hometown hero award
Here’s an extended excerpt from the article:
“Their findings, though, were quite disturbing…. a majority of Americans report non-belonging in the workplace (64%), the nation (68%), and their local community (74%).
“The fact that a whopping three out of four Americans feel as though they don’t belong in their local community is perhaps the most disturbing part of this report. This is indicative of a decline in ‘third places’ — community hubs outside of your family and workplace. Church groups, book clubs, improv classes, and even coffee shops are all examples of third places.”
That report’s findings are something I’ve witnessed over my career. Fewer people are finding value in civic groups and community organizations. There’s a lot of disillusionment about the future. Church membership has been declining for decades.
I’ve been involved in the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce for a couple of decades as a board chair, board member and volunteer at many events. I’m often asked what I get out of that volunteering and how it helps my business or my own well-being. The truth is that there isn’t a tangible, measurable benefit to that volunteering. What I do know is that a thriving and vibrant business community is good for my business and good for the community at large, which means it makes this place I call home a better place to live.
And I’ve made some great friends, so my social circle has expanded because of the time I’ve put into this organization. But if that benefit is not measurable, many won’t participate.
My career in the media reflects this phenomenon. Small, local newspapers are suffering from this disengagement in the civic life of communities. If fewer people are participating, or if they feel their participation in local government or local organizations won’t matter, then the news we report on isn’t important to them.
This country does not work if citizens aren’t engaged locally in their communities, which are the foundation of civic life. If we bypass the small organizations and focus our attention on just national news and national leaders and national issues, the foundation crumbles. The reaction to Hurricane Helene left me optimistic about the Western North Carolina sense of community. I don’t want to think it takes a natural disaster to remind us of this, but that’s certainly what I witnessed in the storm’s aftermath.
Which brings me back to President Carter: “…. individual sacrifice for the common good.” In the coming year, perhaps that mantra can guide me and others to do more, to give our time and resources at the local level, put some boots on the ground, be engaged, and make the place we call home a better place to live.
Happy 2025, and godspeed President Carter.
(Scott McLeod can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)
