Tell me if this sounds familiar:

"I'm barely getting by. It's hard just to pay rent and afford groceries with inflation so high. The job market sucks. Insurance is out of control. My credit cards and student loan debt are piling up. How am I supposed to keep up with everything going on in the world?" Between climate change, the economy, our broken political system, all the polarization.. sometimes it feels hopeless. And you say, "I vote in every election, isn't that enough?"

I'm not sure it's enough.

Life is hard. The weight of the world can feel debilitating. It seems we have so many big problems—how can someone like me help solve them? I'm just an ordinary person. Yet it's also clear that democracy is fragile. That it's not easy. Belligerent rhetoric makes it hard to stay engaged or hopeful. But we must remember: self-governance is not guaranteed. Malicious forces will always seek to seize or remain in power.

Thus, if we want to enjoy and preserve democracy, we must embrace responsibility. And it goes beyond voting.

Volunteering at a voting center in Mountain View during the 2020 election

Traditionally, voting is considered the bare minimum. And it's actually pretty time-consuming. To truly be informed, to vote conscientiously and with conviction, you have to read, research, and learn a lot. Do I know exactly what's in that bill? How much do I really know about this candidate—am I confident their character and record will translate into policy progress? Voting takes time, if done thoroughly.

But there's another responsibility that constitutes the bare minimum. Besides staying informed and voting, it's our responsibility as citizens to proactively improve our community, our country, and the world. Americans enjoy the freedoms and rights afforded to us by the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and hard-fought amendments. In order to maintain these rights and freedoms, and in order to ensure the progress of good, we must do more than simply vote. We must also proactively seek to improve democracy.

This can mean different things to different people. It doesn't have to be extravagant. There are many ways to impact the world that, while requiring effort and agency, do not require a lot of time. These simple, unique things might be called a person's "unique value adds."

Some potential examples:

I recently asked the question, "what if it was as simple as hiking more?" What if that was an effective way of changing the world? If it made us happier? If it made us more connected to the Earth and each other? Could it be that simple?

Or... what if it was as simple as keeping our living spaces tidy? Cleaner environments unclutter our minds, and impacting our emotional state and how we interact with others. Clean = feel good mentally and emotionally = treat others well = better world.

What if it was as simple as being grateful every day? (I've written extensively about gratitude; I believe it's important to actively pursue it each and every day). This is something every person on the planet can do, no matter their circumstances. What if being grateful changed our world

Grateful for a beautiful sunset in Kaanapali, July 2023

I've also wrote about the act of consideration. When we practice consideration, we are empathetic, leading to understanding and connection. Don't we need more of that in the world? What if it was as simple as being considerate?

What if, collectively pursued, these things had a huge impact on our society?

Something to note—there's a difference between simple and easy. Something simple can still be difficult. "Simple" describes the lack of complexity in something, not the effort required. Running a marathon is extremely simple—you run 26.2 miles. Follow the course and run; it's not very complex. But yea, it's really hard. Similarly, forcing yourself to express gratitude can be difficult. It can be hard to make yourself feel something. But it's very simple: force yourself to focus on the good things in your life, and contemplate them. Exert your energy thinking about how fortunate you are, and recognize it could be much worse.

We can find our unique value adds with this easy question, "What if? What if it was that simple?" Asking ourselves this question enables us to do more than simply vote. It empowers us to explore how we can uniquely contribute to the world and make an impact.

Because life is hard. But that doesn't preclude us from doing more. And we can do things we enjoy that make a difference. Just think—what if it was as simple as doing the simple things? What if?