Background

Q. What inspired you to write Authentic Patriotism?

A. I was traveling the country talking about my book Last Rights, and I kept meeting unusual hospice volunteers. They help take care of people who are dying. You might think these volunteers would be depressed by their work, but instead they were energized by it. They were happy, in the fullest sense. They said volunteering gave their life greater meaning and sense of purpose.

At the same time, I was reading many books about the dire condition of our nation. These studies, which were often based in fact but colored by one political stance or another, created a feeling almost the opposite of the hospice volunteers. Every problem was someone else’s fault, and someone else’s job to solve. Also these books were long on criticism and short on offering solutions an ordinary person could pursue.

I wanted to write a book about both of these phenomena, separately, but a friend suggested I combine them – as well as a biography I wanted to write about a charismatic man I’d met who founded several successful non-profit organizations. With that three-part plan, work on this book began.

Q. In Authentic Patriotism you argue that America is in danger. In what ways?

A. Part One contains a brief catalogue of the ways in which the United States has lost global pre-eminence in the last 30 years or so. When you look at the world’s developed nations, this country now ranks worst in many troubling ways: number of people without health insurance, number of people in jail, rates of divorce, bankruptcy and suicide, amount of trash produced per capita, consumption of pornography, polarization of wealth, number of homeless children, percent of the population in poverty, contribution to climate change, on and on.

The biggest danger the nation faces, though — bigger than any of the ones listed above — is the disengagement and disconnection of her people. Americans are devoting less energy and effort to common purpose and community well-being, which makes every one of our problems harder to solve. A democracy without an engaged public is like a monarchy without a king.

Q. What did you discover during the research for Authentic Patriotism that you had not expected?

A. Frankly I had not known the United States was in such rough shape. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan mean there are fewer resources available to tackle domestic problems. I knew that already. And the weak economy, with 10% unemployment, was no secret either.

But I did not realize how deeply the federal government was in debt, which thwarts any major new ambitions because we cannot afford the obligations already in place. I did not know how indifferent American capitalism has become to domestic concerns, as global markets for labor and credit reduce the benefits most people receive from economic growth.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that I was also surprised to find so many people creating projects to step in where government and the free market were feckless. There are now nearly 1.6 million non-profits in the United States. I was delighted to find the level of inventiveness, self-sacrifice, creativity and generosity that exists in communities all over America. People are responding to public needs more strongly than they have in generations – perhaps not since World War II.

I did not expect to find myself so inspired by these people, to be moved by seeing their accomplishments, and to find hope in America’s future rekindled by the lessons they teach about how we can all take part.

Q. How did you find the people you write about in Authentic Patriotism?

A. People who make a difference large enough to heal a nation are typically too busy to blow their own horns. Fortunately, others are willing to make noise on their behalf. I looked at people or organizations that had won major recognition – grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation or the Ford Foundation, for example, or awards like the MacArthur “genius” grants. If I found one authentic patriot, I asked who else they knew of a similar disposition.

The real problem was an embarrassment of riches: America possesses far more authentic patriots that I had room to write about. I had to choose. The book has only a few sentences about Eloise Cobell, for example, but her achievements on behalf of Native Americans deserve a book all their own. There were so many inspirational people, that charismatic man I’d initially intended to write about doesn’t appear in the finished book at all.

My focus became those people whose work made economic as well as humanitarian sense. Also their projects could be replicated in other communities. Above all, their personal experience would make an interesting and instructive story.

Q. Are your personal politics a factor in what you write?

A. I hope not. I do have political views but I tried my best to keep them out of this book. Clear thinking today can too easily become clouded by political agendas.

Authentic Patriotism gives liberals and conservatives equal credit for their contribution to American discourse. It also holds them equally to blame for the polarized and ineffective condition of political life in the United States. I’m reminded of the line in William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet: “A plague on both your houses.”

The problems America faces are not going to be solved by either political party, nor are they exclusively the fault of any political party. In a democracy, politics are merely the manifestation of the people’s will; if Congress is weak, it is because the public’s leadership of politicians has been insufficient.

The root problem is the disengagement of ordinary Americans from the task of maintaining the nation’s vitality and quality of life. Political parties, in my view, are only of value to the extent that they engage people constructively in that task. I am more interested in a busy soccer mom who volunteers in a local adult literacy program than I am in the congressional representative for her district. We already have enough people in Congress; we do not have enough people working in adult literacy – or in many other areas where a volunteer can make a huge difference.

Q. What is the B1 Campaign about?

A. The closing argument of this book is that people should not simply read about authentic patriots, nor merely admire them. Each reader – every American over the age of 10, in fact – should be one. That’s where the B1 comes from.

The campaign is a grassroots effort to enable every able American to contribute three hours a week to some project or local need that has no benefit to them whatsoever. If everyone over the age of 10 did this, it would have the equivalent impact of creating 16 million jobs. It would solve all manner of problems. Most importantly, it would enrich the lives of those people who get involved, because serving the public good and working in common purpose are affirming and fulfilling acts.

The B1 Campaign, which is growing rapidly, aims to provide a national clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities – projects close to you, your work and your home, where you can express your authentic patriotism.

Q. Where do I sign up?

A. Click here to go to the B1 campaign site. There are 72,000 projects listed there; one is bound to be up your alley.

And if you have a non-profit you think belongs on the list, please email me.

Q. How does the idea of people engaging in rebuilding the country fit in American history?

A. Individual engagement is a fundamental belief from the nation’s founding.

The Revolutionary War was only partly meant to thrown off the yoke of British rule. It was also intended to express a new idea about what a person is: the equal of every other person, endowed with inalienable rights, and so on. The nation’s Founders debated at length about how this idea might shape the government they created. They envisioned a nation that would thrive because of the constant vigilance and involvement of multitudes. They began the Constitution with the words “We the People.” They placed on currency the phrase “e pluribus unum” – from many, one.

These notions are what created America. They are also what will renew America.

Q. Are you optimistic about the nation’s future?

A. It depends. If people remain disengaged, the United States will continue to exist but its time of global leadership will end. If American citizens continue to believe that sustaining the nation’s well-being is someone else’s job, I expect the declines now underway will accelerate. Prosperity for a few will leave more people behind. Other nations will determine the destiny of the United States. Our levels of social need, military vulnerability, government debt and internal conflict will rise.

If the public becomes involved, however, if people decide that building a stronger America is everyone’s job and everyone’s business, the problems we face can surely be overcome. I believe now is a critical time, a point for each citizen to decide what sort of country he or she wants to live in. The task cannot be assigned to later generations; the answer will be written by what we do today.

I remain optimistic for several reasons: First, Americans are pragmatic; they know it’s better to solve problems before they get worse. Second, Americans are idealistic; they believe in the idea of a successful democracy and a healthy society. Lastly, Americans are energetic; from the pioneers who settled the West to the adventurers who walked on the moon, Americans have an unstoppable can-do mentality, a roll-up-the-sleeves approach to life that contains vigor, charisma and faith in the potential to create a better world and a brighter day.