Our true destiny...is a world built from the bottom up by competent citizens living in solid communities, engaged in and by their places.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of grassroots engagement and the role of citizens in building strong communities.
David W. Orr's quote suggests that our true purpose is to create a society that is shaped by active and competent individuals who are dedicated to their communities. It promotes the idea that positive change and development come from the collective efforts of citizens who are engaged with their surroundings and committed to improving the environment they live in.
In practice
In a speech about local activism, one could cite this quote to inspire community involvement.
The tenets of my cultural teachings are rooted in our commitment to lift up every community member so that no one is left behind. Work and food were shared equally. Through our commitment to community, we care about children, even when they aren't ours, and we want our old folks, and yours, to live their last days in dignity and comfort.
When we accept dismissive judgments of our community we stop having generous hope for it. We cease to be capable of serving its best interests.
A community to be truly community, must have a quality of unselfconsciousness about it.
At a time when everything seems so out of control and the people you've elected are bogus and there's so much random violence and hatred, it fills you with such hope and admiration to even be part for a short time in a community where people have connected to strangers to try to put out a hand.
There is no executive order; there is no law that can require the American people to form a national community. This we must do as individuals and if we do it as individuals, there is no President of the United States who can veto that decision.
My view is that good community management is like having good municipal government: You should be able to have dissenting opinions and so on, freedom of speech, but your grandmother should also be able to walk down the street at night without having to worry about getting mugged.
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