by Shanna Ratner

I am writing this, because as important as it is to oppose the desecration of our democracy currently underway, it is equally important to imagine the world we want. 

It is always easier to react than to create, to object than to propose. Yet, perhaps the most important tool we have to prevent the normalization of anti-democratic leadership in America is to speak loudly, clearly and often about the country we want to live in and pass to future generations. 

We cannot go back: there is no going back. Something fundamental has to shift. There is a reason we find ourselves here; what we had wasn’t working. We cannot go forward with ever increasing wealth disparities; we cannot go forward with continued exploitation of people, places, and resources to generate profits for billionaires.

There remains a very large reservoir of decency, compassion and empathy in America and an appetite for fairness and real solutions. It is up to us to imagine and voice what it is that we want that to look and feel, smell and taste like so that we can move forward together to build it ourselves. That is the reason I’ve written this piece. It is a fact that there are more of us than there are of the ultra-wealthy. A lot more. And collectively we have the power to reallocate our resources (and theirs) toward the world we want.

I encourage you to write your own goals for our country and then share them with your friends, family, relations, and wherever else you can. This is how we will find our collective voice for a better future. So, here goes….

I want to live in an America where the norm is that all people matter; all lives have value and we treat one another accordingly and with respect. Instead of living in fear and division, we live in communities where we support one another by reaching outside our natural comfort zones to connect with those who are different from us (which, when you think about it, is everyone more or less) and find common ground we can build on together, with everyone able and welcome to contribute what they can as we solve our common problems together for the greater good.

I want to live in a country where most of the time most people are healthy, well-nourished, relaxed and able to be their best selves, rather than a country where most people are exhausted and frightened knowing that they are one medical emergency or employment crisis away from being homeless or in catastrophic debt. I want to live in a country where it is the norm to be curious, not fearful, of others. I want to live in a country where everyone who wants one has a roof over their heads, food to eat, clean clothes to wear, and a way to give back.

I want to live in a country with respect for the law, where everyone can expect blind justice without favoritism and no one has the power to reverse legal decisions without due process and without new evidence. I want to live in a country where preventing crime and the desperation that leads to it is a priority and where punishment for anti-social behavior is proportionate, even-handed and restorative wherever it can be. I want no one to be above the law and no one to be able to buy their way out of paying for their crimes.

I want to live in a country where children and adults have hope and agency in crafting a fulfilling future for themselves. I want to live in a country where people have the opportunity to grow into emotional maturity and are not stressed into relying on substance abuse, spouse abuse, addictions and other forms of abuse to manage their own stress. I want to live in a country where everyone knows and experiences that there is enough to go around.

I want to live in a country brimming with creativity and inventiveness and committed to the generation of new knowledge through scientific research and new ways of doing things and ways of expressing the fullness, wonder and challenges of life. I want to live in a country that fosters the creative capacity of every person. They do this in Iceland by ensuring that every child finds and is helped to develop a healthy creative outlet in the arts. If you ask an Icelander what they do, they will say something like, “I am a dancer and a banker” or “I am a pianist and a farmer.”

I want to live in a country with a healthy environment where I and everyone else can drink, breathe and recreate without fear of contamination. I want there to be wilderness to share as well as abundant food produced in ways that enrich the soil and forests that sustainably produce products and are stewarded to enhance their health and the safety of us all.

I want to live in a country that promotes peace, and openly offers support to those less fortunate around the world because it enriches us and contributes the benefits of shared prosperity, among which are peace, global health, and global environmental protection. I want to live in a country that values compassion and empathy.

I want to live in a country with a new form of capitalism that values investment over consumption and true long- term resilience for all over exploitation. I want to live in country that invests in all forms of wealth including physical and mental health, education, skill building, the environment, science and knowledge creation, culture, relationships, networking across what may be currently considered “divides”, and public infrastructure, and where decisions about how we allocate our financial resources are made to benefit the entire society while reducing wealth disparity.

I want to live in a country with a knowledgeable and engaged population that values democracy and freedom from oligarchy, and shows it by voting, volunteering, and otherwise contributing as they can to a better world for all. I want to live in a country where there are no professional politicians but rather smart and caring individuals who choose to devote a portion of their lives to advancing the public good, not their own political careers. I want to live in a country that rewards engagement in civic life with respect for those who compromise in crafting practical solutions to widely shared problems.

I could go on, but that’s enough. Now it’s your turn.

The author is a Vermonter active with Braver Angels. Other Vermonters are invited to submit their own op-eds discussing ‘The Country I Want.’