The Importance of Civic Literacy

I believe that Barker's idea of "civic literacy" is incredibly important to understand in the world today. In his article, Barker defines "civic literacy" as "the competence to participate in democratic communities, the ability to think critically and act with deliberation in a pluralistic world, and the empathy to identify sufficiently with others to live with them despite conflicts of interests and differences in character." Every person could benefit from taking the time to understand what Barker is trying to tell us about living in harmony with others. We must learn that it is acceptable for us to have different beliefs and personalities, even if that does mean that we have to work a little harder to understand and tolerate each other. Being able to work together is a skill that is utilized every single day, unless you are a hermit and never leave home. We encounter other people regularly, in fact it is quite difficult to go an entire day without having to interact with another person. We live together, work together, go to school together. What kind of world would we live in if no one ever got along? Differences make the world a more interesting place and gives us the opportunity to never stop learning. Part of our role as citizens of this world is to not only teach the younger generations about true acceptance, but to implement that same idea in our everyday lives. We must make this a conscious effort each and every day to practice what we preach.