Our Lost Childhood

Democracy Newsletter: July 2024

By Steve Zolno

​Once we were enthusiastic about the possibilities for ourselves and the world. Then “reality” set in — we needed to adjust to the “real” world which demanded we lower our expectations or eliminate them altogether. Our youthful enthusiasm waned or disappeared.
 
Yet still we complained about the state of the world. People were not kind enough. The world was on the wrong track. We saw each other as competitors or enemies and decided we needed to be continually on guard in our everyday functioning.
 
But somewhere inside we still maintained that vision for a better world.
 
I recently met with a group of bright high school students attending a three-week special program based on a grant at my former school, Shimer Great Books School at North Central College. That meeting proved to me that there still is reason to be optimistic about the possibility of moving toward the world in which we want to live.
 
I have long had a vision of writing a book about democracy with young people for other young people. Young people are more likely to listen to each other rather than the staid lessons in history taught them by those who have lost the enthusiasm in their vision and their step.
 
Democracy is not just about how we are governed — or even govern ourselves — but is about a sense of inclusiveness that is not provided by any other political system. It is — when it functions best — about returning us to a world where everyone is valued and we also value ourselves. It includes a strong feeling of belonging to an entity greater than ourselves. It is about returning to a sense of freedom that we believe we once knew.
 
In many parts of our country a cynicism and divisiveness have taken over. In states such as Florida and Texas, curriculums are altered and books are banned to keep children — and adults — from discovering the truth about our history of slavery and discrimination based on one’s race, religion, gender, origin, or sexual preferences, among other areas. Children are taught to judge others and themselves based on their outward characteristics rather than appreciation based on their intrinsic worth. But progress is impossible when we fail to face our history.
 
Young people are pessimistic about themselves and their futures. Many are experiencing despair. Youth suicide rates rose 62% between 2017 and 2021, according to the CDC.
 
The difference between children and adults is that children are eager to learn about others and the world, while adults, for the most part, think they already know what they need to know and thus fail to grow. Yet the gap between what I know and what I have yet to learn — even at my rather advanced age — is vast. When I stop learning I stop growing. Opening ourselves to continual learning is more than just about education. It’s about being and feeling truly alive.
 
If we choose we can replace the cynicism we carry in our minds with an openness to seeing the world anew. We probably can learn to do this best from children, but it ultimately is a decision to acknowledge how little we know and open ourselves to humility. This is what was in clear evidence from the students I interviewed and from whom I already have learned much in a short period of time. This is the principle by which I try to live my life, although I clearly often fall short. Over the next few months I will provide updates for how our project progresses.
 
In the meantime, those upset by the current political climate might ask themselves what they are willing to do beyond complaining. Are you willing to clarify your vision of what democracy looks like and how to move toward that vision? It’s easy to concentrate on what we don’t like, but if we are not clear on what we want to replace it — and unwilling to work toward that — our energy becomes entrapped in a downward spiral.

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Steve Zolno graduated from Shimer College with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and holds a master’s in educational psychology from Sonoma State University. Steve has founded and directed private schools and a health care agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the author of seven books.

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