Localism

Last updated on: December 17, 2020 at 12:43 pm by William Droel

Localism 2020-12-17T12:43:00-06:00 William Droel

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Small is beautiful. No bigger than necessary. Act local; think global.

Deborah Fallows and James Fallows (he, a longtime national correspondent for Atlantic magazine) were traveling these recent years. Not by car or train; their transportation mode was a single-engine airplane. They spent two weeks in each of 25 towns and a shorter time in 25 more. Many places are “doing better in most ways than most Americans realize,” they write in Our Towns (Pantheon Books, 2018). A popular tendency, especially since November 2015, is to view our society’s problems as symptoms of a big disaster. Consequently, social commentators neglect or “dismiss local success.”

The success stories, as the Fallows detail, occur when local government entities take cues from and then cooperate with voluntary associations and with small to medium-sized businesses. Public schools including community colleges and libraries are government funded in whole or part, but they act like a voluntary group at times. These too are important parts of genuinely successful public-private projects. Using statistics and first-hand analysis, the Fallows give numerous examples of “little pockets of prosperity.” The blows from de-industrialization and from our country’s widening inequality do not totally destroy many smaller towns. Although they are “works in progress,” these places show visible and verifiable economic, cultural and social improvement.

While cable TV reporters and newspaper columnists are obsessed with national divisions, interesting improvements occur at the local level, writes Gerald Smith in Wall St. Journal (12/12/20). He provides several examples in which a mayor, a homemaker, a small business owner, a civic club and more take the initiative to address race relations, wage inequality, affordable housing, climate deterioration, employment opportunity and education shortfalls. Each effort seems to inspire more improvement in the locale. Such local effort, says Smith, is embraced on right and left. Genuine leaders want practical solutions to manageable problems. They might argue about the details but they are willing to compromise for the sake of the community.

Smith and others who track local stories are quick to say that the federal government and big business have appropriate roles. An anti-Covid vaccine, for example, cannot be developed and distributed without federal funds and logistics, without a full-court press from major airlines and national trucking companies and from the largest drug store chains, like Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid (some stores owned by Walgreen’s). At the same time, Covid will not be defeated without local leadership from clinics, community organizations, neighborhood pharmacists, mayors, pastors, nursing homes and many more.

Catholicism has a social doctrine about localism. The word for it, subsidiarity, is not found in most English dictionaries. It comes from a Latin word meaning to help or aid. The doctrine is based on a devotion to science (physical and social science) and reason, on 2,000+ years of experience and on dogma which includes revelation of Scripture. Subsidiarity says that decisions should be made as close as possible to those affected by the decision. The phrase “as close as possible” is an important qualifier. Some neoconservatives erroneously claim that subsidiarity means a government that governs least governs best.

The beneficial outcome of this principle is a celebration of mediating institutions—groups that are halfway between a ragged individual and big entities of government and business. These intermediate groups include extended family, union local, parish, ethnic club, soccer league, regional chamber of commerce, professional association, community organization and more. The practice of subsidiarity rebuffs extreme individualism. It forces individualists to exercise responsible freedom, what Pope Francis calls social friendship. It also gives a person tools to collectively negotiate with bureaucracies.

Small groups are not uniformly good. Parochialism can deteriorate into prejudice, conspiracy theories and even violence. This negative aspect can be tempered when one person belongs to several groups. She or he agitates within one group for consideration of the issues of another group. In theory, as James Madison (1751-1836) thought, a large multiplicity of groups (factions, he called them) prevents tyranny. Subsidiarity is effective when people join and participate reflectively in groups and as those groups and new ones continually rededicate themselves to their original good purpose.

Droel edits INITIATIVES (PO Box 291102, Chicago, IL 60629), a print newsletter on faith and work.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 8, 2020

Advent Surprise

Next Post

December 29, 2020 From Mobilizing to Governing

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 June 2021 May 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: According to Hebrews, faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE