Perhaps it is the lack of objectivity that inextricably accompanies personal experience, but based on the notion that perception is reality, this is the reality that I perceive challenges my generation, Generation Y.
Inactivity, inappropriate personal affairs, unsustainable fiscal mismanagement and corruption. No longer are any of these startling as headlines describing the activities of our world’s political leaders. Nor are personal attacks, nor are blatant lies.
In the post-Watergate world, scandals seem the norm, and the public is more and more disillusioned and less and less scandalized. We now assume that it is only a matter of time before the next dishonorable act is revealed.
For any who know me, however, to complain is never sufficient. Action must ensue, and it is this that I demand from my generation (myself very much included). As the generation of innovation and innovators (in the technology sector and beyond), we must apply to the public sector the same core principles that are incarnated in the magnum opuses of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerburg, to name a few.
In his new book and description thereof, award winning journalist Thomas Friedman conceptualizes the current world order as one in which you don’t go out and find a job, but rather create a job. A college graduate today must prove that he or she is able to do an old task in a new and better way or an altogether new and better task. Therefore, creativity, innovation, efficacy and efficiency reign supreme.
So, I wonder, why should the public sector be excluded from this wave of scrutiny and consequent improvement? The answer is easy; it shouldn’t.
Today’s youth, also known as tomorrow’s leaders, are charged with this task.
The first step: some basic, age-old questions.
What is the role of government? How can it best serve our society’s needs? What is the role of political parties? Do our political parties benefit the public more so than hinder political dialogue? What are the values that government should uphold?
In particular, given changing governing principles, the valorization of human rights and national security can be challenging when the two come in conflict. Here, again, we, as a generation, have to prioritize.
And of course, the element that is unique to our world, the international system. It is comprised of financial, economic, governmental, technological, legal and social elements, each posing a unique set of complex questions. To list a few: historically considered anarchic due to the principle of state sovereignty, what will the role of international governance be? How do human rights influence this system? Should there be regulation on an international level in any of these areas? How will it be enforced? Does the current system reflect the current world order?
I do not believe that these are questions that can be answered finitely or objectively. I do believe that these are questions that should be pondered and re-assessed frequently and with due attention.
Aristotle stressed the need for leisure in order to contemplate these supremely important issues. In a very fast-paced world, this ought to be a well-heeded reminder. We must take seriously our duty to define what the innovative good society looks like for our local, national and global communities.
In creating our future and redefining our government, let us keep in mind the past and the present: from the past, the legacy of all before us who have contemplated these same questions (both successfully and less so), and from the present, the examples of creativity, innovation, efficacy and efficiency that have altered our world.
Adriana Martinez is a senior majoring in political science, history, French, and public policy. She can be reached for comment at [email protected]