SALINAS, CA — With the Christmas holiday season rapidly approaching, one gift that all Americans should be grateful for is the opportunity we have year-round to serve others.
Everywhere, we can see good things that can get accomplished by good deeds.
Public service is a noble calling that gives everyday Americans the power to enrich their own lives while also brightening the lives of others.
Of course, the act of serving others requires time and energy. It also requires empathy, compassion, and humility. It can be taxing, frustrating, and even heartwrenching at times.
But for all that public service asks of us, it gives back so much more. It allows us to honor our parents’ legacy, while also setting a positive example for our children.
I also hope that most people think about the concept of public service as broadly as possible. The idea isn’t limited to elective politics. Of course, that’s a worthwhile pursuit.
Yet there is more than one definition of what it means to be a “public servant.” Teachers, nurses, police officers, and firefighters qualify.
This should come as good news to so-called Generation Z. The Partnership for Public Service recently published a study that found trust in the federal government to be at a near-record low. Only about 30% of young adults, 18 34, trust the federal government to improve people’s lives. When asked what words best describe the government, young adults responded with negative terms like “slow, incompetent, corrupt, disorganized [and] self-interested.”
At the same time, double that figure — about 60% of young adults — view a career in public service (in or out of government) as a good way to make a positive impact on their communities.
So there is still hope. It’s the responsibility of older generations to nurture that instinct, water it, and watch it grow.
Maximiliano Cuevas, MD is the CEO of Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas, a collective of non-profit community health care centers that serve patients in Monterey County.