Community Involvement in Chapter 3 of Soul of a Citizen, a Book by Paul Loeb

Many different thing hold us back throughout life. Barriers such as time and commitments can keep us from participating in many different events. Loeb’s third chapter of Soul of a Citizen takes a deeper look into what really holds the average person back from engaging in the community. This chapter also focuses in how different people contain different backgrounds and abilities, that when put together, can accomplish great things. Loeb states that “If we speak to people’s passions they will be more likely to get involved in social issues.” (73). This is one of the biggest ways for people to be able to get over some barriers. I for one would be much more willing to participate in the community if it involved something that I was interested or passionate in. If one does not have an interest or passion in a community project or function, there will be no ambition or drive to achieve any goal. All barriers can be brought down regarding community service and involvement; Time commitments can be shortened, personal interests can be appealed to, and average schedules can be tweaked to allow for more thought and devotion towards a community project. Reducing barriers is one of the greatest ways to begin to get people involved in the community and with other social issues.

The second area focused on by Loeb, is that every person can bring an ability or trait to an organization. Another major area focused on by Loeb is not what talents or abilities a person has, but what type of background and perspectives a person can bring to a group. Loeb explains that “Family experience, of course, is only one of the many influences on character development.” (72) or in other words, people are much more than just where they come from. This diversity can bring many different views and outlooks on a certain situation or problem faced by a social group. People's backgrounds can also give them different traits that can be used in conjunction with others to create a group that can make something extraordinary happen. The best part about community involvement is that no matter your talent or skill, they can all be put together to accomplish a greater goal.

The final point Loeb tries to make to the reader is that sometimes the best area to be is just outside of the comfort zone. Loeb describes outside of a comfort zone as “that pace at which we could run forever but would never win a race” (66). No one ever really wants to leave their comfort zone, but when you do great things can happen. Sometimes just getting involved in the community can be leaving a comfort zone for most people. Its this small risk that can lead to many great successes.

Chapter 3 of Soul of a citizen was able to help me identify barriers that hold people back from community engagement. This chapter also allows me to see that each person posses certain traits that can be contributed to both social and economic groups. I was also encouraged to begin to go outside of my comfort zone in not only the community but in every thing that I do. Overall, Loeb packs chapter three of Soul of a Citizen full of knowledge on how barriers can be overcome and traits can be used to help achieve a community or social goal.