10/23/2026
It is perfectly okay that your town suffers from apathy, most do. It is completely normal to believe your place can and should be better, it should. It is the most rational response to feel run down by your run down surroundings, this is how people work. I don’t say this to encourage you to accept current conditions, but to accept that they need to change.
Healthy people are honest about their shortcomings. They understand there is always room for improvement and that getting better is a lifelong pursuit. Being proud doesn't mean thinking you've arrived. It means understanding where you are and committing to the work of getting somewhere better.
Our towns are no different.
We can’t improve until we accept that things are not as they should be. If we aren’t honest about where we are, we deny ourselves the opportunity to reach new places. We have to get a little bit comfortable with being uncomfortable.
So ask yourself a couple of questions that might not feel good to ask.
Does your town hold high standards or make excuses for low ones?
Do residents talk proudly about where they live or do they apologize for it?
Does the built environment make people feel good or does it make them feel ashamed?
These are not rhetorical questions. They are diagnostic ones. And asking them honestly is the first act of civic health.
I built a free civic health assessment to help community leaders get an honest picture of where their town actually stands. Not where they hope it is. Not where it used to be. Where it is right now.
It takes a few minutes. It will probably make you uncomfortable. That is the point. Link in comments.
