The three essential ingredients for active citizenship | Eric Liu | TEDxChristchurch

Eric Liu talks about active citizenship at a 2015 TEDx event in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Eric Liu defines power as, "the ability to make others do as you would have them do" - and says we need to understand it, even if it makes it uncomfortable. Imagination, on the other hand, is, "the ability to see things as they are not," another critical element of co-creating the kind of society we want to live in. But power + imagination can be dangerous without the third essential ingredient for pro-social citizenship: character.
Eric Liu is the founder of Citizen University, directs the Aspen Institute’s Citizenship & American Identity Program, and was recently appointed by President Obama to the Board of the Corporation for National and Community Service. His books include the national bestsellers The Gardens of Democracy and The True Patriot, both co-authored with Nick Hanauer. He also served as a White House speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and later as the President's deputy domestic policy adviser.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx