The tradition of making resolutions for a bright new year goes all the way back to the Babylonians, but the most common goals hardly ever change. You know the ones: lose weight and get fit, save more money, have a more exciting love life, etc.

Of course, by the time February 1 rolls around, those gym memberships are no longer used, your bank account isn’t looking any happier, and the closest you’ve come to meeting potential new love interests is binge-watching the last season of “Downton Abbey.”

So, how about this year, you make some resolutions that are not only easy to keep, but benefit humanity?

1. Become more politically involved.

In 2015, millennials became the largest living generation in the U.S., surpassing the number of baby boomers. That means adults ages 18-34 make up the majority of voters for the 2016 election.

In other words, our votes DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

But it goes beyond voting. Becoming more involved in your local political scene is one of the best ways to start utilizing your right as an American citizen to influence the policy of this country.

You don’t have to go so far as door-knocking for your favorite candidates, but at least research the elections that are happening in your district, city, county and state. Vote not only in the general election, but in your state’s primary or caucus. Know who your representatives, senators and councilmen are, and what they stand for.

Finally, pinpoint the issues you most care about, and start supporting the candidates who represent your opinions.

2. Treat everyone equally, and demand equal treatment for yourself

If you’ve read my blogs before you know that treating everyone equally, regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation, is the main definition of feminism. So, yeah, this year, resolve to embrace the title “feminist” and all that goes with it. This means no longer subscribing to gender roles dictated by society, and pointing out those antiquated gender roles when you see them in action. It means accepting everyone for their life choices, whether that means they run with a different political party, practice a different religion or come from a different country. And it means going into every conversation and debate with an open mind.

Of course, being a feminist also means you must stand up for yourself when others discriminate against you. That co-worker who is always making sexist comments? Call them out. Feel you deserved a raise but didn’t receive it? Talk to your boss. If you feel the inclination, join a rally for gender equality. Do something as small or as big as you want, and encourage others to do the same.

3. Be more charitable

No, this doesn’t necessarily suggest you need to be dumping ice-cold buckets of water on your head. Instead, donate your time to an organization you care about. Donate blood at a blood drive. If you’re affluent enough, become a monthly donor to a charity.

Basically, ask yourself what causes are important to you, and start helping those causes.

In the end, make some resolutions to make the world a better place. Here’s to you and a fabulous 2016.

Morgan McMurray

Morgan McMurray is an editor and gender equality blogger based in Seattle, Washington. A 2013 graduate of Iowa State University, she has a Bachelor of Arts in English, Journalism, and International Studies. She spends her free time writing, reading, teaching dance classes, and binge-watching Netflix. Contact Morgan at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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A recent report by the Chronicle of Philanthropy shows how the recession changed Americans’ charitable habits. “The wealthiest Americans — those who earned $200,000 or more — reduced the share of income they gave to charity by 4.6 percent from 2006 to 2012. Meanwhile, Americans who earned less than $100,000 chipped in 4.5 percent more of their income during the same time period.” The Washington Post took the report a bit further; in an op-ed Philip Bump notes that “Of the states that gave the most to charity in 2012, the top 17 all voted for Mitt Romney that year. The bottom seven states in giving all voted for Obama.” He points to a political split in charity, but also suggests that there is a tendency for religious people to give more. Bump refers back to another Chronicle report claiming that “The more important religion is to a person, the more likely that person is to give to a charity of any kind.”

The wealth and religiosity of people appear to heavily influence the size of their charitable giving. On the other hand, it seems like the correlation of “red states” and increased charitable donations is just that — a correlation. Because these states suffered more of the brunt of the recession, their increases in poverty were often higher than the national average. While there is a notable relationship between a state’s conservatism and its poverty level, this does not mean a state’s tendency to vote Republican is the direct cause of charitable giving increases. At the same time, the more conservative states are also more religious. This nexus of low-income and high-religiosity may be the most direct cause of increasing charitable donations. As lower-income people of faith experienced the turmoil of the recession, they were compelled to donate.

When examining religion as a social institution, this isn’t too surprising. When one social institution falters — the economic system, for example — people will often rely more heavily on another institution — say, religion. Thankfully, a lot of American religious institutions encourage charity. It seems like many Americans who were badly affected by the financial crisis deepened their religious commitments and, despite having less to give, gave more. While religion has individualistic significance, its community focus is illustrated nicely, here.

There are a number of reasons why religion encourages charity, but what is it about religion that delivers such results? What makes religion such a compelling force? Christianity’s appeals to community-mindedness certainly compelled U.S. Army veteran Jordan Matson to join Kurdish forces in fighting the Islamic State. USA Today reports that Matson left Wisconsin to get to the battleground where ISIS is gaining territory: “I couldn’t just sit and watch Christians being slaughtered anymore.” At 28 years old, Matson voluntarily flew to Syria to combat militant Islamic extremists. While religion is compelling ISIS to commit sick acts of terror, religion compelled Matson to stop it.

Faith asks people to suspend skepticism. For better or for worse, in this way faith makes it much easier to compel people to act. Proof isn’t required incite action, and fact isn’t necessary to mobilize the masses. When charity-based components of religion are brought into the fold by something like an economic crisis, the more devout may feel more compelled than others to give. This is, of course, only one component of the many religious matrices out there.

Philanthropic tendencies in America are, in part, driven by religiosity. We can’t afford to ignore this; policy should be developed that encourages philanthropy and religiously influenced charity. This power was touched on by President George Bush Sr. in one of America’s weirder inaugural addresses: “We can find meaning and reward by serving some purpose higher than ourselves — a shining purpose, the illumination of a thousand points of light.” He asked Americans to volunteer and donate — an undoubtedly good appeal. But what we must create now is an agenda that harnesses the motivation behind the “thousand points of light” and capitalizes on the compelling nature of religion. Especially now that the rich are giving less and the poor are giving more, America could benefit from compelling our wealthiest to lend a helping hand more often.

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 Jake Ephros (@JakeEphros) is a native of Montclair, New Jersey where he volunteered for political campaigns from a young age. He studies Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy at American University and looks forward to a career built around political activism, through journalism, organizing, or the government.

Featured image courtesy of [James Cohen via Flickr]

Jake Ephros

Jake Ephros is a native of Montclair, New Jersey where he volunteered for political campaigns from a young age. He studies Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy at American University and looks forward to a career built around political activism, through journalism, organizing, or the government. Contact Jake at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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