A committee begins functioning on behalf of that need. All of this is done by private citizens on their own initiative. It is this spirit of citizens conferring with citizens that is missing today. This brand of direct democracy was built on the notion of the Greek polis, where the citizens first priority was to participate in public life. While these early models excluded many individuals and lacked the balance between individual rights, they are helpful metaphorically, because citizenship today, despite the context of a highly technological, bureaucratic world, requires that individuals be knowledgeable of the public problems but, more important, have the capacity to act together toward their solutions.
Modern citizenship requires participation in the public life almost by default.
Our lives, no matter how individualistic, are affected by public decisions every day. The concept that individuals who are productive in society have an integrated private and public life is the foundation for building a new cadre of citizens. The kind of public life we have depends on the kind of people we are. Tocqueville's account of his visit to America examined the American character today, which he called at times habits of the heart. A democratic citizenry, required by Thomas Jefferson, should be well educated and informed on the issues of the day, with the necessary skills to participate.