The Unexpected Surprises of Jury Duty

Recently, I received a summons to report for jury duty. After my initial hesitation, I cleared my schedule for the day. I was secretly excited.
 
I’ve always been curious about serving on a jury and I take my civic duties seriously. I always vote—even in the smallest elections—because I deeply believe I have no room to complain about the way the government is run if I don’t vote.
 
I’ve been called to jury duty numerous times but have never been chosen. I’m not sure why. I try to seem nonchalant and not so eager, but I’m beginning to suspect enthusiasm, however masked, is not a quality a defense attorney looks for in a potential juror.
 
So I suspected it would be a long day of sitting around because I was unlikely to get selected. But instead of complaining about losing a whole day, I chose to spend the time as an observer of people. Potential jurors are a fascinating amalgamation of the melting pot of our country. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.
 
Here’s what I noticed: For all the grumbling and joking about what people can do to get out of jury duty, people really make a genuine effort to be honest and show integrity. They really do, almost despite themselves.
 
Whenever asked about their ability to be unbiased, the vast majority answered, “Yes,” even if moments before they said they didn’t really want to be there. Here was their chance to escape, but they told the truth, instead. Maybe it was fear of public embarrassment – it could be hard to say, “No ma’am, I do not think I can assume he is innocent until proven guilty.”
 
But I suspect there is something more at play.
 
I don’t think people really want to get out of jury duty. In fact, it seemed more like they wanted to be of service, to ‘measure up’ and be wanted. They wanted to have a voice.
 
We live in the most free society in the world, and yet our voting rate is generally well below 50 percent. It can be quite disillusioning. And yet, by paying attention to what happens beneath the surface, I discovered something different about the American citizenry—when we feel our voice counts, we are responsible, motivated and caring.
 
Before jury selection began, the judge explained jury duty is the only real opportunity in our democracy for citizens to directly participate in governance. When we are sitting in a courtroom, most of us actually understand that! There is power in knowing your voice does count and a certain pride in being part of the process.
 
I could have easily chosen to be resentful and angry about sitting in the courtroom that day, but because I chose to make the day something for me, I experienced the power and pride along with many others from all different walks of life.
 
I also got a glimpse into one fundamental truth about human nature: it is how we act, more than what we say, that defines us. We may posture and pose our jaded discontent, but in reality most of us are suckers for our own truth: we really want to be part of the process -- or part of the solution.
 
We always have a choice, and sometimes the difference between enjoying and detesting an experience is as simple as choosing a positive perspective.
 
I chose to have fun and learned something about human nature. And it’s a good thing, too, because chances are the next time I get summoned I’ll have another long day to watch and learn.

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This blog also appears as part of my regular column on ShareWiK.com.