Tag Archives: #conflict resolution

Between Past and Future

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We are living through a great transition in the human story, a fraught passage between a technically advanced but socially degraded past, and a potentially coherent, sustainable, and civilized future. 

The distress we are experiencing is very real.  The challenges we face might appear recent, but they have been intensifying for decades.  The crisis deepens, but it is not new.

Our destiny as a nation and as human beings, can never be fully realized if we fail to know and understand ourselves.  The future we build will emerge from the past with the spirit of trustworthiness and responsibility, forged by the God-given capacities of mind and soul with which we are born.

In the choice between light and darkness, there is no other way.

The present appears chaotic and the horizon is obscured.  We can expect hardship to worsen.  But hopelessness is not acceptable to the human will.

We are accompanying one another on a long journey—a maturing experience for both humanity and for ourselves, as we advance from alienation and isolation to genuine community.

The future will be made real when we make it so.  We have a unique place in the universe: We are intelligent, perceptive, constructive, and caring.

Local community is the foundation of civilization and the core principle of the American experiment.  For those who are uncertain, this is made clear in my book: “Liberty and the American Idea: Rebuilding the Foundations.” (See below.)

We do not need someone telling us what to think or do.  A few friends and neighbors gathered around the kitchen table—listening respectfully, thinking constructively, and taking initiative—will get you started.

Others will be attracted to this nucleus of activity by your generosity of spirit, by the fragrance of trustworthiness, and by compelling practical need. 

It will be necessary to respond to oncoming challenges in a manner we are not accustomed to.  We must remain even-tempered in the face of fear, dishonesty, and disagreeable behavior.

Good will and ethical integrity will prevail in the end—because only these have lasting substance.  Constructive action will be initiated by citizens who are ready to engage meaningfully with those they differ with. 

You might ask why authentic community welcomes diversity.  The answer is simple.  The future will require problem-solving.  Communities will depend on an abundance of experience, perspective, and learned skills to get through the hard times ahead. 

If we avoid those who differ from us in religion or politics, education or ethnicity, we do so at our peril.  Indeed, our greatest resource will be friends and neighbors who have known hardship and have prevailed.

Having steady hands nearby when we need them is a blessing.  And, loyalty does not come in gift-wrapping.

Humankind is not an experiment.  We are not a mistake.  Centuries of hard work and loving determination have brought us here.

As human beings and as communities of caring, we are capable of overcoming the challenges created by human nature—our energetic spirit, an inquisitive mind, an over-active imagination, and the inevitable confusion that comes with a lack of maturity. 

The weaknesses of dishonesty and selfishness are the failures of individual persons, not weaknesses in the character of the human race.  Pain and suffering are afflictions, not ultimate destiny. 

History testifies that the human soul has a purpose that transcends hardship and conquers pain.  We have a responsibility to actualize the inborn promise of a just, dependable, and prosperous future.

I come to you with the premise that safety, well-being, and civil order all depend on a firm foundation of local communities.  This is the ground of personal identity, the place where we belong.

The world will experience extremes of disorder and social degradation in the coming years.  We must respond with truthfulness, trustworthiness, and dependability.

The only future we can count on will be realized in the communities we create.

I wish you strength, harmony, and meaning in the new year!

Tom

The new book is “Liberty and the American Idea: Rebuilding the Foundations” by Tom Harriman.  It is available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other book sellers.

You may watch for the next post on or about February 1. 

Safety in a Fractured World

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Americans have been living in the wilderness of corporate-dominated mass society for more than half a century.  We are accustomed to it.  But do we understand that things have not always been this way?

We accept our isolation in the emptiness of mass society because we know of nothing else.  Without authentic community, many of us do not even know our neighbors.

Do we really want to accept the insecurity and poverty of opportunity this imposes on us?  What does it mean to be without a home in genuine community?

Communities have served as the foundations of civilization for thousands of years.  Grounded in a place and anchored by dependable relationships, they have provided the basis for security and well-being. 

What happened?

There are some things we know deep in our hearts.  I think it is time to step back from disorder and degradation and to think carefully about what we truly know.

There is no greater security to be found than in real concern for each other’s well-being.  Safety is earned with commitment among neighbors.  There can be no freedom, no stability, without personal respect and responsibility.

Yes, we have a great many differences.  Our physical bodies and social circumstances are various.  Personal experience and perspective are always unique. 

But every person—our heart and soul, our self, our inner being—is absolutely the same.  We have been made this way.

Knowing this, understanding this, is the ticket to safety.

With our knowledge and experience, our skills and viewpoint, our readiness for responsibility, everyone can contribute to authentic community.

As our world comes apart, we will need one another.

And there is a silver lining waiting to be discovered:  What could be more rewarding than to find acceptance and welcome in a society as richly diverse as ours?

This discovery has a challenge, though: Someone needs to take the first step.  No one can respond until they are touched.

Neighbors need neighbors to actually be neighbors!

Listen, my friends: We must be confident in our own courage, knowing in our hearts that we will be ok when we step into responsibility.  Generosity of spirit is its own protection.

Many young people already know this—that their true purpose is not only realized in bettering themselves, but also in contributing to the life of society.

How long will it take us older folks to realize this is equally true for all of us?

No one is asking us to change our values or views.  This is not necessary.  We are who we are.  We simply need to wake up.  Taking initiative is empowering.

Problem-solving only becomes possible when we are ready to listen, to understand, to engage constructively.  Communities where differences can be set aside are communities that seek to build a safer, more dependable world.  

We know we have to do this together.  We cannot stay isolated.  Without constructive purpose we will join a downward spiral into darkness and degradation.

Neighborhoods are not safe places for opinionated conflict.  Neighbors depend on a forgiving attitude, on respectful dialogue and genuine friendship.

We must be determined to build trust and create safety.  Only then can we reasonably turn our attention to solving the ills that plague the wider world.

Tom

Regular readers can look for the next post on or about November 1.

My new book, “Liberty and the American Idea,” has now been published and is available from Amazon and other booksellers.  Amazon is providing an unusually large sample, including the preface, introduction, and first chapter.   Search for “Tom Harriman.” 

Responding With Courage

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It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the multitude of crises converging on our world and our lives.  How can we respond constructively?  There is always someone to blame.  Conflict and antagonism rule the day.  But the problems are real, hardship threatens our future, and safety is a growing concern. 

Those who understand what responsibility means will find ways to make a difference, and the most effective place to do so is in our local communities. This is where problem-solving matters most, where practical experience and skills are essential.  We need to know and trust our neighbors—all our neighbors.

It has been said that responsibility involves the “ability-to-respond,” but there is more to it than that.  How do we identify what needs to be done?  How can we possibly work with people we don’t know or understand?

Only when people listen to each other, start talking about shared problems, and try to collaborate, can we begin to seek security.  Are we willing to do this?

We face a changing reality that is becoming more challenging every day.  When we are ready to work together—serving the needs of families, of community and society—a dependable future becomes possible. 

Authentic community is a well-spring of trust, and we must be determined to make it so.  While our perceptions and understanding are inevitably limited, we know that honesty, truthfulness, and forbearance are essential. 

Our ability to act, to influence, to control our material destiny are all constrained, but we can set our hearts and minds to the foundation of trustworthiness.  Holding fast to this, our confidence can grow and be tested meaningfully. 

I will suggest here what might be a new idea for some of you.  Please give it consideration.

I believe that personal integrity depends on our navigating successfully within the boundary of an ultimate and immutable order—a first order that forms the basis for justice and morality. I cannot prove this, but perhaps you can see it.  I assure you that any endeavor which misperceives or ignores the underlying presence of fundamental order will come to naught.

The extent to which our actions and relationships are consistent with the ultimate ground of being will determine the extent to which we are capable of success.  Without it, the world slides toward darkness and dissolution.

If this is difficult for you believe, you can still choose to live consistently with it as an ideal, because justice and morality will always serve integrity. Let’s think about responsibility as our response to a dependable order: Confirming, reassuring, effective.  Responsibility works, even when nothing else works.

The covenant we have with one another is not political or religious or cultural.  It is human and it is American.  A trustworthy future will not be perfect, but it will be as safe as we can make it.

Tom

Regular readers can look for the next post on or about September 1.

My forthcoming book, “Liberty and the American Idea,” is now in the hands of my publisher. It will be available soon.  Several sample chapters can be found at the top of the homepage.

What is Authentic Community?

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Communities have taken many forms. The internet supports numerous “communities” that flourish in parallel universes. Many are dispersed across wide areas and around the world. They include interest groups, professional organizations, religious congregations, and sports enthusiasts. Such associations provide meaningful and engaged interaction.

However, they exist with little or no awareness of the dynamic relationships and complexity of the localities in which people live. They are not concerned with safety or survival in hard times.

The concept of community we are talking about here is quite different. It is geographically local, but also ancient and universal. Only authentic community supports neighborhood safety, social and economic stability, and local institutions. It is by nature inclusive; no one is excluded.

The challenges confronting us today—civil disorder, social degradation, and widespread distrust—call for the creation of functional local communities capable of problem-solving and addressing shared-needs.

We cannot survive, much less build a society we can respect and believe in, unless we can depend on our neighbors. Collaboration is needed—not political agreement. The future will depend on our readiness to rise above our differences to the extent necessary for safety and self-preservation.

If we are not engaged with our neighbors, we can start now. We need to approach them in a warm and friendly manner. Bake some cookies or a pie. Invite problem-solving. Be forgiving. Avoid partisan comments.

When we encounter suspicion and distrust, we can be patient and understanding. We are capable of being respectful and supportive. Increasingly, civil order will require courage, collaboration, and grace.

Local communities have long been the basic unit comprising human societies—the dynamic structure in which justice, social order, and personal identity are grounded. It is here that young people learn values, find equilibrium, and gain a sense of belonging.

Everyone needs a sense of belonging grounded in place

Authentic communities invite active participation. We need to feel at home, and have the safety to be ourselves. So it is that community, when endowed with the full engagement of its’ citizens, becomes the substructure for freedom and the foundation for security. No other institution is capable of serving this purpose.

Only in genuinely functional local communities will it be possible to respond personally and effectively to the challenges of the present hour. We can and must learn how to encourage dependability and sustain trust among people who differ from us—politically, socially, religiously. Our neighbors come from every kind of experience and background.

Such learning requires patience and understanding, and the will to seek a future we can respect and believe in. We are capable of this.

None of the challenges now confronting us can be met with wishful thinking.

We are embarking on a long journey, a learning process, and for many, a new and meaningful creative endeavor. We will succeed with open and inquisitive minds, and the courage to learn by doing.

Tom

Regular readers can look for the next post on or about June 1.

My forthcoming book, “Liberty and the American Idea,” is with my publisher. It will be available very soon. The Introduction, an annotated table of contents, and several chapters are linked at the top of the homepage.

A Future We Can Respect

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We are living through an extraordinary transition in human history, a fraught passage between a technically advanced but disintegrating past and an ultimately coherent, sustainable, and civilized future. The distress we are experiencing is very real. The present challenges may feel new to some, but they have been coming on for years. The crisis deepens, but it is not new.

A future we can believe in and respect will demand a lot from Americans. Getting there will require steadfast patience and immense resolve. Most of all, it will call for an attitude and frame of mind that reaches far beyond partisan hostilities.

It will be necessary to respond in a way we are not accustomed to. We must remain even-tempered, creative, and constructive. Dishonesty and disagreeable behavior are guaranteed to continue, but we are strong.

The only future that matters will be built with genuine human caring and generosity of spirit.

You might think this to be impossible. Well, I’m sorry, but we have no choice. We will need to spare no effort. In extreme conditions we may discover we have strength or stamina we did not know we had.

The alternative will be to watch the future descend into a deepening abyss, a nightmare of degradation for ourselves and our children.

Constructive action must be pursued determinedly and responsibly by citizens who can bring themselves to engage meaningfully with those they differ with—to rise above our differences no matter what the response. The strongest among us are those who have suffered in the past. Our greatest resources will be people who have known hardship and have prevailed.

Please keep in mind that it might be helpful to back away occasionally for quiet moments to collect our thoughts.

What do we know? Humankind was never an experiment and never a mistake. Our extraordinary capacity as human beings allows us to overcome the challenges created by an energetic spirit and over-active imagination.

The weaknesses of egotism, selfishness, and dishonesty are the failures of individual people, not the failures of the human race. Pain and suffering are afflictions, not ultimate destiny.

We have responsibility for identifying and serving the purpose for which we exist: To engage the inborn promise of a just, trustworthy, and prosperous civilization. A coherent future will depend on authentic dialogue and collaboration—and a state of mind that remains steady in the midst of turmoil.

I come to you with the premise that safety, well-being, and economic stability all depend on a firm foundation in local communities. Practical guidance is available from many sources. My forthcoming book may assist you to focus effectively. It offers a practical vision and the means for advancing constructively.

We can expect extremes of civil disorder and social degradation in the coming years. Our determination and fortitude must not falter. Without authentic communities we will remain vulnerable and ineffectual.

So, what do I mean by “authentic community?” I am not talking about geography. I am talking about people, interactive relationships, shared purpose, and supportive institutions.

Authentic community transcends the diversity of social, religious, and political differences. It consists of engaged and trustworthy relationships. It involves commitment to local problem-solving and meeting shared needs.

Authentic community is actualized by engagement in meaningful dialogue and collaborative endeavors, supported by local institutions and the varied interest associations of civil society.

This will not come easily because most of us have little or no experience with true community. But the potential is real. Our friends and neighbors will find it increasingly attractive as their circumstances deteriorate.

A genuinely functional community is a living network of dependable relationships that supports personal, social, and economic well-being. Yet, it is far more than that.

Community encourages a consciousness that embodies ethical integrity, respectfulness, and caring. This provides strength and resilience in the face of duress.

Community supports coherent thinking and collaborative action. It transforms uncertainty into purpose and generates the fortitude to withstand hardship.

You are invited to explore this potential—to form a nucleus of support in your neighborhood, to think together, to learn and plan and grow.

Tom

Regular readers can watch for the next post on or about May 1.

My forthcoming book, “Liberty and the American Idea,” is being prepared for publication. The Introduction, an annotated table of contents, and several chapters can be found at the top of the homepage.

Integrity and Fragmentation

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The stability of the United States—civil order, social order, and the things we depend on—is rapidly deteriorating. Anxiety is taking its toll. We will depend increasingly on the network of friendships and mutual support we are able to create in our local communities. Integrity is the key.

As friends and neighbors, we must rise above our differences—to make clear that, whatever happens, we will be loyal to one another and dependable in the here and now. We might not have answers to a particular question or the solution to a problem. We may not even understand one another’s pain or loss or fear, but we will be fully present to one another.

We are used to turning away from painful truths, or trying to chase away sorrow. But active caring and a supportive presence will be what truly matters now. Being fully present can speak truthfulness and trust even when words are not possible.
More than ever, we need this now.

We must learn how to care, to be supportive, even to those who are unattractive, who we cannot understand.

As we grow older, the meaning of interpersonal relationships and the importance of genuine caring, respectfulness, and responsibility sharpens and becomes clearer. Those whose loyalty embraces the American idea of freedom with responsibility will come together, despite our differences, to honor the original purpose of this nation.

As untidy and tumultuous as democracy can sometimes be, we will always be capable of recognizing integrity. Lies appear to become truths when they are repeated often enough, but that does not make them so.

The fragmentation of society has dominated our consciousness and can sometimes lead to a perception of reality as incoherent and disorganized, rather than an interdependent whole. Only our capacity for understanding and knowledge of what is truly real can overcome this illusion.

Incoherence is a human shortcoming. It is not truth.

You, dear reader, represent the future of humankind and the anchor to integrity. Together with the growing numbers who are committed to cooperation and reciprocity, we must live authentic community into being.

The local neighborhood is our challenge and field of endeavor. We have arrived on the threshold of a new and painful beginning, and there is no one else to do it.

Our blessings are given; they must now be lived into reality.

When we can turn to one another with a loyalty that speaks the language of unity, we will be empowered to honor the diversity that gives us strength, to dispel alienation, and to quench the flames of hate.

Then and only then will America come of age and finally approach the shining frontier of true liberty.

Tom

Regular readers can watch for the next post on or about April 2.

My forthcoming book, “Liberty and the American Idea,” is now with the publisher. I expect it to be available in May. The Introduction, Table of Contents, and several chapters can be found at the top of the homepage.

American Destiny and the Human Heart

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Americans have an extraordinary history and a rich but conflicted heritage. The creation of the United States brought a new political model to the world and a vision for the pursuit of justice and prosperity. This is an honor that we can take pride in.

While a record of missteps, tragedies, and popular misperceptions has plagued the country, we are called today to build a future that is free, just, and constructive.

This imposing task is made all the more challenging by the looming threat of numerous crises, in addition to the social costs of the past.

We could continue forever to relitigate the details of a painfully human history. But, in truth, we can only move forward by living our best intentions, honestly and frugally, into a better future.

Currently, a multitude of interacting crises are converging on the United States and on the planet—material, social, moral. The immense number and diversity of threats is unparalleled. Few Americans fail to recognize the challenge this represents.

Something extraordinary is happening. Our experience of normalcy has evaporated. Our lives are disrupted and the end is nowhere in sight.

It is natural to look for someone to blame, but this is hardly constructive. The most significant mistakes now plaguing us were made over a long period of time.

In addition, today’s world faces dramatic structural change—the inevitable outcome of material development and growth. Many of the new realities are quite substantial: digital connectivity, invasive technology, automation, surging population growth, and the rapid loss of farmland—to name just a few.

This is no one’s fault.

Our circumstances are disorienting and anxiety-provoking. That a faltering social order and growing tensions have generated conflict and political divisiveness is not surprising.

Never have Americans encountered a more pressing need to turn to our traditional strengths: To build strong local communities and to re-engage the fundamental basis for civilized order intended by the Founders.

Our greatest challenges fall generally into two categories, which will interact with devastating effect. One is material or structural in nature, while the other is social, mental, and ethical in its influence and consequences.

The second of these, while personally significant also impacts our ability to respond effectively to everything else.

Anxiety and stress are very personal. When they dominate our lives, it becomes difficult to see clearly, to solve problems, and to understand people. Uneasiness, aggravation, and impatience prevail.

Nothing is more subversive than distrust, nothing more destabilizing than dishonesty, nothing more destructive than fear.

Where guns are easily accessible, murder and suicide are destroying families and devastating communities.

What is to be done?

My forthcoming book does not dwell on the details of oncoming crises. I am focused instead of local solutions and the enduring strength of sustainable communities.

We need each other, but we are divided and alienated.

Our humanity was made for unity and compassion. The material world was made for our comfort and prosperity. Yet we are weighed down by fear, shattered by violence, and threatened by despotism.

Our immediate responsibility lies with our families and in our local communities. These are the foundations for identity and security. Here trustworthiness and dependability matter most

Like a family, communities are built slowly, with care, and sometimes where none previously existed. A dependable community can begin with just a few neighbors, but it must begin.

Each of us can form a nucleus of safety and sanity around our kitchen table. Each can serve the future with constructive purpose.

If we are to take control of our destiny we must engage our hearts, cleansing ourselves of resentments, of hatefulness, and every hint of darkness.

It is in our heart that we recognize justice. Here is the source of courage and generosity.

Turning outwardly with heart-felt intent we can be firm in our resolve, constructive rather than fearful, and ever mindful of forbearance and self-control.

Rising above the evils we encounter we can realize the goodness we were made for. We are all capable of bringing light into darkness.

Tom

Regular readers can watch for the next post on or about February 1.

The forthcoming book, “Liberty and the American Idea,” will be published early in the coming year. The Introduction, Table of Contents, and several chapters can be found at the top of the homepage.

Alienation and Authority

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The degradation of social order we are experiencing today did not come out of nowhere. Growing alienation and distrust have been apparent for decades. This is not mysterious. But understanding it has become essential.

In his book, “The Great Degeneration,” economic historian Niall Ferguson discusses what has come to pass. He considers four areas in which the degeneration of values and social stability in the United States has had devastating consequences.

Paraphrasing him with my own words, these are: 1) the role of responsibility in the stability of social order, 2) the disintegration of the market economy, 3) the fundamental role of the rule of law, and 4) the essential qualities of a vibrant civil society.

Looking back, Dr. Ferguson reminds us of the vigorous civil and cultural life of 19th century America:

“I want to ask,” he writes, “how far it is possible for a truly free nation to flourish in the absence of the kind of vibrant civil society we used to take for granted? I want to suggest that the opposite of civil society is uncivil society, where even the problem of anti-social behavior becomes a problem for the state.”

Regular readers of this blog are well aware of the destruction of functional local communities over the course of American history. What happened? Why is authentic community so important to civilized life?

This question was addressed directly by Robert Nisbet in the early days of the American Conservative Movement. His influential book, “The Quest for Community,” provides a clear explanation for the social deterioration underlying our present condition.

Robert Nisbet states: “I believe, then, that community is the essential context within which modern alienation has to be considered.

“Here I have reference not so much to a state of mind—although that is inevitably involved—as I do to the more concrete matters of the individual’s relation to social function and social authority. These are… the two supports upon which alone community, in any reasonably precise sense, can exist and influence its members….

“By authority, I do not mean power. Power, I conceive as something external and based on force. Authority, on the other hand, is rooted in the statuses, functions, and allegiances which are the components of any association.

“Authority is indeed indistinguishable from organization, and perhaps the chief means by which… a sense of organization becomes a part of human personality…. Unlike power, it is based ultimately upon the consent of those under it; that is, it is conditional.

“Power arises only when authority breaks down.”

Loss of a self-generating social authority, which brings order, identity, and justice to our lives—is, according to Nisbet, the ultimate challenge confronting Americans. This is the necessity we must recover if we are ever to reach a civilized future.

If we allow the coherence and consciousness of civilized order to be replaced by autocratic top-down domination, we will have lost our liberty, our integrity, our self-sufficiency—leading to a long and difficult road ahead.

Constructive change made possible by the decision-making structure of the United States Constitution will be impossible without it.

Reflecting on the 20th century, and the legacy of two world wars and mass murder on a monumental scale, political philosopher Dr. Hannah Arendt drives home the hard truth of a shattered heritage–

“We can no longer afford to take that which was good in the past and simply call it our heritage, to discard the bad and simply think of it as a dead load which by itself time will bury in oblivion. The subterranean stream of Western history has finally come to the surface and usurped the dignity of our tradition.

“This is the reality in which we live. And this is why all efforts to escape from the grimness of the present into nostalgia for a still intact past, or into the anticipated oblivion of a better future, are vain.”

Listen, my friends: The only future for a free people must be secured with genuine values: Truthfulness, responsibility, steadfast patience—and the necessity for trust.

Each of you is capable of forming a nucleus of safety and sanity with your neighbors.

Don’t argue! And don’t wait!

Tom

Regular readers can watch for the next post on or about January 2.

The forthcoming book is “Liberty and the American Idea.” The Introduction, as well as an annotated Table of Contents and several chapters are linked at the top of the homepage.

Foundations of Trust

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The deterioration of civility and social order in the United States has brought with it estrangement, disaffection, and distrust. This unhappy affliction has been growing for decades. First focused primarily on government, distrust has gradually come to involve almost anything perceived as related to government.

Very little is trusted now. In the eyes of many Americans, educators, scientists, medical doctors, news media, and even the Constitution itself have all fallen from grace. Distrust has permeated society, causing anxiety and confusion, undermining our sense of security, and troubling personal relationships.

This is not simply a symptom; it lies at the heart of our difficulties. Trust is essential to the integrity and well-being of a society. It depends on justice and truthfulness, not political opinion.

Without trust no family or community or nation can long subsist. Truthfulness and trustworthiness are necessary foundations for order—in every aspect of our lives.

The loss of this security has brought the future of our country into question. Has the degradation progressed beyond repair? What can be done to bring healing—a return to genuine order and personal safety?

Americans face a multi-layered challenge. While trust must be won, it is very easily lost. Building trust takes time and lived experience. Loss of trust can happen in a moment.

Distrust in government is complicated by history, politics, and personal disappointments. Perceptions come to us with experience, and sometimes from pain. The challenge before us is imposing.

To overcome such overwhelming disaffection and estrangement it will be necessary to re-establish trustworthiness as the foundation for the character and prosperity of American society.

Real trust comes to life most readily in active interpersonal relationships. Real trust depends on meaningful interpersonal dialogue.

Consequently, it will be in local communities where the healing of distrust can realistically begin, and where it is most needed. When we face hard times, we need dependable neighbors. This is where trustworthiness truly matters when the going gets tough.

Americans are not accustomed to addressing this need. As important as it is for our safety and well-being, few of us seem to have the vision and courage to build supportive relationships.

When we engage in genuine personal relationships, we gradually bring trust to life in ever-widening circles. Trustworthiness becomes real as we experience dependability. We want it because we need it. But there are no shortcuts.

Building a stable, prosperous society will take as long as intelligent and determined people need to make it so. An inquisitive interest in understanding, and a willingness to be the first to listen, makes many things possible. Restraining ourselves from fractious debate when it will not be helpful, takes responsibility and discipline.

With respectful listening, we can make clear that we have heard the feelings, recognized the pain, and tried to understand. And this can happen best while we are working together to address neighborhood improvements and shared needs.

The mystery of differences and diversity does not need to be threatening. The greatest tests on this rocky road are those that call for grace, constancy, and generosity of spirit.

No one is asking us to change our views and our values. Instead, we are called to seek dignity for others as well as ourselves.

This is indeed honorable. But we are also called to something even greater. The integrity manifested in dependability soon spreads to influence the character of the wider world.

Strangely enough, it is actually just one thing—trustworthiness—upon which the integrity of nations, cultures, and societies depend.

Nothing in business or politics will matter until we get this right. And it can only be made right by each of us, made real in ourselves.

Trustworthiness is the supreme instrument for the safety and prosperity of the world.

Tom.

Regular readers can watch for the next post on or about December 1.

The forthcoming book is being prepared for publication. The Introduction and an annotated Table of Contents can be found at the top of the homepage.

Will Tomorrow Be Like Yesterday?

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A multitude of interacting crises are converging on America and the planet in the 21st century—material, social, moral.  The extraordinary number and diversity of threats is unparalleled.  Something extraordinary is taking place.  Our experience of normalcy is evaporating.

It is natural to look for someone to blame, but this is not useful.  The most significant mistakes now plaguing us were made over the course of many decades.  And massive structural change is now impacting our lives, which is inevitable and no one’s fault.

Interrelated global dynamics—economic, political, agricultural—are all subject to a fragile fiat monetary system and supply chain, to the rapid and uncontrolled emergence of advanced technologies, and to the massive displacement of desperate populations.

This is structural change: Incoherent, ungovernable, disruptive.

Our most imposing challenges fall into two distinct categories, which will interact with devastating effect.  These two can be clearly distinguished, one from the other.  One is material in nature, while the other is social, mental, and ethical in its influence and consequences.  The second of these, while profoundly significant for us personally, also impacts our ability to respond effectively to everything else. 

When anxiety and stress are dominant, it becomes difficult to see clearly, to solve problems, to listen well and understand others.  Uneasiness and confusion prevail. Nothing is more subversive than distrust, nothing more destabilizing than dishonesty, nothing more destructive than fear.

Our current view of the future is disoriented and anxiety-provoking.   That a faltering social order and growing tensions have generated conflict and political divisiveness is not surprising.

Yet these extraordinary challenges present us with an equally extraordinary window of opportunity.  Yes, an opportunity.  Here lies both the problem and promise presently at hand. Never have Americans encountered a more powerful stimulus to rethink and re-negotiate a future we can accept and depend upon.

How, you ask, can such dialog be possible when no one is willing to listen or to talk rationally?

There is no quick fix.  There is, however, a practical response which will require courage and foresight, and can be initiated promptly.

We might resist personal effort or actual engagement with other people, but I don’t think we have a choice. The way forward will be determined by practical necessity.  Reality will impose itself.  The need for dependable neighbors is rapidly approaching.  And this is where authentic dialog begins.

Safety and security will soon require functional communities and neighbors we can depend on regardless of religion or politics or the color of our skin.

No political hero can do this for us.  We need to stand on our own feet.

And we can begin today—to gather those among our friends and neighbors who are ready to start thinking and planning together, assessing shared needs and acting constructively. You will need only a few to form a nucleus of dependability.  Others will be attracted gradually to the presence of sanity and civility.

Let me be clear:  We must do this in place, where we already are and with the neighbors we already have.  If we relocate out of fear, attracted by the mirage of like-minded partisans, we will sow the seeds of doom for the future of America.

There is a natural human tendency to think with our imaginations, rather than to investigate rationally.  But the bottom line this: In local communities, security depends on a diversity of experience, perspective, and learned skills.  And this is made possible with courage, authentic dialog, and a generosity of spirit.

It is time to act.  In today’s world it is not wise to think every day will be like the last.

Tom

Regular readers can watch for the next post on or about November 1. My forthcoming book is being prepared for publication.  I hope to see it available early in the new year.  The Introduction, an annotated Table of Contents, and several sample chapters are available at the top of the homepage.

What is America

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We have choices to make.  They might differ from the choices we are used to thinking about, but these are not normal times.  Indeed, the challenges confronting us today are likely to worsen.  Faced with multiple crises and growing instability we will become ever more concerned about the future—about personal safety, family security, and the need for self-reliance.

Local neighborhoods are where this matters most.  My question for you is this: Will we seek dependable relationships with our neighbors—or pretend every day will be like the last?

With social order under duress, hardship increasing, and mental health breaking down, we can and must come together with our neighbors.  We cannot wait until we are already in trouble.  We need people in our lives who have practical skills, who are steady on their feet, who can help resolve local problems.  And we will need them regardless of their politics or religion or the color of their skin.

What are we afraid of?

Yes, strengthening interpersonal relationships takes time and commitment.  Trust must be time-tested.  And yes, this can only happen if we take initiative.

The first step is always ours to take.  We need just a few concerned friends and neighbors to form a nucleus of support.  We can think together, plan, and build trust.  Others will be attracted as our circle grows. The road to security begins with civility and is paved with dependability.  This is the only defense against calamity.

Some may say it’s too hard or too late.  I say that Americans are courageous, resourceful, resilient.  The United States was conceived in controversy; and the vision of the Founders came with recognition that wisdom and strength are found in diversity.

Indeed, it is argued here that diversity is the foundation for strength, and that the United States of America is a visionary assertion of this knowledge. The Founders gave us a structure.  It is our responsibility to make it work. 

Perhaps we have lost our way at times, stumbled, gotten sloppy.  But now it is time to pull together. Stability cannot be imposed from above in a free society.  The kind of strength we need comes from within—with courage, determination, and generosity of spirit.  And it can only be made real in active interpersonal relationships.

In finding our way through a multitude of crises we are forced to renew our values, think on our feet, and collaborate with others.  A creative process is now underway that would not be possible otherwise.

We are capable of rising above our differences.  We can allow one another the freedom to differ, to be misguided, to have a painful past.  We can address eachother respectfully.  Or, we can let the American vision and treasure slip between our fingers, and tip ourselves into chaos.

Some may think their principles are too important to be compromised.  Most of us, however, believe that the American Republic is worth defending, and that it is time for Americans to rise to the next level. The concept of unity within diversity did not exist prior to the founding of the United States.  The American Founders set humanity on a new course with a constitutional structure that accommodates diversity and facilitates collaborative problem-solving.

There are serious problems needing to be understood and resolved, and they cannot be addressed or even discussed when we are submerged in animosity. 

America has always been known for the clash of differing opinions.  Social, political, and religious pluralism is what America is all about.  This is who we are.

Consequently, constructive dialog is essential.  Problem-solving can be pursued to the extent necessary.  And it will only be possible if we allow trust to grow and be tested in functional working relationships.

Please share your perspective.  I value your feedback.

Tom

Regular readers can watch for the next post on or about October 1.

My forthcoming book offers a practical strategy for making this work.  I hope to see it published early in the coming year.  The Introduction, as well as an annotated Table of Contents and several sample chapters can be found at the top of the homepage.

First Principles

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If we wish to live in safety we will seek to create safety in our communities, actively engaging with our neighbors and forming dependable relationships.  When the going gets tough having dependable neighbors will matter.  Trust becomes real when we work together to resolve local problems and meet local needs.  Without personal initiative, this just isn’t going to happen.  And we cannot afford to put it off until tomorrow. 

Collaboration among neighbors is not encouraged by the world as it is today.  Isolation is pervasive and partisan politics dominate.  We shy away from friendly problem-solving and fail to take responsibility for our local circumstances. The future of America depends on our escape from this paralysis.  We are better than this.

In my view, our first priority must be to see with our own eyes and think with our own minds.  We must never submit to the willfulness of partisan opinions.  How can political manipulation be trustworthy?  Can we see that the vast quagmire of social media has its source in the human imagination?

Political philosophy can be a meaningful and valid concern.  But if truth be told, it is the ethical consensus embodied in human behavior, social conduct, and in law that secures order and forms the character of society.

The fundamental question facing each of us is this— How can we live with the moral integrity that civilized order depends upon? Avoiding this question changes nothing.

I expect the thoughtful reader recognizes the role of ethical consistency and moral rectitude in ensuring safety and fairness in the social order, as well as in a personal life well-lived.

The problems confronting us in the world as it is are complex.  They often impact us personally.  We should not expect to live in a stable society, or engage in a genuinely functional community, without being prepared for ethical questions.

Ethical rigor does not require an unforgiving attitude.  Our differences cannot be undone, and we must rise above them to get where we need to go.  We may never know of the hardships or disappointments another person has experienced.  These are among the influences making them who they are.  We all have disappointments, and we are all in this together.

The deterioration of civil order is apparent.  The painfulness of loss is all around us.  It is in our interest to identify the shared principles we need to give us strength, and to bring us through the long crisis ahead. 

We must pull ourselves away from moral degradation that imposes on us from every side.  Its addictive nature of is a growing influence, subverting economic stability, social order, and mental health. 

In the days ahead, Americans will be increasingly dependent on dependable neighbors and strong communities.  We must make this real.  Local neighborhoods need to be the wellsprings of dependability.

And, if we are to create safe communities, we must begin with the personal integrity upon which community depends.  Authentic community is defined by trust, and by the conditions that determine the quality of trust: truthfulness, moral responsibility, and active interpersonal dialog,

These are not things that come by way of wishful thinking.  They depend on committed intentions and personal engagement.  They are learned and lived in the context of time-tested relationships.  Real community is not possible otherwise.

This may seem idealistic to some and to others simply out of reach.  However, I believe we have no choice.  If we are to find safety, we must come to know and trust one another.

We really do not need to agree on everything.  But the future will depend on dependability. Trust matters!

We cannot wait until next week or next year.  The future is now.

Tom

Regular readers may watch for the next post on or about September 1.

The forthcoming book has been completed and is being professionally edited.  The Introduction, as well as an annotated Table of Contents and several chapters are linked at the top of the homepage.