Tag Archives: #governance

The Two Faces of Freedom

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Americans are a freedom-loving people.  But we do not often think about what this means.  Freedom means different things to different people.  At this extraordinary moment in our nation’s history, it might be wise to consider what we understand it to mean.

Two distinct views of freedom have emerged during the past two centuries. 

One is simply the idea that we should be free to do or to be what we are able to do or to be without human interference.  The second is the idea of having full control over our own initiative and purpose as self-directed individuals.

These two concepts seem quite similar at first glance, but they differ substantially in their implications.

The first involves the absence of coercion—the wish simply to be left alone.  It asks that we be assured of a minimum area of personal freedom in such manner that our humanity is not denied or degraded.

Recognizing the potential for personal freedom to impact negatively on the freedom of others, this view seeks freedom for the many.  It asks only that we be guaranteed a reasonable measure of completely free space around ourselves.

Perhaps we would also agree that, at the very least, the liberty of religion, opinion, expression, and property need to be protected from arbitrary interference.

The second concept is quite different.  This view insists on unrestricted self-assertion and absolute control of one’s own life regardless of the consequences this imposes on others.

Deriving from the will to control one’s own life and destiny, the second concept has significant consequences for society.

Clearly those seeking such liberty perceive themselves as responsible persons possessed of good judgment and perhaps exceptional wisdom, who are able to make choices based solely on their own ideas and purposes.

However, given the natural human resistance to rational and moral limits, this attitude can easily disrupt the equilibrium in communities, or in society as a whole.

These two concepts of freedom have come into serious conflict with one another over the course of the last two centuries.

An insistence that we should be free to do as we wish cannot be exercised in isolation. It readily evolves into a belief that we may have the right to influence or control the lives of other people.

It is convenient to assume that we know best, and some people think they know the true interests of other people better than those people do themselves.

This view gained traction during the 19th century, hitching a ride with the powerful Enlightenment belief that all of reality must ultimately be harmonious, and that science and reason would give humankind knowledge of a single unified truth.

It followed, therefore, that fully rational thinkers would never disagree and that conflicting values or truths were ultimately impossible.

Consequently, a number of well-known thinkers became convinced that if reason and rationality demand that our values must coincide in a free and “just” society, they must be made to coincide by any means necessary.

The historian of ideas, Isaiah Berlin has written about this concern in his famous essay, “Two Concepts of Liberty.”  He reports that Enlightenment philosophers became convinced that the better educated members of society had a right and responsibility to create and maintain a “free” society.

They believed we should do for citizens what they would do for themselves if they possessed the rationality and competence to understand their own best interest.

Thus, political philosophy rationalized the idea that it can be valid to restrain people in their own interest.

In this extraordinary view, writes Isaiah Berlin, “freedom is not freedom to do what is irrational, or stupid, or wrong.  To force empirical selves into the right pattern is no tyranny, but liberation.”

“Liberty,” he continues, “so far from being incompatible with authority, becomes virtually identical with it.”

Needless to say, this problem raises substantial concerns about our understanding of justice, morality, and governance.

Can it ever be justified or appropriate to place pressure on citizens for being, in our view, “irrational?” 

It was not long before this idealistic absurdity led to the nightmares of totalitarian despotism and total war in the 20th century. 

Tom

Regular readers can look for the next post on or about October 1. My forthcoming book is “Liberty and the American Idea,” subtitled “Rebuilding the Foundations.”  It is now in the hands of my publisher and will be available at Amazon and other booksellers very soon.  Sample chapters can be found 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.

Truthfulness and Trust

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I have reminded you, not long ago, that no family, no community, no society can long endure in the absence of trust.  No principles, beliefs or opinions can be effective if we are unable to trust. It is possible to pull ourselves back from this downward spiral, but it will not be with a quick fix.  We must each focus first on our personal responsibility—on the necessary attitudes, behaviors, and virtues that form the basis for a stable society.

This, the American Founders warned, is what freedom would require of us. Do we understand?

Let me be clear.  The future of the United States will, in my view, depend on general recognition that truthfulness is essential at all times.  Yes, truthfulness—the truthfulness upon which all trust depends.

You laugh?

Well, my friends, you can laugh all the way to chaos and mayhem.  Because we have no choice.

Seeking liberty in a new order, the Founders introduced the Constitution with an extraordinary lack of constraints and restrictions.  They knew the future of the nation would depend on the behavior of its citizens, and they said so. 

Why is truthfulness necessary?  Why does civilized order depend on it?

Another virtue, sometimes called a “cardinal virtue”, is prudence.  And, if truth be known, all the virtues are prudent—for the simple reason that a civilized society depends on them.

The virtues, among which are patience, forbearance, compassion, and ethical consistency, are the means for securing a safe, stable and productive society.  These are not simply “nice ideas”; they are among the core tenets of human civilization.

Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues, and prudence is their purpose.

Where do we start?  Our society is heavily burdened by the discord and disunity that come with distrust.  Conflict and contention are the source of degradation and loss.

Actually, we do not need to agree on much to be trustworthy.  However, we do need demonstrate our trustworthiness.  And this can only be done in active, engaged relationships.

It will only be possible to build trust with civility, and with a genuine interest in understanding the reality of other people.  Those who differ from us come to their views and perspective by way of their experience, their hopes, fears, and disappointments. So it is that unity of action in a community is only possible where there is genuine dialog leading to authentic relationships. 

First, we need to agree with our neighbors only on resolving the immediate problems at hand. Accepting responsibility for interpersonal dialog contributes to safer neighborhoods, to meeting practical needs.  Kindness attracts loyalty.  Reciprocity engenders productivity.

Being realistic about this means preparing ourselves for situations that are sometimes frustrating.  This is our reality today.  A great deal of damage has been done. So, steadfast patience becomes essential, a way of being.  We must determine not to be compromised by difficult circumstances or diverted from our purpose.

Interpersonal relationships are the sinews of community, and communities form the foundations of a society.  Genuine dialog and ongoing working relationships build trust.  This is where the groundwork for stability is built.

Sometimes it takes courage to engage with people we don’t know or understand.  But without this we remain stuck in helplessness and in the dark. Without truthfulness and good will, constructive action is impossible and security is a mirage.

Finally, let us please beware that we not walk in the ways of those whose words differ from their deeds.  We see this all around us, and it is the kiss of death.

Be true to your words, and ensure that your actions are consistent, trustworthy and faithful.

Tom

Note to regular readers: You may look for the next post on or about May 1.

An Introduction to the forthcoming book and several sample chapters are linked at the top of the homepage: http://www.freedomstruth.net.

An American Choice

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Readers of this blog know the basis for my message.  With our future spiraling ever deeper into crisis, I believe there to be only one way to seek safety and stability.  Our neighborhoods and local communities can be prepared to provide organized and dependable cooperation.  As conditions deteriorate, we can choose to rise above our differences to the extent necessary.  Meeting shared needs will require effective planning and dialog.

This may well be an ultimate choice for Americans—and for two reasons.  First, it might very well determine the safety of our families during the coming storm.  And, second, as we work together in the face of hardship, we will discover what our fellow citizens are actually made of. 

This is probably the only way we can find our way back to the loyal perseverance and pluralistic traditions that first came to life in the American past.

It is easy to assume the worst of people who appear different from ourselves.  But they might actually prove to be quite ready to stand by us as dependable neighbors.

How can we start building such security?

Functional community always depends on personal initiative.  No organizational skills are necessary. When we reach out to our neighbors—down the street and around the corner—we will be welcomed by some and rebuffed by others.  But we only need a few to begin a productive dialog.

The effort to assess circumstances and identify needs will lead to planning and action.  Others will join when they recognize and trust what you are doing.  Some will take longer to come around than others.  Distrust is running deep and misinformation is pervasive.

The challenge of building local communities does not require expertise.  To get started, we only need to put our heads together. 

It is true, however, that the greater the diversity you bring together, the safer you will be.  This is because you will be tapping into more available knowledge, experience, and personal skills.

The dynamic interaction of diverse perspectives provides immense strength.  In my view, community is the crucial choice for us in the face of dire circumstances.

How much danger will we subject ourselves to, before we turn to constructive action?  What keeps us back?

I suggest to you that the greatest of all dangers is lodged in our unexamined assumptions.  There is no greater risk to the future of America.

Assumptions always get in the way.  They have no real existence except in our imagination.  But real people do not live in our imaginations.

We must free ourselves from this very dangerous source of alienation.  The danger is real and can become extreme.

Among those imprisoned in their imaginations, are those who propose a forceful approach to change.  Do we understand what this means?

Let’s be clear:  Force will create exactly the opposite of its intended purpose.  Traditional conservatism understands this quite well.

It was Hayek who said, “the principle that the ends justify the means is in individualist ethics regarded as the denial of all morals.”

Harry Emerson Fosdick may have stated this truth most clearly: “He who chooses the beginning of the road chooses the place it leads to.  It is the means that determine the end.”

And the conservative icon, Ayn Rand drove the point home most emphatically: “An attempt to achieve the good by force is like an attempt to provide a man with a picture gallery at the price of cutting out his eyes.”

Americans will depend on rational minds and moral principles as we navigate the rocky road ahead.  Incivility, negativity, and especially threatening behavior, will subvert virtually everything that matters. 

Influencing hearts and minds depends on demonstrating trustworthiness in our actions.  Which is why we can begin by gathering a few of our neighbors around the kitchen table. 

Personal sharing, honest dialog, and realistic planning are the foundations of local security–and for the future of this American nation.

The means by which we seek our intended purpose will determine the substance and quality of the outcome. 

Tom.

Notes to regular readers:  You may watch for the next post on or about February 2.

To receive email alerts, click the box on the right side of the homepage..  An Introduction and annotated Table of Contents for the forthcoming book can be found at the top of the homepage.

Freedom & Responsibility

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In the years since the World Wars, Americans have gradually come to terms with the idea that freedom and responsibility have a direct and integral relationship with each other.  This seems reasonable enough, but how much attention do we give it?  Why is it true, and what does it actually mean?

Self-reliance and the acceptance of responsibility for family and community are hallmarks of the American idea.  They are sources of human dignity and self-respect.  They support dependability among neighbors.

People respect people who are respectful—people who take responsibility for themselves and care about others.  When the going gets tough, whining and complaints really don’t fly.

We can all see the way things are coming apart.  Integrity in our relationships with friends and neighbors will matter.  In a crumbling society it will matter a lot.

We demonstrate our personal integrity in working relationships.  Responsibility can only exist in relationships.  This is where we show our true colors.

Some people imagine they can assert their freedom by simply doing as they wish.  But there can be no freedom without consideration for the realities of a civilized order.  Personal security depends on order and the quality of relationships.

Some seem never to have considered the conditions required to secure safety or justice or the basic functionality of human society.  Some seem ready to tear everything down without a thought for the consequences, even for themselves. 

Over-reactive drama, lacking foresight or wisdom, can actually destroy the means for needed change—for seeking constructive solutions.  A failure of foresight can undermine security and bring about the dissolution of order. 

In the previous post I spoke with you about the importance of truthfulness, trustworthiness, and forbearance, virtues which the American founders expected of the American people—not simply from political leadership, but from everyone. 

They knew liberty could not be had in any other way, and they said so.  They gave us their trust: A governing structure with almost no constraints other than those respecting the property and well-being of our fellow citizens.

Democracy was a new idea back then.  The Constitutional Convention of 1787 struggled with the concerns of a contentious constituency, and recognition that the Republic would face future threats and unpredictable stresses.

Libertarian sentiments were strong among Americans in the 18th century.  There was a natural fear of the oppressiveness of institutions from which they had so recently fled. Many had strong feelings about protecting the freedom they experienced in America, a freedom that stood in marked contrast to the ever-present example of slavery (which they insisted on maintaining).

The Founders were quite aware of the mood, and recognized that majority factions had no qualms about suppressing minorities or rejecting the interests of anyone who differed from themselves.  It was easy to imagine a tumultuous future.

The United States Constitution is the product of this tension, and the determination to create a dynamic framework capable of protecting freedoms while channeling the forces of conflict and change that would surely come. How did the Founders endeavor to project freedom and order into a future they could only barely imagine?

The Constitution provides a structure for governance designed for a diverse and argumentative population.  Yet, it is notable for its’ simplicity and provides few legal constraints. They chose a course that depends on Americans to govern their own behavior.  Fairness and balance are woven into the fabric of the Republic.  The rest depends on us. 

Americans are now more than 300 million in number and we have differences.  Disagreement is natural.  Differences need to be fully understood before solutions can be investigated.

Civilized choices are made possible through the collaborative problem-solving enabled by the Constitution.  Americans possess the tools for problem-solving, for managing change, and most importantly, for addressing violations of integrity and trust.

These things take time if we care about freedom and responsibility.  Instability begins with impatience, and the inability to compromise. 

We stand today at an extraordinary turning point.  We cannot abandon our inheritance and imagine it possible to start over again from nothing.  That would be impossible.

Tom

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

Note to new readers:  An introduction to the coming book, an annotated table of contents, and several chapters are available in draft at the top of the homepage: http://www.freedomstruth.net.

Past and Future

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Americans have an extraordinary history and heritage as a nation—a vision and exemplary model for governance which are unprecedented in the world.  As citizens, it is an honor to be responsible for this.  We are called to ensure a future that is free, just, and constructive. 

We are also challenged by the shadow of a violent and contentious past, and now the looming threat of a multitude of crises.  We can easily lose ourselves in self-doubt and endless recrimination—forever relitigating the details of a very human past.  But learning from the past is made real by living our best intentions into the future.

Americans cannot afford to compromise a commitment to an honorable future.  While it is quite true that responsibility depends upon truthfulness, the future also depends on the maturity, understanding, and generosity of spirit that will enable the United States to secure civil order and a free society.

We are Americans; we can do this together.

As individuals, there is but one way forward—personally and without constraint–and this is within our own local communities.  It is for this reason that I have challenged us all to rise above our differences, to engage with one another in the authentic dialogue necessary for problem-solving.

The necessities of shared needs cannot be compromised.  Safety and survival will soon require that we think about what we can accomplish by working together.

Doing this effectively will allow communities to address the future constructively.

We find ourselves confronted today by extraordinary circumstances, a multitude of dangerous and deepening crises.  And yet, this narrow place in American history presents an unprecedented opportunity.

We must rise to the next level, having no choice but to turn to the future with clear-eyed intentionality.

Herein lies the importance of knowing and understanding our neighbors; listening to one another with genuine interest despite our differences.  The failure to engage constructively will threaten the future as threats grow.

The number and diversity of crises confronting us is unparalleled.  Most of us know that something has changed.  The experience of normalcy has evaporated.  Our lives are disrupted and the end is nowhere in sight.

The world is experiencing dramatic structural change.  The rapid development of digital technology without accountability, exponential population growth, the loss of farmland and access to clean water, unprecedented weather—all this imposes on our lives even if it is happening elsewhere.

This is inevitable and no one’s fault.  That it has generated confusion and divisiveness is hardly surprising.  It is natural to look for someone to blame, but this is not useful.

Will we pull ourselves together as Americans did during World War 2, to make America whole?

In the midst of rapidly changing conditions, in a world confronted by hardship and awash with fear, we are forced to discipline ourselves as responsible, trustworthy people. 

The foundation for well-being is trust.  This is the secret of integrity in inter-personal relationships, in communities and in nations.

Dependable neighbors may soon become our only source of security.  We need to know how to make this work, and it begins with ourselves.  We might need to be trustworthy even when no one else notices or reciprocates.

It is true that trust lives in relationships.  It cannot exist in isolation.  And, yes, good-will is helpless if the relations between us remain unchanged.  However, trustworthiness is personal and in fact begins with ourselves!

To establish true community, we must turn away from the impersonal collectivism of mass society—to represent our real selves in authentic relationships.

We prove ourselves ready for community by living genuinely with others as dependable, trustworthy co-workers and neighbors.

Each of us is responsible independently.  No one can do this for us.

Tom.

You may watch for the next post on or about June 4.

A note for new readers: A project description and several sample chapters from the forthcoming book are posted in draft at the top of the homepage.

Finding the Door

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The need for safety, and the urgency to secure food for our table have become paramount concerns.  Our many problems are not simple.  We find ourselves facing the onslaught of multiple crises and unprecedented complexity.  Never before has humankind encountered such challenges. 

Our lives depend on a complex global economy, a fragile supply chain, and an international monetary system based solely on confidence.  We watch apprehensively as the world’s population explodes exponentially, even as food production dwindles.  And, hidden in plain sight, the interdependent digital systems which manage and coordinate almost everything we need, can be easily disrupted.

Long-time readers will recall my concerns about the capricious unpredictability of complexity.  This is a new threat we have never before encountered. Already confronted with personal hardship and civil disorder, we must also brace ourselves for the threat of complexity—the shockingly unexpected.  

The hand-holds to stability are loosening even as we reach for them.  As the horizon darkens, where can we find the door to stability?  How will we build a future we can accept and believe in?

My argument that dependable neighbors are essential and that safe, functional communities can actually be created, has usually fallen on deaf ears.  Sadly, this is difficult to imagine in today’s America.  Yet it is something we have had before.  America was built on the foundation of coherent local communities, and we can learn how to do this again.

The wholesale destruction of communities by the industrial revolution, and the subsequent domination of a faceless corporate society, has had major consequences.  The loss has blind-sided Americans, and I believe it to be the primary cause of growing distrust.

Throughout history, local communities have been the place where human beings develop our personal identity and where we learn what it means to belong somewhere.  This is where we build relationships and gain confidence in our ourselves as individuals.

Americans are intelligent and quite capable of thinking rationally.  But for many generations we have been enveloped in mass society—a corporate-dominated reality.  And, mass society has its own impersonal interests which are not our own.

Today true community very rarely exists.  We don’t know what this is.  Political community is often the only community we have, and partisan politics are defined by division and conflict.

Most of us barely know our next-door neighbors.

Few of us live in a neighborhood that provides the safety and organized coherence that communities have provided in the past.  While we may not be aware of everything that has been taken from us, we certainly know the uncertainty, insecurity and alienation that the loss of community has caused. 

Hurtful experiences are common in this uprooted reality, especially among young people. The natural consequences of resentments and alienation are often misconstrued as disrespect or disloyalty or worse.  But blame gets us nowhere.

Any of us might behave just as desperately if we were faced with similar insults and injustices over long periods of time. Let’s think before we draw conclusions.  If we are ever to understand people, we need to ask questions, and to listen with the intention of understanding.

Nothing I am saying requires us to alter our personal values or views.  But a civilized future can only be built with civility, respectfulness, and responsibility.

We learn that people are trustworthy and dependable by allowing ourselves to know them as friends and neighbors. The best way to learn what people are made of—and to actually build trust—is to work with them shoulder-to-shoulder, meeting shared needs and resolving local problems.

This is the door to safety.  Each of us is capable of walking through it on our own, without regard for the confusion or misbehavior of others.

Yes, building safe local communities will be challenging.  But we can learn this skill, just as we have many others.  Practical guidance is available, and I intend to assist.

However dark the future seems, each of us possesses a lamp we have the power to light. Even the smallest lamp will dispel the darkness, which has no existence of its own.

Tom

Note to readers:  You may watch for the next post on or about January 1.  A project description and several sample chapters from the forthcoming book are available in draft at the top of the homepage.

To Seek an Authentic American Future

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The challenges we face in communicating and understanding one another are formidable.  Americans have always been politically contentious, as one would expect in a democratic republic.  But, as we all know, something has changed. Public discourse has been stifled and personal relationships degraded by an atmosphere dominated by fear and distrust.  Alienation has degenerated into open conflict and hostility.  Our differences are many and they are significant.

The failure of meaningful dialogue has obstructed communication, suppressed perceptual sensitivity, and closed the door to understanding.

The observations offered in the first half of my forthcoming book reflect on the American character and the past—ideas and perspectives that transcend partisan politics.  We have a responsibility to reflect on the history that has led us to the place where we now find ourselves. 

No one has a window to the truth.  Our knowledge and perspective are influenced by personal experience and investigation.  Nothing is ever quite what the human mind and imagination make it out to be. And in this extraordinary time, we are confronted with rumor, misinformation, and manipulative politics—all of which degrade our ability to perceive things accurately.

If we are serious about seeking a future we can live with, where freedom is protected and prosperity has a foundation in civil order, we must overcome the forces of disintegration. No enduring solutions will be found where there is alienation and destructiveness.

The United States was conceived as a nation of laws because prosperity is not possible where the subversion of trust dominates the social order. Law can be debated, negotiated, altered.  But the rule of law is a fundamental principle of human security which cannot be subverted without the eventual collapse of human civilization.  Once it is gone, there will be no safety and no easy recovery.

A future that affirms the constructive vision embedded in the Constitution might not be in the interests of a few.  But the vast majority of Americans clearly desire to see the possibility for civility, cooperation, and dependability in the future of this nation. 

The challenge we face in defusing distrust calls for authentic dialogue and a willingness to engage in working relationships.  This is fundamental.  Nothing will otherwise be possible.

So the question before us is whether, and to what extent, we are willing to accept the conditions and discipline it requires.  As demanding as this might appear, it is a project with clearly defined requirements and available means.

To begin, communities will need to sit down and agree on guidelines that make respectful communication possible and constructive action possible.  OK, listen now!  This is not a normal situation. We are hovering on the edge of collapse.  So, acceptable language and rules of engagement must be defined and agreed upon among neighbors, in communities, and in business relationships. 

This is essential.  The necessity for creating secure conditions for mutual assistance and collaboration will have to be taken seriously.  If we want this potential to come alive, we will have to respect and protect it.

As I have repeatedly said, engaging with diversity does not mean altering personal views or opinions.  Diversity is a form of wealth.  It provides us with knowledge, experience, and the learned skills that allow us to meet shared needs and resolve local problems. 

There are many places in this world where we can express our views, and can do so every day.  But in the local community, let’s do this with objective concern for the reality at hand.  In other words, let’s not inflict strong feelings on others in a manner that compromises working relationships, safety and trust.

The truth about people who differ from us is not what the politics of conflict want us to think.  Rather it is what they actually think, believe, and wish for.  Without this information we are flying blind. 

Understanding is only possible when we listen with the intention of understanding. 

In a collapsing civil order, we can set aside our personal philosophies provisionally.  Because safety will require effective communication, graceful collaboration, and dependable relationships.

Tom

You may watch for the next post on or about December 4.

Note to readers:  An introduction to the coming book, and several sample chapters are available in draft, linked at the top of the homepage.

Why Trustworthiness?

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Several of the American founders warned us that self-government depends on citizens governing their own behavior.  Among them, Patrick Henry, George Washington and James Madison all emphasized the importance of virtue.  I have observed here that truthfulness is the most important of the virtues because all the others depend upon it.  And trustworthiness is the sister of truthfulness.  Human civilization cannot survive without them.

How can we rebuild a foundation of trustworthiness in America? 

Well, this is after all a personal responsibility.  We cannot control anyone’s behavior but our own.   Like morality, trustworthiness is only possible with free-will.  It is a choice.

Sometimes I wonder how many of us truly understand the necessity for trustworthiness in a world worth living in.

Each of us is in a position to build trustworthiness with our families and in our communities, even if all the rest of the world succumbs to disunity and degradation.  Trust becomes possible through genuine, unpretentious engagement—honest interpersonal relationships. And yet many of us are possessed by the illusion that trusting relationships are impossible with people we disagree with. This is a problem.

Trust grows through the experience of good will, dependability and patient kindness.  It has nothing to do with opinion. We can begin to experience dependability in working relationships.  And when we get to know people through experience, we discover who they really are and put aside our imagination.

Authentic relationships depend on authentic dialogue.  And in the dysfunctional society we live in today true dialogue is rarely tolerated. Conversations between disinterested or self-indulgent individuals are little more than disconnected monologues.

We cannot understand each other when we fail to listen with the intention of understanding.

Americans have always been a contentious lot.  Yet, we enjoy one another while watching professional sports together over beer and pizza. Some of us have experienced the absolute trust required in the military.  Certainly, soldiers do not agree on everything under the sun.  But they do not question the necessity for trust.

The time will come, as society continues to break down, when personal comfort and possibly even survival itself will depend on trustworthy neighbors.

Can we see that the world is coming apart?  There is no longer time for foolishness.  Cooperation is becoming necessary to resolve local problems and meet shared needs. An inability to engage as neighbors and fellow-citizens committed to dependability, will become increasingly dangerous.

In the last post I wrote about the means for decision-making in communities and small groups where substantial differences exist.  A regular reader on the Facebook page commented: “You are right, but given everything that has happened in the past and is happening today, this is a tough elephant pill to swallow.”

I responded to her: “Hi Caroline. Do you think we have a choice? We are facing a major transition. In my view, a small number of determined Americans can form communities among themselves, and new people can be added gradually–if they are ready to adopt a realistic perspective and discipline. I think you know what I mean: Trustworthiness, dependability, a respectful attitude and the acceptance of differences. You need only to find a few to initiate dialog and begin to sow the seeds. This can take place in scattered locations across the country–wherever good will and rationality survive.”

Engaging with the people around us can be challenging.  But we need not convince them of anything politically or philosophically.  We only need to win them over as good neighbors, with kindheartedness and determination.

Tom

You may watch for the next post on or about November 2.

Trust and Dependability in a Dangerous World

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What better to think about on Labor Day weekend than how to best work well together—in our families, our communities, our workplace?  Relationships are a part of human life.  We are social beings.  We need relationships to be constructive, to discover meaning and find satisfaction.  And they can easily be stressed or disrupted by aggravations that come from poor communication, or differing perspectives and unrecognized assumptions.

These are natural challenges.  They can be addressed intelligently, respectfully, if we care enough to do so.  However, relationships become far more complicated and charged with emotion when they involve power and vulnerability.  This is true in businesses and institutions, and certainly in governance.  And nothing can disturb a marriage faster than false assumptions or the unjust use of power.

We cannot understand each other when we fail to listen with the intention of understanding.

In the degraded society we live in today genuine dialogue is rarely tolerated. Conversations between disinterested or self-indulgent individuals are little more than disconnected monologues. Decisions are often made with limited information and isolated perspective.  In the disengaged clamor of raw factionalism, an unheeding polity may even avoid input that bears on their own interests.

Suppose there might be value to be gained from an unfamiliar perspective or lived experience?  What if we examined all available knowledge and diversity of experience—and listened to ideas with inquisitive interest? In the end, what is lost by expanding our personal knowledge and understanding?

Are we afraid to integrate our own creative thinking—constructively, judiciously—with that of others if it produces beneficial outcomes? Why?

I address you here with a practical concept:  How can consultation and decision-making be made productive and comfortable for everyone?

Each of us needs a free and supportive atmosphere to represent ourselves for who we are—to share our point of view, to represent our values, to be treated with dignity.  Above all, we need to be heard and responded to.  Otherwise, our presence has no purpose and no community is possible.  

Most of us have experienced the frustration of participating in typical business meetings.  And we are familiar with the mediocrity of the usual outcomes.  I invite you to consider an entirely new way of thinking and doing—a way of engaging with one another respectfully and constructively. 

Effective decision-making requires the use of the knowledge, experience, and creative thinking of everyone participating.

Listening and understanding is essential.  Some people are shy or fearful or generally reticent.  We need to tease out potentially useful thinking, and this requires patience and inquisitive interest. Similarly, a difficult personality can mask a potentially valuable perspective.  Creative ideas or insights can remain hidden if we fail to seek them out. Curiosity is essential.

Problem-solving solutions can emerge unpredictably in even the most complicated circumstances when we assemble them from the aggregate of all available contributions.  The outcomes thus produced are often new and unexpected. 

Our purpose here is to reach solutions or develop plans which are not only mutually agreeable, but are actually the most effective outcomes possible.

This is not consensus.  Consensus reduces outcomes to the lowest common denominator.  Consultative decision-making does the opposite. By incorporating the knowledge, experience, and creative imagination of every participant, decision-making produces outcomes more fruitful and effective than anyone could have expected.

Respectfulness and full participation are essential. Outcomes must receive buy-in from everyone.  No one can be shut down or sidelined.

In an increasingly degraded and dangerous world, it is in everyone’s interest to build fully engaged and agreeable relationships with our neighbors.  All our neighbors. 

Cooperative engagement and good will that creates safety and security are possible despite significant interpersonal differences—when we activate genuine community with steadfast patience.  There is no need to compromise personal values.

Detailed guidance will be made available in my forthcoming book.

Diversity of perspective and experience are extremely valuable resources.  We would do well to make use of them.

Tom

The Courage to Engage

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If Americans are to create a future we can live with, where personal freedom is protected and prosperity has a foundation in civil order, we must overcome the alienation from each other that prevails today.  Accurate knowledge vanishes when we fail to investigate independently—engaging, listening, seeking true understanding.

Furthermore, significant disagreement on a single issue, or several, does not define another person.  When false assumptions dominate, we never discover how dependable another person might be, especially when we are all in trouble.

If someone is abusive or disrespectful, leave them to themselves.  But many others will respond with dignity.  

Avoiding dialog and lacking courage, we have entered a downward spiral into estrangement.  Americans have always been a contentious lot, but trust has been deteriorating for decades.  It has reached extremes that are untenable.

Without civility and trust, civil order has no footing.  Emotional well-being and the ability to cope with stress are faltering.

We see this all around us.

The present crisis is real and it is complex.  It is physical; it is social; it is moral.  Something is happening to us, and it is not normal.  It cannot be fixed by a superhero—nor by a legion of self-assured politicians.

In the face of societal disintegration, we are helpless without a kind heart and a responsible attitude.

Can we find the courage and generosity of spirit that give us strength?  Can we settle down emotionally with the grace and grit we are surely capable of?

No enduring solutions will be gained by destructive means.  Nobody needs to tell us that.

The United States has been a nation of laws for a reason.  Ethical foundations offer stability, especially in the context of conflict, controversy, and change.

As we all know, cultural values necessarily compete.  Law can be debated, negotiated, altered.  But the rule of law itself—as a fundamental principle and the foundation of order—cannot be corrupted without the eventual collapse of a civilization.

In the midst of turmoil we must tread carefully, judiciously.  Because once the foundations of civil order fracture, there will be no safety and no easy recovery.

The vision embedded in the United States Constitution might not be in the interests of a few.  But most Americans clearly desire the justice and order the Constitution facilitates. And we long for dependability.

Will we rise above our differences to the extent necessary for rational decision-making?  Do we seek safety and cooperation in our local communities?

Civilization depends on a unity characterized by dependability, generosity of spirit, and mutual trust.  If this is our purpose, we will face our challenges with civility and determination.

We will commit to constructive working relationships with our fellow citizens—however great the obstacles.  Our personal integrity, the safety of our families, and a livable future all depend on this.

Let me be clear:  A rational response to the deepening crisis will concentrate our attention on the creation, strengthening and survivability of authentic communities.

The character of the American future will depend on our readiness to engage in constructive action.  This means working shoulder-to-shoulder with our neighbors, whoever they may be.

Building trust is an imposing challenge.  It will take time.  So, creating real community begins with negotiating genuine agreements, respecting personal sensitivities, and the courage to engage responsibly.

This is not easy.  Responsibility never is.

With loyalty, discipline and determination, I submit to you that something far better, far nobler, something perhaps beyond our present ability to imagine, will emerge from the present turmoil.

If, however, we cannot work together effectively to build safe local communities with people we have differences with, we will condemn ourselves to the only possible alternative: a collapsing civilization distinguished by fear and violence, a nightmare for our children, and a land where no principles, no values, no stable order can be realized.

Tom

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

A reminder to readers: A project description and several sample chapters from the coming book are posted in draft at the top of the homepage.