“To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.”
–Winston Churchill
Tag Archives: #social justice
Security and the Use of Force
I will address two considerations involving the potential use of force in defending ourselves. The first is related to the security of our families and communities, the topic of recent blog posts. The second relates to our ultimate purpose, the effective means by which the foundations of the American Republic can be secured and strengthened.
I will consider the first in this post and the second in the coming weeks.
I have mentioned several security issues that will concern us if the current deterioration of the economy and social order continues. While food security may be the most likely serious threat to a community, the most unpredictable danger will be the unstable individual or group approaching from outside.
Whether unexpected visitors might be psychopathic, motivated by religious or political ideology, or simply in a state of desperate need, may not be immediately apparent.
We would do well to deal with visitors in a respectful and humane manner, while remaining cautious and defensive. The potential danger is real. We must respond judiciously and communicate clearly, while summoning fellow community members for assistance.
In my view, we would also do well to remain sensitive to any positive value that might be presenting itself. New faces will sometimes come to us with good character and valuable skills.
Graceful hospitality will always set the right tone, even if a visit needs to be kept brief. Some of us have better verbal skills than others, or possess more disarming personalities. Others may have weapons training or know martial arts.
An effective set of tools is offered by Target Focus Training (TFT), which includes physical skills for personal defense against lethal weapons.
If we keep weapons in the home we must manage them with utmost care. Any weapon is an ever-present liability when kept in close proximity to our families. Emotions can run high when we experience hardship. As we all know, a gun can easily kill a loved one, even without an external threat.
In addition to first aid training, which is essential, each of us can gain conflict management and other defensive skills, both verbal and combative. We would be well-advised to prepare ourselves well in advance. A list of self-determined guidelines and personal thresholds for action can be memorized in preparation for the unexpected.
To the extent possible, our conscious purpose should not only include safety and survival, but also the ultimate concern for which we are living.
Courage is a priceless virtue. Not the courage to fight, but the courage to care. It takes a brave heart to make peace, but compassion must be buttressed by backbone.
Women sometimes embrace this balance with natural equanimity, but the presence of danger must never be forgotten.
Approaching difficult encounters with a positive attitude is an ability that can save lives. This can make the difference between friendship and enmity, between collaboration and catastrophe.
We have entered a long crisis. People are coming unhinged. We will often encounter the walking-wounded, and danger will not always be obvious.
We will meet good people who have lost hope or are grieving deeply. They may appear abrupt or angry at first. We may not be sure who or what they are, but will soon come to realize that we need not fear them.
Each of us is wounded in some way.
I think most of us understand that this is not about being nice or even socially responsible. This is about treating one another with mutual respect as Americans. It is about reconstructing the United States as the kind of country we want to live in – one soul at a time.
It all comes down to purpose: Security requires preparedness; rebuilding the foundations requires grace.
We cannot afford to live in a state of siege behind walls that isolate us and appear hostile to others. To give in to fear and retreat into defensive enclaves of survivalists would be to admit defeat.
Let us rather win over the confused, heal the wounded, and welcome the returning prodigal friend. This is the true path to security.
Mature leadership greets each day with an open heart and an inclusive vision.
Tom
Next week: A Severe Choice
Walking the Talk
Big corporations often seem to behave with disregard for the humanity of citizens and community. Geared to function with a singular profit-making intensity that is resistant to compromise, these are not human creatures.
Living with a dominant corporate culture, we find ourselves perceived as economic units, “consumers” pressed into service by a materialist mindset.
And so we have been isolated from one another, forced apart by social forces that are difficult to overcome. The personal experience of meaning and interconnectedness that civil society depends upon has evaporated.
Americans need not submit to such a sorry destiny.
Independence is always relative, but it is an attitude and a choice. Self-sufficiency could actually become a matter of life or death. It can mean food security or financial stability or being a good parent. Its’ meaning will take on new dimensions when crises strike. But, there is much more to it than survival.
It is in community and in the quality of our active relationships that we form the matrix of a free society. Freedom is realized in serving a principled purpose, and in the vitality of lives that are engaged and in motion.
It is in productive interaction with others that ideas are shared and problem-solving is most effective. In trustworthy relationships, self-sufficiency gains strength and dependability.
But, are we willing to take this on?
We might not want to put up with community. A few try to avoid it all together. But, it is impossible to completely ignore it – unless we take snowshoes, an axe and a rifle, and walk into the wilderness.
I know how attractive solitude can be. I also know that it would deny me the opportunity to grow as an individual, as well as the honor and adventure of dedication to the country I love.
Historically, the basic building blocks of the American Republic have been communities. And, the bonds that held everything together were the personal relationships that make communities work.
Communities are formed by the inspiration and determination of individuals and families, interwoven into mutually supportive networks, and networks of networks. And, no, it will not be easy to regain what came to us so naturally in the past.
Let me state again, however, that the ultimate visionary force can only be that loyalty to the American Idea that welcomes diversity and rejects hostile divisiveness.
Americans are accustomed to contentious politics and unconstrained partisanship. There will always be value in the clash of differing opinions. However, we have entered a period of instability and potential danger. It is time to rise above our differences in the interests of ensuring the balance and cohesion of the Republic.
We face the instability of extraordinary complexity, deteriorating infrastructure, and institutions that are trapped in the past. Things are not going to work the way we think they should, and there will be no one to resolve the problems except ourselves.
If we are to rebuild a society in which the foolishness of the past is not repeated, we must think constructively about the qualities and principles that are needed. Generosity and good will are essential human virtues. We must keep them strong in our hearts, but help one another to understand why they are not enough. Some things just don’t work.
Finding solutions to community problems will demand that we put our heads together. It will require consultation, deliberation, and creative imagination. And, it calls for the most diverse range of minds and perspectives possible. The way to maximize effective problem-solving is to include people with a broad range of experience and practical skills.
This might sound idealistic. In fact, it is the only way to restore a broken society. Learning how to do it will be hard work, but people of good faith will always have the capacity to succeed.
We must hold our personal beliefs clearly in mind, while keeping in mind that we can expect less conflict and far greater security if we connect, listen and learn, understand and influence.
Holding ourselves apart from one another in disagreement while hurling insults can only reap destruction. Engaging with one another can be extremely challenging, but there is no other way.
Tom
Next week: Foundations for security.
The foundational principle…
“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.”
“When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective.”
–Stephen R. Covey
Unexpected Wisdom
How has the American identity formed itself amid conflicting ideas, beliefs, and perspectives? How has the clash of differing opinions contributed to strength?
The idea that unity is strengthened by diversity may sound counter-intuitive at first, but it is measurable and irrefutable.
In his book, The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki describes compelling evidence that large groups of people possess an extraordinary power to solve problems when their judgment is aggregated, and that the more diverse the crowd, the more efficient the solutions.
Citing a variety of examples, author Surowiecki presents a fascinating description of the conditions in which democratic decision-making does and does not work.
In his introduction to The Wisdom of Crowds, we hear of the surprise of scientist Francis Galton when 787 participants in a raffle at a county fair submitted guesses at what the weight of a large ox would be after it had been slaughtered and dressed.
“The analogy to a democracy, in which people of radically different abilities and interests each get one vote, had suggested itself to Galton immediately. ‘The average competitor was probably as well fitted for making a just estimate of the dressed weight of an ox, as an average voter is of judging the merits of most political issues on which he votes,’ he wrote.”
Galton, who wished to support his view that “the average voter” was capable of very little good judgment, borrowed the tickets from the organizers following the competition. He then ran a series of statistical tests on them. Among other things, he added all the contestants’ estimates and calculated the average.
The crowd had guessed that the ox, after it had been slaughtered and dressed, would weigh 1,197 pounds. In fact, it weighed 1,198 pounds.
Another example described by Surowiecki is the story of the 1968 loss of the United States submarine Scorpion, which disappeared in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. The Navy had no idea what happened to the vessel, where it was, or how fast it had been traveling.
Mr. Surowiecki recounts the story as told by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew in their book Blind Man’s Bluff, about how a naval officer named John Craven assembled a group of people – mathematicians, submarine specialists, and salvage men – provided them with a number of varied scenarios, and asked them to offer their best guesses without benefit of discussion each other. All they knew was the sub’s last reported location.
The group laid wagers on why the submarine ran into trouble, on its speed as it headed for the ocean floor and on the steepness of descent, among other things.
Craven built a composite picture of what happened and calculated the group’s collective estimate of where the submarine was. The location he came up with was not a location suggested by any members of the group. But, that is where it was.
The Navy found the wreck 220 yards from where Craven’s people said it would be.
Mr. Surowiecki proceeds to demonstrate the surprising consistency of this outcome in widely varied circumstances. And, he explains how groups work well in some circumstances better than others.
As we all know, there are times when aggregating individual judgments produces a collective decision that is disastrous; a riot, for example, or a stock market bubble.
Interestingly, he writes: “Diversity and independence are important because the best collective decisions are the product of disagreement and contest, not consensus or compromise.
“An intelligent group, especially when confronted with cognition problems, does not ask its members to modify their positions in order to let the group reach a decision everyone can be happy with. Instead, it figures out how to use mechanisms – like market prices, or intelligent voting systems – to aggregate and produce collective judgments that represent not what any one person in the group thinks but rather, in some sense, what they all think.
“Paradoxically, the best way for a group to be smart is for each person in it to think and act as independently as possible.”
Later in the present project, we will look at practical methods by which groups with diverse viewpoints can engage in creative problem-solving and decision-making in a manner that transcends consensus, even when face-to-face, to reach unexpected and mutually satisfying outcomes.
Tom
Next week: The challenge we must rise to
American Crucible
The extraordinary challenges confronting the American people mark an unequivocal turning point and, indeed, impose an unambiguous test of America’s place in history.
For more than two hundred years the United States has stood before the world as a beacon of hope, a source of creative vibrancy, imagination and ingenuity, and as a singular model of political freedom, social diversity, and economic vitality.
In the crush of crisis it is easy to forget the historic stature of the United States, and the role it has played and will continue to play in the progress of an ever-advancing civilization.
Yet, our confidence in the future is shaken by abandoned responsibility and collapsing institutions. Our economic well-being and social coherence as a nation have been weakened, and the generosity of spirit for which we have long been known appears dimmed.
In observance of Independence Day, and in honor of the many new readers who have joined the blog in recent weeks, I am stepping away from the current topic to revisit the central theme of the forthcoming book.
Blog posts usually appear each Friday, both here and on the Facebook page. You will find a proposed table of contents here, an introduction to the book, and full drafts of several chapters. This post is adapted from Chapter One, “American Crucible.”
Do we possess the vision and resolve to join one another in rebuilding the foundations of the United States based on its’ core values and ultimate meaning? Are we prepared to rise above our differences for the sake of “the American idea?”
I believe this is a time to consider our identity as a people.
My message is brief. It will be short on analytical detail and will avoid blame. There is more than enough blame to go around and we all know about it. Rather, it will focus on the essentials of mind and attitude, of moral character, and of our relationships with one another that will be required to turn things around – to turn despair into courage and failure into honor and self-respect.
The book will acknowledge some of the basic errors of the past that must be avoided if we are to forge a realistic course into the future. We will briefly consider the manner in which Americans have given up control of our lives and made ourselves vulnerable to the present circumstances.
However, we will do so not to fix blame, but for the purpose of understanding the steps to securing a free and stable future.
We all yearn for a less partisan and more civil national discourse. Let us accept that diverse views are needed, however divergent they may be, if we are to correctly identify effective solutions. Practical problem-solving best occurs with input from varied perspectives. And, I must point out that in the present dangerously fragile context, priority must go to ensuring the safety and well-being of our families and communities. This will depend on loyalty, cooperation, and teamwork – despite our differences.
There can be no freedom without trust. And, we cannot begin to address the larger issues in our future without first securing stable local forums in which to engage with civility.
Is this really possible? Yes, but only with great patience and a capacity to envision the end in the beginning.
The United States has gained its vitality from our diversity and the creative engagement found in the clash of differing opinions. Our differences must never be permitted to subvert the unity of purpose that secures the identity of the nation. This immense energy can only be productive if disciplined by civil discourse, steadfast commitment, and a shared vision.
At a time of extraordinary existential threat we are confronted with a stark choice.
Will we return to the founding principles of these United States as the foundation for building a free, ethical, and prosperous future? Will we defend and protect two hundred years of commitment, hard work, and sacrifice by generations of Americans who have given their lives to this unprecedented vision?
Or, will we give way to the emotions of uncompromising partisanship – and allow a great trust to disintegrate?
Tom
Next week: A Confluence of Crises
Unless we love the truth…
“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that unless we love the truth we cannot know it.”
–Pascal
“Truth exists; only lies are invented.”
–Georges Braque
Crisis and Opportunity
I am addressing these words to Americans for two reasons. I believe we have entered a period of severe, successive and interacting crises that promises to be deep, grinding, and long-lasting.
Secondly, I am concerned about the potential consequences of the increasingly bitter antagonism and disunity current among the American people.
Many of you are aware that the present predicament has been developing gradually over time. We have seen the loss of a once vibrant civil society, deterioration of the nation’s economic base, and a profound loss of social coherence and moral responsibility.
We each have a personal decision to make. Do we wish to recover the integrity of the United States as a constitutional republic? Are we prepared to rise above our differences, to engage personally with our neighbors, to instill the American spirit in safe, dependable communities?
These are among the questions that have inspired the forthcoming book. Our circumstances are already extreme. Nothing will be easy.
The United States and the world have arrived at an unprecedented turning point. We face a formidable array of complex crises. The challenges are diverse, profound, and mutually reinforcing. Some will impose themselves suddenly, others gradually, but all will ultimately converge as they impact upon our lives.
What is most extraordinary is the number and variety of crises that are emerging into view at virtually the same time: social and economic, moral and material.
An abbreviated review is offered here to demonstrate this diversity.
1) Increasing social instability characterized by a dramatic loss of civility, and by unrestrained anti-social behaviors that include accelerating incidences of brutality and mass murder.
2) A banking and monetary system that favors the financial elite rather than the American people, and which has become dominated by self-serving individuals who appear incapable of recognizing that their risk-taking behavior threatens the well-being of everyone, including themselves.
3) Massive government indebtedness, which constricts the economy and threatens Americans (and many others) with a dramatic devaluation of our dollar.
4) Ancient and deteriorating infrastructure that we depend on every day: bridges, municipal water and sewage systems, and the electrical grid. These will be almost impossible to upgrade or replace by governments already hobbled by indebtedness and shrinking revenues.
5) An exponentially increasing global population. With this comes rapidly increasing risk of global epidemics, as well as inevitable food shortages caused by falling water tables and a continual loss of arable farmland.
6) The rapid development of advanced technologies without a commensurate advancement of moral maturity or conscious sense of responsibility.
7) Degradation of the natural environmental systems that provide us with clean air and water, the consequence of population pressures and the long-term aggregate build-up of toxic substances derived from motor vehicles, household products, and industrial pollution.
8) A failure of parenting, and the emergence of a generation of youth untethered from reality and having little sense of moral, personal, or social responsibility.
9) Last, but not least, a profound loss of moral compass, balance, and integrity on a societal scale. This dramatic deterioration is overwhelming the values and norms of the past, and it is a crisis that impacts on all others.
There is more.
During the past century we have seen the emergence of integrated and digitized global systems that include transport, communication, and surveillance technologies, and a unified global monetary system. Consequently, no crisis can take place in any context without impacting on the whole.
A profound structural transition is taking place in human affairs that many have yet to recognize or understand.
How can such dire circumstances be called an opportunity?
For Americans the opportunity lies in the disruption of our lives – a disruption so profound that it cannot fail to alter our perspective, our thinking, and our willingness to cooperate with one another for the sake of local safety and security – whatever our politics or religion or the color of our skin.
And, if we can build viable local communities we can also begin the dialog to identify the practical extent of our shared values, and to develop a sense of shared vision and purpose that we can respect.
We must resist being dragged down, demoralized. We cannot react out of fear. We will stand firmly together, rising to the promise of our humanity with honor, dignity, and resourcefulness.
The identity of the nation is at stake.
Tom
Next week: A Confluence of Crises
When I reflect that God is just…
“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.”
–Thomas Jefferson
Excluded From the Means…
“Men might as well be imprisoned, as excluded from the means of earning their bread.”
–John Stuart Mill
If Humankind is to Survive…
“The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.”
–E. M. Forster (Novelist)
“If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life’s exciting variety, not something to fear.”
–Gene Roddenberry (Creator of Star Trek)
A Foundation for Renewal
I cannot imagine an American renewal without a meaningful dialog concerning values.
Can we rise above our differences as Americans to agree on the most basic of shared values? Will a courageous few stand together to agree on a unified starting point – a common American “center” that transcends culture, religion, politics?
Will the center hold?
It is difficult to visualize how this can happen, yet I believe we can do it and will do it. I believe it possible in part because it is not necessary to begin with large numbers. A small unified core of determined Americans can make this happen, citizens with the tenacity and open-minded compassion necessary to assert a powerful moral presence.
If we are willing and able to present a vision for the future with a generous and welcoming spirit, it will be immensely attractive to a nation desperate for the feel of solid ground beneath its’ feet.
I believe the vision of a civil order based on trust and responsibility will draw Americans to it from every walk of life – from every religious faith, from every economic condition and political philosophy.
And, yes, this begs a question. How can we agree? We have substantial differences. This is the hard part.
What is essential is not that we agree on every aspect of personal belief, but that we join with one another to restore the integrity of a civil society that allows for constructive cooperation, engaging with one another respectfully, so that we can secure the safety of our families and the productivity of our communities.
If this is our priority we cannot allow America to disintegrate in unrestrained acrimony and hostility. We will have to choose our battles. Some will have to be fought on another day.
James Madison fought to have slavery abolished in the Constitution when it was first drafted in 1787. It was painful for him to walk away from that vision, but he realized it threatened to kill the entire project. It took decades of determination for abolitionists to finally get the job done.
Today, however, agreement on certain principles will be immediately necessary. What must these be?
What are the core principles that will put America on the road to a dynamic future? Not the core principles held dear by each of us personally, but the essential principles required to pull a diverse people together as a nation.
Each of us will have to decide what we can accept in a healthy, diverse, pluralistic American society. Each will need to consider the extent to which we are prepared to engage in meaningful dialog and debate concerning this question.
I have suggested several principles in these blog posts that I consider essential. In addition to a firm defense of the Constitution, I have written of the necessity for trustworthiness, for responsibility, and the concept of constructive action – action based on the principle of refusing to hurt or do harm, whether by impatience, dishonesty, hatred, or wishing ill of anybody.
(See especially September 26, Foundation of Trust; October 12, Bringing Light to Darkness; October 17, Finding Courage in Crisis; and December 12, First Principles.)
Now I would like to hear from readers. What principles would you ask your fellow Americans to commit themselves to? Please contribute your comments.
And, what of those who remain hardened in attitude, closed-minded, or confused? What of those who simply refuse to accept any kind of responsibility?
We must stand firm in the midst of chaos and not be moved from our choice of principles or our determination to rise above our differences.
A fully American vision can only be reached through thoughtful consultation – by discussing our hopes and beliefs with one another in good faith, exploring the fault lines where we can find common purpose and a higher calling.
A valid vision of the future will require genuine engagement and understanding. Only then can we start working together on real problems and real needs.
We are either all in, building a free, fair, and productive society, or we are each on our own in a devastated world.
Tom
A note to readers: Please share your thinking about principles and fundamental American values in your comments.
Liberty and the American Idea 