Organization, Effective Citizenship, and the Power to Do

                 Your organization can make you a more effective citizen. There seems to be a new or renewed urge toward new political organization and active citizenship these days. Many of us have a growing understanding of democracy. We see that more active citizenship brings more democracy.

                 It takes people to organize, but many of those organizing are new, not old. Persons new to organizing, especially political organizing, have a lot to learn. Their energy and enthusiasm will be an important aid to their progress. 

                An organization may have a beginning in individual minds, but its realization will be in a group. A group of people is most often a mess and a mess of people is not an organization. To become an organization there are doings such a mess of people must do. They can begin with a bit of togetherness and continue with a growing ability to cooperate. 

                Agreement that a new organization is necessary or a darn good idea can be a useful beginning. Agreement, perhaps tacit, to work together can be another important step. Finding ways to cooperate is important. Old organizers found many ways to facilitate co-operation.

                Soon the purpose of the organization must begin to be identified and clarified. Clarification of purpose is an ongoing process and activity. This may often be begun by a small group of leaders, but must be carried on by many others.

                Say that the original growing group is made up of citizens who have discovered that they want a brand new political organization. They have some willingness to work together. The also have understandings and misunderstandings to work out. A lot of work.

                Members of this very new organization need to maintain an ongoing understanding of the aims, values, and wants of others in the organization in so far as they affect the organization. Not easy, but important to their ability to increase their effectiveness.

                An important benefit of an organization is that which needs to be done, need not be done by one or a very few, but rather can be shared among and by all members. In fact the more involved with the important work of the organization that are all members, the better the moral and effectiveness of the organization is likely to be. 

                The members of a well functioning group can feel themselves to be effective doers, and can be those effective doers in fact.

                There are some doings and practices which have helped others to start and maintain their organization.

Doings and practices to begin promptly:

~ Consider how you intend to keep in contact.

~ Begin identifying your goals and aims.

~ Clarify goals and aims.

~ Restate goals and aims.

~ Arrange to have each member help to achieve these goals and aims.

~ Take care of all business promptly.

~ Arrange for the ongoing education for all members.

~ Practice dialogue skills.

~ Arrange for members to have opportunity to be educators.

~ Enjoy your participation.

~ Keep in mind that teaching one another is important. Outside help can be very good, but seldom as good as that which we do for ourselves. As we teach, we learn.

~ Demonstrate abundant and appropriate trust of one another.

~ Keep in mind that the fewer the secrets the better. "No secrets" is a good policy.

~ Be inclusive.  as a policy, help anyone who wants to be a member to be one.

~ Encourage equality.

~ Remind one another that each of you is important to and responsible for the maintenance of your organization, its philosophy, and its doings.

~ Lay out clear steps for achieving important and doable goals and plans for your organization.

~ Aims and goals ought to be not only doable and important but also be an attractive and challenging big deal.

~ Set out one or two doings or goals to be worked on today. Your organization will benefit by having important things to be done right now.

~ Keep in mind that there is much to be done and that each member ought to help with those doings.

~ Make clarifying the "grand vision" of your organization an ongoing activity. "Learning, teaching, and practicing democratic self governance for all" might be an example of such a vision.

~ Aim to govern yourselves by practicing self-governance.

                There is a 'comments' window below for comments on the content of this posts.

                                                                    RCS

Your Group, Yourself

Governance With RCS, groups: participation in a group is an important step toward effective  civic participation.   

                You can learn a lot about yourself  by participating in a group. You can practice observing yourself as you participate. You can learn much by observing other members. In a group you can begin the valuable potentials of a group.

                One of the prime injunctions of wisdom teachings has been "Know thyself." 

                Surely an important part of being includes learning. Learning about the world around us seems an important move toward self knowledge. I believe that learning about groups is an important part of learning about the world around us. 

                Participation in a group is a learning experience. That learning and that experience will be of varying quality. Much of such learning can lead to knowledge of self. Some groups are more interesting  and useful than others. Some groups may be better for you than those which seems to suit your present personality.

                A high level of regular participation by members has been important for a group's effectiveness and longevity.  We may call an effective and long lived group an organization. In such an organization it may b vital that each member know that she(or he)has an important job or place in it. A group being a practicing participatory democracy tends to increase the level of group participation.

                Get a group or organization.   Enjoy it's power and your growth.

To analyze your organization, to know it better, and to participate more effectively in it, you and a friend may take some of the actions suggested below:

~ Find out who has the authority to implement your organizational plans.
~ Know the action plan for for the long range funding of your organization.
~ Find out who is involved in developing your strategic plan.
~ Know your membership trends.
~ Consider the nature of your organization's benefits.
~ Know who is doing the bulk of the work to accomplish the goals of the organization.
~ Know what people do the work. Where are they? Identify them.
~ Make sure you know the engines of your organization.

You might also look for answers to the following questions about your organization and about your self:

~ What questions do you have about your organization and your membership in it?
~ How will you get answers to those questions?
~ What will you do about your questions and answers?
~ What makes it or you operate
~ What motivates you and other members?

                Enjoy your growing power and that of your organization! And, learn more about you!

                Thank you for reading.


                                                                        

 

                                                                                         by Richard Sheehan

 

People Power Plus

 Governance With RCS: People Power: Change is important.  Effective social doings call for communal knowledge, collective understanding.

 

                I find that when we use the terms "people power" or "power to the people" that we often have a fuzzy understanding of the concept involved. This unclear understanding can be of tragic danger to a people. At times, these phrases seem to have been a call to revolution. From time to time that call has been answered with thought to the fact that revolutions are unpleasant for many and that their aftermath is often long suffering.

                Change is. It is important and necessary, often pleasant and healthy, and seldom revolting. 

                In revolution there is too often too little planning and agreement among us for what is to come next. With revolution comes the need to clean up the nasty mess it causes. after the clean up, is the need to build the new order. That need calls for the common understanding of the plan for doing that building. People are often left with no agreed upon plan and few resources; they are at a loss for what to do!

                Revolution can turn out to be repugnant, revolting, sickening, and deadly for too many. A high cost. Revolution has seldom been a good plan. It has sometimes been worse than no plan.

                When we want "what is to come next" to be better than what we have now deserves some thought. We need to consider carefully what it is that we want and are out alternatives for getting it. At the very least, we need to consider that much. To be a "we" we need to agree, we need a common understanding of the nature of our common want. We need to carefully consider our alternatives and choose one as our agreed on common way forward. That way may or not be revolution.  

                We see change; happening is change and doing is change. Doing is less frequent. Doing is done on purpose, it is done consciously. It takes effort to learn to do effectively. We do learn to do effectively and we can learn from our doing. observation helps. Its good to know that we do learn.

                For long, many Americans many Americans have been pleased to vote and to "throw the rascals out" when our representatives displeased us. We used our vote to do that. We have begun to learn that voting is not enough. We have been slow to provide candidates to vote for.We have been slow to take part in the nomination process. We have  organized to do so from time to time, but have failed to teach our children how to do so. We have proven to be to easy to disorganize. Some of us are practicing organization again, but we have forgotten many of the basics. We still have not lost all of our co-operation skills.

                We see that there seem to be plenty of "new rascals" to take place of the "old rascals." Too many of us are unsure of what to do about that an to be unsure of why that happens. 

                The designers of our Constitution knew a lot about the whats and whys of governance. They also paid a lot of attention to the  hows of governance. They condensed much of what they learned and knew into the Constitution we adopted as our Constitution. Some of us participated in that process and learned that the key to working the Constitution was participation. Many wise men over a couple of hundred years admired that document as a practical and beautiful way for us to learn to govern ourselves by practicing the ways it laid out. They saw it as a way to much more. For example: as a way to democracy and a way to adaptive governance. 

                The people of Venezuela seem to have found that voting is not enough and not only "threw the rascals out" but also "threw the baby out with its wash water." They let themselves get so exasperated that they threw out to much of the old with little consideration how they would institute the new they would need.

                I have some memory of the overthrow of the U.S. surrogate leadership in the in the Philippines. The people of those islands decided it was time for a change and chased our man, Marcos, out to U.S. shores. A change was made, but the Philippine people were not prepared to handle the results and had not agreed on useful alternatives. The results are history.

                Those 1980s happenings in the Philippines provided little learning for most of those effected. A certain few Americans gained some advantage. Most Americans did not know what happened and did not  notice their loss. A very few Philippine individuals felt a little advantage, others felt some satisfaction at seeing Marcos leave the islands, most experienced very little change and no advantage.

                To make beneficial changes in governance, an understanding of  the present government helps. A wide understanding of common wants and needs is also a help. Another help, which calls for some learning and experience, is knowledge of the kinds of governance available to mankind. A great understanding of the governance of the state and government with which one is most familiar may be vital. We benefit by learning to justly, legally, and effectively use our actual government.  

                Power with no action is no power at all. That may be good because there are some powers worse than others. Most agree that a power used for good is the better power. Power can be very good when it is handled with skill and understanding. The greater that skill and understanding the better the chances are for a good result. We each have the power to improve both our understanding and our skill. We need the will to learn and to practice the basics of civil co-operation.   

                All of us can benefit by each of us developing a better understanding of democracy among us. 

                As for people power, its power may be measured by the will of the people to govern, and of their understanding the nature of governance, A good source of understanding is experience. Experience can include organizing for action and education. Such experience may also be gained in the practice of politics, civics, social co-operation and most democratic social activity. Knowledge of the workings of ones actual government may be vital. Knowledge of the laws and systems of your government is important. That is a clear understanding of the workings of your present government is important to any success. Details are important, but a clear overall  vision of the governance is often more powerful. So, in the USA, the ongoing improvement of your understanding of the meanings to be found in the Constitution, the more powerfully effective you may be. Frequent quotations from that document are seldom helpful.

                When one is active the ongoing clarification of plans and goals may become critical.

                A good beginning for an active citizen is showing up. Also the practice of associating oneself with clear, realistic, appropriate goals and plans can go far in keeping one out of difficulties.

                People power, in the hands and heart of those who show up to participate, listen, learn; and then to act with love and respect for themselves, their body politic, and humanity in general, has a great chance for being strong, enduring, and good. 

                Your deepening understanding, of democracy and the will of the good people around you, can give you effective strength.

                Satisfaction can be found in co-operation with to practice governance of one's self and in co-operating with others in your common governance.

                Thank you for reading. I appreciate comments to the contents of this post.

 

                                                                RCS 

                                                                                      Here's More !                                      

Governance With RCS: revolution and people power             

                 Most attempts at revolution fail due to lack of understanding of the ways and means of rule. A grave lack is, failing to achieve consensus of what to do after the "bad guys" have been deposed. This is often due to lack of will to use communication skills to better advantage. An ongoing inclusive dialogue seems called for.

                Often a resolution is mounted by a coalition of parties. Once the oppressive rulers have been deprived of power, members of the coalition parties lack sufficient skills at cooperation with and compromising with the other groups. So, governance relapses into a state of sickness.

            It also seems worthwhile to consider that, that which begins in killing often does not go forth well.

                Comments on content are welcome.

                                                                                                Richard