Organizing: Pleasure and Power

 We know that organization increases our power enormously. We know that our organization informs and educates us well.

                    We are capable of forgetting the pleasures and satisfactions  of organization. I expect that the pleasures and satisfactions I am recalling just now will not be the same as yours. Still among mine you may find one or two of yours.

I have an interest in ad hoc organizations and and those of longer term.

Below are many of my personal likes in organizations. You may find some of your likes listed.

An organization which attracts me often has:

~ members who feel connected, involve, and respected.

~ the motive of helping me and others to thrive.

~ a clear understanding of costs and benefits.

~ members who promote widespread participation and responsibility.

~ members who embrace reality and who are willing to approach the truth.

~ members who value honesty and justice.

~ a mission I find valuable and pleasing.

~ plenty of talk in which all participate.

An organization which pleases me is one which:

~ Keeps me in the information loop.

~ most members feel well connected with leadership.

~ Makes very clear who pays how much and who gets what.

~ moves in the direction of democracy.

~ tends to be inclusive.

~ tends to safeguard that which I value.

~ includes those who study and promote actions good for me and others.

~ advocates and protects people and process important to me.

~ promotes dialogue which leads to appropriate action.

I find an organization congenial when it includes:

~ teaching the process of organizing.

~ the purpose of advocating and protecting me.

~ objectives very like my own.

~ intelligent, respectful, loving ladies.

                I am very interested in hearing of your likes in organizations. I expect to post more about organization and organizing. Dialogue skills are organizational skills for all participants in society

                More as soon as I can.

                                                                                                            RCS

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

Awareness

             The awareness of governance is bringing new readers to this blog. Important new readers of this blog are finding their awareness of governance pleasantly stimulated. When you feel your curiosity about governance a bit stimulate, find some time to better explore this blog.

            Come explore.

                                                                                                rcs

Comments?

 The "comments" app has been removed form this blog or has been somehow removed. I have done all the usual things to reinstall the app with no success! What else can I do?

                                                                    Richard

We Can Learn to Govern

                Through active citizenship, we learn to govern ourselves.

            As you may know, I am attracted by the doing of active democracy and active citizenship. Some of such doing may be done alone, but the most effective of such doing is done in association with others; is done by showing up and co-operating with others. However, to do this really effectively well takes dialogue. It takes ongoing dialogue to build trust and understanding.

            Before acting to good effect with others we need to do a bit more than to get on the same page with them, As a part of that "bit more" we need to become aware of the various ways we mean the words we use among ourselves. We need to better understand how each of us understands important words we are using. That takes some dialogue.

            We may be correct in believing that we are all pretty much on the same page as to the to the meaning of "active:" capable of functioning, causing movement or change, participating and like that, right? But what nature of functioning, and how much of it, and other such questions? That takes listening, hearing, understanding, and getting the meaning.

            Words like democracy and citizenship on the lips or from the mouth of another may not be so easily to get the meaning of and to understand well. What comes from another is never exactly the same as what comes from your mind. To begin to understand enough of what is on another's mind takes some dialogue, often ongoing dialogue.

            How does the person, or how do the persons with whom you wish to collaborate, mean the words republicanism, and democracy? People even have very different visions of the meanings of the word citizen or citizenship. Most can probably agree that citizenship is about doings of a citizen. Not everyone will agree that a citizen is a brother or sister in civic action. Not everyone agrees that the base meaning of democracy is governance by the people, which implies that governance is done in  a lively way by the people. What does that mean? And just who are the people? It takes some talk and listening among us to discover what is on the mind of each,

            Help me make the meaning of some important words more abundantly clear. Let's try to get to breadth and depth of the meaning in each of us and write them on these pages. I suggest the following words to begin with, but you can contribute others to add to the list. Words I offer for consideration: association, co-operation, collaboration, democracy, republic, organize, organization, justice, republicanism, dialogue, governance, government, participation, citizen, citizenship, politics, organizing.

             I intend to write a little about a few of these important words here and

now. I also intend to respond to your offerings, suggestions, questions, and comments. In the comment section just below this post. I believe that our "comments" app is again 

functioning correctly.

            I'll begin with some remarks about governance. Governances can be about government" and "to govern" and "a governor." Government is an institution of some lasting often to regulate  geographic area such as a state or county. In a republic it consists of citizens selected by citizens to represent citizens. A governor can be a citizen chosen by citizens to be chief representative of their state. A governor can also be a mechanism for controlling the speed of an engine. As another example, personal, individual self-governance is about the responsibilities and rights for a person's actions and interactions. In a republic that includes his doings as a citizen. Many of us consider ourselves to be the boss and governor of ourselves and practice governance of ourselves. As a citizen of a democracy or republic on has duties responsibilities, rights, freedoms, and the responsibility to maintain them and use them as part of the governance of your territory.

            Citizenship in a republic has rights and duties. Citizenship is the practice of the skills of governance in a state as a recognized citizen of that state. Active citizenship is practicing and using those skills in a lively manner. Being a citizen is a legal position having a set of rules and laws agreed on to regulate your citizenship. These rules and laws are usually not burdensome and citizens have the right to change them. Not claiming one's rights and duties can lead to major civic and personal Problems.

          Not claiming one's rights and duties can cause major losses. Not claiming them can cause loss of one's rights, liberty, citizenship, freedom, happiness, state, and perhaps similar losses to family, friends and fellow citizens. The loss of your state can lead to loss of rights and freedoms for future generations. When not so very many of us fail to take up our duties and to claim our rights as active citizens our state moves toward failure.

            I most states a citizen is free to "lobby" other citizens including representatives. "Lobby" is not truly a legal term. To lobby can be thought of as the practice of doing what one can to persuade others as might a teacher or preacher. It can refer to your efforts to persuade citizens of your town to act in a certain way; for example, rerouting traffic around your grade-school to reduce the chances of your children being struck by a motor vehicle. There is honorable lobbying, but it is not always so. It is a word much used in politics. It seems to have begun in the lobby of the halls of Congress. There, influencers working for persons and institutions looking for cooperation from congressional representatives for more effective workings of their businesses. It was not always for business, but that is where the action is.

            Lobbying can be a sort of encouragement. For example, you could try to persuade fellow citizens to co-operate to help each other to practice teaching one another about governance, citizenship, and organizing. Trying to get your high school school-board to open an adult night school class could be thought of as an example of lobbying.

            There is among us a lack of knowledge of politics, and that is not good. Some of us believe that "politics'' is a bad word, and that is not useful. Politics is much about the practice of governance. It can even refer to the good practice of co-operation. I will add that politics is often be much like milk, it can be sweet or sour, or even change its state and get cheesy. Politics is also a name for a way we co-operate to govern ourselves. Like any activity it can be well done, poorly done, or worse. Check your dictionary or online for the meanings of "polities," "governance," "government," and similar words to make sure we all better understand what we are discussing. Pick out the best of that which you find out about the words and you will come close to understanding the way I use them here.

            I would be proud and pleased to be lobbied to be part of a group dedicated to helping one another to learn more about the doing of doing democracy, politics, governance, citizenship. I such a group I would be pleased to learn more about a free and useful citizen of my neighborhood, city, town, country, state, or nation. It seems good to practice taking care of our polity together. None of us can do it all alone. All of us can do more to arrange to learn to show up once in awhile. 

            There a doings which we are very capable of. As and American, as a citizen of the United States We could even do things which seem a bit difficult. We could learn to meet with others to learn about our Constitution and how to use it democratically as good citizens. That constitution does contain the principle laws of the land. 

            I have a lot to learn, as most of us do. Lately I have thought of being an effective citizen at the national level,and soon remembered that I have limited resources. I limited energy and knowledge and more. Then I remembered that there are very many of us to do that which calls for doing. There are so many of us that each of us doing a little amounts to a very great deal of doing. 

            I can begin to think of things that I really can do. There may be something important that I can do easily and enjoy doing it.  It least I can begin to allow the possibility to be a thought moving in my mind. I might find out how to see the working of a republic and a democracy at a local level. I could give myself a chance to find out where I fit in. Is there a class related to governance which is given at a local night school or community college which seems interesting? Are there local meetings related to our governance and where we could at least show up and listen. Meeting with some interested people near me could be instructive and satisfying. I could listen and perhaps contribute some useful comments. Just practicing democracy in a group could be useful and and a pleasure.

            I find myself less interested in parties and candidates these days and more interested in platforms and planks. I find it pleasant to  know that most of the 20 or so of our national parties in the US still have planks and platforms. I may find the time and energy to search these platforms for planks that relate to the promotion and support of citizen participation and education in active democratic governance. Much of such search can be done online. If you find time and energy for such search please let us in on some of your findings. The "comments" section below is a place to do that.

            We can participate in our governances in very many different ways easily. We can us all the help we can get, but we don't have to have any help. We can begin to do a little research independently or we can co-operate in that activity. We help each other to learn when we please. When we want to, we can practice governance related activity as we learn. As an example at the federal level, we could consider how to support a bill in co-operation with one of our better Representatives. By doing so we might better our county, state, and nation. Or we might decide not to do that until we better knew our the nature of our common goals. That is, we can practice democratic governance.

            We can learn about our mutual governance and we can help one another to practice that which we learn. Many have voted, read the newspapers, listened to the news and watched it on TV. Some are really learning on the internet. A few have participated in a political campaign and attended a political meeting. We can learn more in ongoing dialogue and in that dialogue prepare for and plan effective and appropriate action.

            I have been coming to better understand more about social self-governance, active citizenship, and active democracy by myself. I believe that I can learn more and better in a dialogue group of citizens interested in, for example, active democracy. I believe that such a group individuals can learn more, do more, and find  more satisfaction than we can alone. I believe that we can also come to more appropriate trust in such ongoing dialogue.

            Even so, I do not want to do governance until I drop; nor am I interested in being a professional politician. There are ways of doing enough without doing what feels like doing too much. And there is ayuda. There are many active citizens we can invite to help. There also many more potential active citizens. Among us there are many skills,  interests, abilities, and much experience on tap. So there is little reason to feel that there is more to do than we are able to do. We already know how to co-operate. With practice we get better at it. It is great that there are this many us to do the duties, jobs, and tasks of citizenship. It is also great to have so many with whom to enjoy and celebrate the the blessings of our good governance.

                We are not all the same anyone can act to eliminate the tasks one likes least and can seek to avoid the tasks one finds least interesting. This may be done in the awareness that self-governance is our duty and that it is our duty to support those willing to take on these important tasks. We can be grateful that there are enough of us and that we are varied enough to fulfill all of our tasks and duties successfully enough. 

            Lately I have become less interested in the important areas of political office holders, candidates, and parties. I suspect that there are and hope that there are enough potential citizens who are ready, willing, and able to learn and practice the doings and of political parties, candidates, and offices. There are citizens available to help others to learn and practice these important activities in a democratic manner. So, we can feel free to act most in the areas in which we feel most comfortable. Still, our governance is the responsibility of all of us. The alternative is a kind of slavery. You and I are free to practice our citizenship as we will. Each is free to practice citizenship I his or her own way. Our action results in the quality of our government.

            An important activity of citizenship, and of much else, is showing up. There are many opportunities for showing up. Voting and demonstrations are the most popular opportunities these days. Learning about and sharing important issues offer other opportunities. Attending co-op and union meetings are still others. Helping a group assemble information for a Bill is another. Tell us about another you may come to think of. Attending a night school or community college class related to governance is a way, government, politics, and the like. Yet another is co-operating in the resolution and implementation of a public issue (What to do about the overly large population of stray dogs in your area is an example. There are a great number of ways we can co-operate to keep our county, country, or town operating well. You could run into one in which being active would be your great pleasure. 

            Some learning often helps us to better do that which needs doing. What can we actually do to make more available the good teaching of how to do citizenship and how to do democracy? 

            There is a limited amount of time that one can, or wants to, devote to anything, including governance. Most of us take some time to co-operate. Nearly everyone has some ability to co-operate. Co-operation is the way a culture is maintained and the way we maintain our society. It is probably the most important factor in governance. Its working together; some have called it collaboration. 

            To take part in governing ourselves we can find a place in which we feel we could co-operate, and show-up. After showing-up for awhile one may decide that the place does not feel congenial. There are many choices one may make. One choice is finding a place that feels more appropriate for you. Such exploration is taking part in governance!

            I have heard that one way of not "spreading oneself too thin"  is to think globally and to act locally. I am not completely sure of how that works, but it does sound good and could be helpfull. I suggest that we keep our eyes, ears, and mind open to discovering a place or way we can show-up and co-operate. 

            One can show-up with the purpose of observing and understanding. One can show-up where others are doing active citizenship democratically. Personally I find listening at a schoolboard meeting more interesting than hanging at my polling place. Thank goodness that we do not all have the same likes and dislikes.

            Some find city council meetings interestings. Finding out where a given councilman likes to spend money available to the council Could keep me listening for two meetings in a row. Political party meetings could be worth showing up at. The right Green Party meeting could might be a nice demonstration of  party members getting things done in an interesting way. Listing to people where they are co-operating to do something about an important social issue could interest you so much that you would like to do more than listen.    

            Most of us need breaks from listening; even so it is often best to listen and understand enough, to be able to keep one's foot out of one's mouth, before speaking much. So, it is best to listen to see how active citizenship is being practiced in a given situation. Listen enough to understand the situation you intend to speak into. By listening you may come to understand how active citizenship is practiced there. Listen and learn how governance is practiced there.

            Nearly every one of us something about co-operation and co-operating. Co-operation is not all of citizenship and governance; still it is very useful and important. Co-operating is an important step toward social and political organization and it is an important doing during social and political organization. It is an important part of well practiced governance. In the practice of co-operation, often "the more merrier" and the more solid the successes.

            The more we attended to our governance the more profound the meanings which come to us and the more moving the understandings. Should you begin to feel board stop, take a deep breath, look around, let yourself see doings of governance and results of governance. Be aware of governance and some new meaning and understanding into your life.

            We can practice governance to learn.

            There are interesting skills to develop. Along with citizenship and governance skills, we can upgrade personal individual self-governance skill. All are important in adapting to our actual world.

            So, practicing care of ourselves as individuals and as members of a polity is important to good citizenship. It is also important in dealing with the new health care problems coming with the fast moving climate changes. You may find that taking part in democratic conversation or dialogue is a practical and fun way to move into our "new" reality. 

            This seems a good time to consider how to increase our understand of and skills in governance. We are likely to need those understandings and skills more urgently soon. We need them as parents, citizens and as members of a nation and state; we need them as members of a society and as individuals. We need them for our well-being and may need them for our survival. We can learn much from each other, from experience, with practice. We can learn by showing up and using co-operation skills. There are fun doings and happenings to come. There are useful and interesting actions which to participate. There will be doings to come to a better understanding. More meaning will move among us. No one needs to know it all and no one does. All of us will benefit from developing new skills and understandings, especial those of governance. We can adapt to realities and we can get through the next couple of decades in good shape. It will take some good communication among us to do so.

            Many of us want to better understand the doings and intentions of our actual government: be it town, international, or an independent group. Others want to better understand the gathering and sharing of information with fellow citizens or group members. Still others find it interesting and satisfying to practice organizing meetings. Others find it satisfying to find, clarify, and promote important issues. Activities of others can include checking out how various forms of governance have worked out or teaching others  how to use democracy effectively.

            There is plenty to do. We can invite others to learn. Our use democracy can can help us to be better involved in work which needs doing and in learning how to do that work effectively.

            The comments app for this blog is still not functioning. You are invited to post your comments in associated blogs such as Dialogue With RCS and Dialogue With RCS. Just be sure to say that your comment refers to Governance With RCS. Feel free to also include and information you have about: active citizenship, active democracy, or adapting to life in our world. I intend to respond. I also appreciate and respect all help in correcting my errors and for improving content here. 

            I  wish us all healthy citizenship.

            Thank you for reading!

                                                                                              rcs

Rethinking Governance

             We may be the best of friends, but it appears that we are too often also our worst enemies.

            It seems to me that we may not be to blame, but that we are responsible.

            Some of my rethinking of our situation follows below. If this work seems to lack some organization it may be because it reflects the state of my thought. However, it is my intention to be both honest and thoughtful. This is how I see it just now.

            We can come to understand what it means to "aim high" and that which it means to aim high enough.

            I believe that we are capable and that together we can do enough well enough. I believe that we can better understand the nature of our language. We may be more aware of the importance of our words. We can help one another to improve our understanding the value of our words and our language.

            At the risk of sounding too academic I say that the quality of our understanding of the nature of culture in general and of our own culture in particular can be very useful to us.

            We can learn and help one-another to learn.

            We can come to better understand each other's meanings.

            Much of of that which we can do, we can do by ourselves, but it is often better done together.

            Much of our important learning depends on our words. This can be a problem because what a word means to one person often has a somewhat different meaning to another. For example, when one person calls another a "liberal" she may mean that person wastes money, while when he calls a person that he may mean that the person called liberal is happy to let other people be as they are. Others may use the word in very different ways. So, it can be useful to find out what an another sees as the meaning of our word. That seems to suggest that we may benefit by talking we mean and listening carefully to what the other means.

            For example, when I hear the the term "illegal immigrants" I may think of criminals. Another hearing the term may think of your great grandparents.

            As another example, when I hear the word "organized" used to describe people, I may think of a group empowering itself. Another may think of  crime. Even the word "power" suggests or implies different things to different people at different times in different places. Maybe we need to talk a bit more about the other guy's meanings or to listen a bit more to his understandings. 

            In governance and all of life we may benefit by practicing to think for our selves. We could also benefit by learning to think together and probably would.

            It is not difficult to see that words can be problematic. "Government" for some, means those other guys who are referred to as them. They seem to forget that even they themselves often practice government in governing the details of their personal lives. Some others forget that "republic" implies that we are responsible for our governance and others forget that "democracy" implies that we are the government. 

            By our talk, listening and speaking, we can help one another and each other to be less confused or mistaken by our words and perhaps to be more illuminated by them. 

            Some say that "information is power.'' Some say that information is more beneficial when it is contemplated to better reveal its meaning  and so that we may better understand its value.

            We can begin much just by the practice of giving ourselves good information. By that practice we give ourselves a good chance to gain more power to act in beneficial ways.

            Most of us agree that education is important, but do not keep aware that we are each responsible for our learning and that our learning results in our ongoing education. Many have believed that we are each responsible for our learning and education, but that it is OK to receive some help.

            Some say that the bliss of ignorance may lead us toward sickness and death. Some say that it may also lead to slavery and madness!

            I believe that we are each responsible for our own education. I believe that we are helped by our natural curiosity and urge to develop and grow. Some of us are helped by our God and our friends. Many of us believe that it is to help our children, our youth, and each other to learn the useful, the good, and the beautiful.

            All that we learn and know comes from the past. What you learned yesterday is history. We are very much our history. How to build a house is history. Your favorite song is history. Our culture is history. Some say all that is remembered from the past is history. All that we have learned is history. History is important. A lot of history is still in books. Some of our history has been made into stories. 

            We know very little of the future. However, from what we learn from our memory of past experience we can make some help guess about the future. Our understanding of our past has helped develop useful beliefs. With awareness and contemplation we can improve our understandings.

            We know that what we know of songs and love comes from the past and from our contemplation of our memories of the past. Our good ideas come from the past. It's good to remember that our bad ideas come mostly from the past. Our culture is from the past. That which we remember and and contemplate of the past is our history. Our history plus experience we do not remember nor contemplated is our culture. All that we know is history.

        As we know most of our history is in our books. Your reading of some of those books can be a source of power for you. You can learn to judge the value, usefulness, and truthfulness those books. That's good because a significant number of them have been written by liars and manipulators. Others have been poorly translated or interpreted.

            Still our reading can lead to our doing well. We can learn to bake an apple pie from a cookbook. It's all history.

            For most of the history of the USA we have been responsible for the schooling of our children and youth and doing completing that responsibility at a local level. For the last several generations many of us in many school districts have not been carrying out that responsibility very well. We have not adapted well.

            

            We have not understood our responsibility well for generations. We had very good reasons for neglecting our duties, but that ignorance and neglect was not good for us. I must add that there remained some good schooling and some good advances in methods, but they didn't get shared widely enough

              Soon after the schooling began in the USA, we formed schoolboards with parents and other interested citizens. Those schoolboadrs were formed in local districts close to home. For good reasons after a time many parents and others did not show up to keep them running well. In the beginning, we decided together what was to be taught and how it was to be learned. The story of US education is long and somewhat convoluted. Still I can say that local interest and cash fell short in many school districts especially in larger cities. School officials and other citizens sought help at the county and state level and finally at the federal level. They got help. That help had strings attached. Finally this help from afar often did little to help students or teachers.

           To this day many school districts suffer from ignorance of governance by local citizens.

            Government in republics is up to we the people. Seems we need to learn more about governance. Governance in republics with some intention of being democracy is not just our responsibility it must be us ourselves who govern.We have not learned to be a democratic republic and we seem nearly unable to maintain a republic. I think this calls for some talking over. I think we need to listen to one another a lot and begin to decide what it is we are ready do. We could forget this experiment or even forget bring a we. I think our situation is worth a lot more dialogue and some coherent activity.

            I think that very many of us are capable of  useful co-opperation. We can practice that co-opperation at a local level and a bit beyond right now. 

            Many agree that truth is important. It seems that honesty is an important part of truth. We can be honest and intend to tell the truth. Some, have call a propagation of a falsehood a source of insanity. I believe that enough of us can be honest enough to be a capable we.

            We can help each other to move towards reality, honesty, and truth and be better off for doing so. Does it help to say that truth is true no matter who believes it? Truth seems more of orientation than  destination. 

            We can learn the nature of social responsibility, how to recognize appropriate facts, how to co-operate to better effect. Let's consider how we shall do so.

            Today there are many parents whose parents went to schools not actively supported by their parents. In what condition are the schools of the children of those parents? We can learn and we have a lot to learn.

            We are not to blame, but if we are not responsible for our governance, who is?

        

            It seems that we have not practiced enough self governance for too many decades. When we are not responsible for our governance, who is? Nobody? Someone really nice? 

            As us, we can do it, we can govern us.

            It will take some dialogue practice to make us a good enough us.

       Thanks for reading.

                                                                                        rcs   

              

         

  

Start Your Life as an Active Citizen

 You can start or restart your life as an active citizen by taking one or more of the following actions. 

 

More may be better, but not necessary.

Consider:

~ making an opportunity to attend a couple of meetings of a civic organization.

~ learning a little more than just a little about your county government.

~ keeping politically humble, curious, and modest.

~ joining a political party. Its OK to change parties.

~ registering to vote in a primary election. It can be interesting to register as a party member.

~ learning about the nomination process for running for a public office.

~ getting a better understanding of an issue, policy, plank, or specific bill.

~ learning from a civic or political mistake.

~ contacting the office of a specific office holder and asking what his or her position is on an issue which interests you.

~ asking to help in a person's run for office.

~ calling the U.S. Capitol switchboard and telling them your zip code. They will transfer you to the office of your Representative.  

~ telling your your Representative's representative what is on your mind: ask your question or what it is you want of him.

~ writing to the office of your Senator. Check on line to see how to spell his name. Address your letter to him in care of the United states Senate, Washing to, DC 20515.

~ Writing to your Congressman/Representative by name at the U.S. House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515.

~ sitting quietly for a while and letting what you have learned work itself around in your mind. You may be beginning to cook a bit politically. 

~ that "political" and "politics" are not bad words. Check their extended meanings in a dictionary or online.

~ remembering that nobody and no one has to be politically active all the time.

~ finding a friend who seems to be politically active or civically interested. Talk with her or him about civics or issues and like that.

~ checking the kids civics lessons and remembering your humility and modesty.

~ attending meetings of your city council or your local school board. Its OK to just listen and watch.

~ keeping your sense of humor and having some fun as you remember that a civic organization can have powerful effects on the society in which you live.

These suggestions are directed to US citizens, but most of them may be adapted to your country.

Thanks for reading, citizen!

 

                                                                                                                        RCS 

Search This Blog

Governance With RCS: Blog search

           For readers who are not familiar with the many search options available to them here, I will begin to review some of them.

            It seems that blogs are so out of fashion that few remember how they may be fashioned. For example this blog is of three columns. I have used the central column as the place up to 400 essays or posts.

                An important function of the columns to the left and right of the central column is to offer you apps to help you find the essays which interest you. They are largely made up of search apps. However, they also contain other helpful apps.

             Let me begin with the column to your left on the main view of the page. On all of my blogs the this left hand column begins with the app which allows you to select the language in which to choose to read the post you select.

                Other apps you will find in this column may have a different order on each of the associated blogs. For example the next app might be "Associated Blog Sites to visit." To be transported to the one which interests you and be transported to it. The next app may be "Popular Posts." There you can find the names of up to four posts others have been finding interesting. Each name will be follow by a few words about it. click on that name and that post will appear. Next you may come to a title that reads "Pages." Click on one of the listings there and be taken to another page where you can find posts much like this one or different.

                The last listing in this column will usually be "Blog Archive." This can be a very useful app for you. Use it to become familiar with the essays and other posts available on this blog site. You will see a list of years and months. Click on one and you will taken to all of the posts published in that period. All are interesting and usually contain some hard to find YouTube videos which YouTube allows me to show.

                The right hand column usually begins with a search app, perhaps with the  title "Search This Site." There is a little window in which you may enter a word or phrase and then click on the word "Search." Try it and see what happens.

                I will leave this little post here for a few weeks and then move it to "Pages." You are now on the home page.

                This is a good place from which to comment.

                                                                                rcs

 

 

 

 

Our American Future

                          

Through Active Citizenship: We Can Learn to Govern Ourselves

 Governance With RCS: Active Democracy or no Democracy

                Doings like active democracy and active citizenship have attracted many. At one time there was no need to use "active" in this context. Democracy and citizenship were known to be activities. Citizenship is the knowledge and skills for using one's duties and rights of governance to govern with one's fellow citizens. Democracy is citizens participate in governing themselves. No participation, no democracy.

                We all seem to be pretty much the same page as to the meaning of "active," that is: capable of functioning, causing action or change, participating an like that. Its about doing.

                I am not sure that we are on the same pages as to the meaning of democracy and citizenship. You may have an idea of the differences between republicanism and democracy. You probably have the idea that that citizenship is about the doings of a citizen. Rather than speculate about you it may be more useful for me to tell you my meanings and ideas. For example, a base meaning of democracy is, governance by the people. But for me the ideas and meanings of democracy form a long practiced philosophy of freedom, equity, and extended family, but it needs to be remembered that it is a doing. That means that the job of governing is done, in a lively way, by the people.    

                I feel concern at this moment that after presenting over 60 essays on this website, I have not clarified much of the vocabulary dealing with political self care. I intend to try to put more thought an effort into making the meanings of the vocabulary I use more abundantly clear.

                You can ask me to clarify my meanings in the "comments" section below.

                "Governance" is a word that I know I have not clarified, perhaps because I am not as clear about its meaning as I hope to be.

                I see governance as the activity of a governor. Like the governor of an engine or a motor acts to moderate that motor's speed. So, it is about governing and government. Governance is about the nature of governing and government. For example and individual person can take responsibility for her life, so, she is interested in self-governance. Part of her way of governance maybe to claim responsibility for her own duties and rights. You may be the boss and governor of yourself. Theocracy, autocracy are ways of governance. Okay, it is much like governing, but to me governance is more personal. I am not doing this as well as I hoped I would. Let me give it another try. As a citizen of a democracy or republic I have duties and rights, and the responsibility for claiming them is part of my governance of my nation and of myself. OMG, I hope I can do better at defining the rest of the pertinent vocabulary.

                OK. onward. "Citizenship" is the practice of the skills of governance in a state as a citizen of the state. Active citizenship is practicing and using those skills in a lively manner. Citizenship is a legal position having a set of rules and laws agreed on to regulate your behavior. In a democracy you have the duty and right to maintain or to changes those rules and laws. The ways of doing so may be defined by the laws of your land. The rules and laws nor their change or maintenance need be burdensome because you share that job with fellow citizens. However, not claiming your rights and duties can lead to major problems which includes losing them and your citizenship. Your active claim is important. Not claiming ones rights and duties does lead to your loss, to your great loss. You can lose rights, liberty, freedom, citizenship in the state, happiness, state and life. It also leads to similar losses by your family members, friends, and fellow citizens. Of course the loss of your state can lead to the loss of the power of democracy for future generations. When not s very many of us fail to claim our rights and duties as active citizens our state moves toward failure.

                In a great many states a citizen is free to lobby another citizen. "Lobby" is not a legal term. In definition it could be the practice of doing what on can to persuade others as might a teacher or preacher. However, it also refers to persuading the citizens of your town to act in a certain way; like rerouting the traffic around your school to prevent your children being struck by a vehicle. I will add that lobbing is much like milk, it can be sweet or sour, or even change its state and become cheesy, So there is honorable lobbying, but it is not always so. Much like modern politics it is often honorable, but it in some cases it is not.

                Lobbying can be a sort of encouragement For example, you could try to persuade fellow citizens to co-operate to help each other to practice teaching one another to practice teaching each other about active democracy, active citizenship, organizing, and governance. Trying to get your high school board to to co-operate in opening and adult night school class in active citizenship could be another example of lobbing.

                There is among us, a lack of knowledge of politics, and that is not good. Some think "politics" is a bad word and that is not useful. Politics is the practice of governance, governing, and government. It can even refer to the correct practice of co-operation. It can also refer to the less than beautiful activity of a professional politician. Some very correct actions of a politician can seem less than beautiful, and still an honorable act and good for the nation. Politics is a name for the way we co-operate to govern ourselves. Like any job or duty, it can be well done, poorly done, or worse. Check online and in your dictionary for the definitions for "politics" and choose the best that you find and that will come close to the way I usually use that word here.

                I would be pleased and proud to be lobbied to be part of a group dedicated to helping one another to learn the nature of doing citizenship, governance, and democracy. I such a group I could learn appropriate practice for being a free and useful citizen of my neighborhood, city, town, county, state, country, and nation. It seems good to take care of our polity together.

                As an America, as a citizen of the United States, I would like to learn, with others, about our Constitution and how to use it democratically. Lately I have been thinking about being an effective citizen at the national level. However, it seems very sensible to find out how to use democracy more effectively at the town or county level as well. By showing up at the meetings of the local Green Party, I bet  I could learn more about governance at both national and and local level. I believe that attending meetings, near me, with 7 or 11 others, to learn more about our Constitution and how to use it in our republic could be instructive and satisfying. Just practicing democracy in a group may be very useful.

                I find myself less interested in parties and candidates these days and more interested in platforms and planks. I find it pleasant to know that most of the 20 or so national parties in the U.S. still have planks and platforms. One can still search for planks that relate to that which one finds most appropriate and important at this point in history. If I were searching through planks right now I would be on the lookout for ones related to citizen education in governance or those which supported citizen participation and education in democratic governance. Tomorrow I may look for planks relating to adapting to climate change.

                We can use all the help we can get, but we don't have to have any help. We can teach one another as we please. When we want to we can practice what we learn as we learn. For example, as we taught each other, we could consider how we could best support a bill that interested us all. By doing so we might be able to help our county, state, and country. Wonderful. Or we might decide not to do that until we have learned more and were more sure of our common goals. All helps us with our goals of learning. We could be learning and practicing democratic governance. One day we might be presenting our own bill.

                We can learn a lot about our mutual governance and we can help each other to practice that which we learn. I have voted, read the newspapers, listened to the news and watched it on TV. I have participated  a political campaigns and attended  political meetings. And I still have a very great deal to learn.

                Lately I have been learning more about active citizenship and active democracy my myself. I believe that I could learn better and more in a self teaching group of citizens interested, say, in active democracy. I believe that members of such a group can learn more, do more. and find more satisfaction than we can as individuals. Democratic governance is a matter of individuals co-operating, and that process seems best learned in co-operating democratic group. 

                I sure don't want to do governance until I drop. There are ways of doing enough without doing that which feels like too much. One great thing about democracy is that the more the participation the merrier. The potential for abundant help in democracy is great, there is a place for everyone. There are many active citizens and more learning how they can be active. There is a potential for many, many more active citizens. Among citizens there are many, skills, interests, and abilities. There are also many citizens, old, medium, young, and ancient ready, willing, and able to learn. So, there is little reason that anyone need feel that they have too much to do. It's legal to kick back with a beer in front of the TV. There is room to keep a home, a job, and a whole life and still take care of our own governance. It is great that there are so many of us to do the the jobs and tasks of self-governance(citizenship).

                One can avoid the tasks which one likes least and eliminate the tasks that interest one least. Lately I am interested much less in political parties and candidates. I believe that there are many citizens willing to learn more about the doings of parties and candidates and there are plenty of other citizens willing to help them. We could be a bit more organized to provide that help. Still, I do not have to feel guilty about being less active in that area. There are many other areas in which to practice my citizenship. You and I are free to practice our citizenship were we will, and every citizen is free to practice his or her citizenship where they will. It may be useful to remember that we have decided on certain rules for that practice. Its also fair to remember that we may agree to discuss those rules and to change them.

                An important activity of citizenship, and of much else, is showing up. There are many opportunities for showing up. Voting and public demonstrations are two of them. Sharing information about important issues is another. Helping a group a group assemble information for a Bill is still another. Yet another is co-operating in the resolution and implementation of a public issue. Suggest some more opportunities to participate in "comments." There are many ways to co-operate to keep your country operating well. It's good to remember that ignorance of the law is seldom a good excuse for your transgression of it.

                Some learning often helps to better the quality of the doing of that which needs doing. If you are willing to teach you might do well to learn to teach "How to do citizenship in a democracy."

                There is a limited amount that one can or wants to do. Nearly everyone has some ability to co-operate. Find a place you feel you could co-operate and show up. I have heard it said that a way not to "spread yourself too thin" is to think globally and act locally. I am not sure how that works, but it does sound good. Still, it sure does not have to be the way of everyone. It does seem to help to keep your eyes, ears, and mind open to a good place for you to show up and co-operate. Its okay to make a mistake we are practicing. Still, as a surgeon knows in his practice, mistakes can be troublesome.

                Showing up with the purpose of understanding seems a good idea. I can do that. I may be slow to learn, but my purpose is good.  I can show-up where others are doing active citizenship democratically. Personally I find listening at a school-board meeting more interesting than hanging out at my polling place. Thank goodness that we do not all have the same likes and dislikes. Still, duties exist.

                Some find a city council meeting interesting. Finding out where a given councilman likes to spend money available to the council, might keep me listening for two meetings in a row. Political party meetings could be worth showing up at. The right Green Party meeting might show party members getting things done in an interesting way. Listening to those where they are co-operating to do something about an important social issue could interest one so much that one would like to do more than listen.  

                Listening does not interest many forever, but it is often best to listen and understand enough to keep one's foot out of one's mouth before speaking much. So it is best to listen to see how active citizenship is being practiced in a given situation. By listening you may come to understand how active citizenship, and more, is practiced there.

                We know something about co-operation and co-operating. Co-operating is a lot. It is useful and important, it is not all of citizenship and governance. It is an important step toward and during social and social and political organization. It is also a step toward well practiced governance. We need not be bored by believing we know everything or even enough. Let learning happen. Co-operate with that happening.

                There are interesting skills to develop. Along with citizenship skills, we can upgrade individual self-care skills. We can also up-grade our oral communication skills. All are important in a fast changing world. The same skills are adaptive to fast changing climate which is becoming less gentle.

                So, practicing care of ourselves as individuals and as part of and adaptive polity is important to effective citizenship. Democratic citizenship is less likely to break in really tough times. Health care, public and individual is also important for dealing with health problems coming with the expected Earth changes. You may find that taking part in democratic conversation and dialogue can be a practical and fun way to move into our "new" reality.  

                It seems time to consider how to increase our understanding of and skills in governance. We are likely to need those skills more urgently soon. We need them as members of a nation, of a society, of an organization, of a group, and as individuals. We can learn much from each other, from experience and with practice. A dialogue group can help and you could find some help through exploration of this web site. Reading could help. We can prepare by showing-up with a will to co-operate. There is a big variety of useful, interesting, and fun doings and happenings to come to a better understanding of. Your participation and help will be valuable. The doings may include the use of a leadership skill, they may include active democracy, the co-operation of many may become more important. No one needs to know it all, they can't, but all of us can benefit by developing more than one new skill and understanding to get us through the next couple of decades.

                Some of us may want to better understand the doings, intentions, and practices of our actual governments. We not only need to govern ourselves, but also a town, a county, a neighborhood, or a survival group as a co-operating participant. Hopefully some of us will find it interesting and satisfying to organize a meeting, to clarify and promote an important issue, to show how to use democracy, and to check out alternatives. 

                We may be fewer with much to learn. The participation and co-operation of more may be vital. Democracy can keep more of us involved in the work that needs to be done and more learning how to to that work effectively. Some say that in a democracy no one is to blame, and all are responsible.

                Please remember that you can share any information you find about active democracy, active citizenship, productive dialogue  or adapting to our world and will be appreciated. Use the "comments" app. I will try to pass things on. Also please help me to correct my errors on this site. I also accept suggestions(nice ones)for improving my content.

                Healthy citizenship and working groups are good for us.

                Does "self-governance" sound too selfish?

                I am among those human beings who believe that we have the right to accept responsibility for governing ourselves. We claim the right of self-governance. We have the right to govern our minds and bodies. That right may include a great deal more. It may include sharing governance of our family, our tribe, our body politic, our town, our government.

            This belief extends to some responsibility to share in governance and care for our universe, galaxy, solar system, Earth, world, nation, country, city, economy, health, education, culture, group, and more.  

            I cannot do much alone, but I can co-operate. I believe that it is fine, good,  fair, and just that others claim their responsibility and right to do the same. Self-governance has been important to many who believe that it is important for our mental and physical health. They claim responsibility for their collective and individual lives.

            We do not have to do more than we can. A good start is arranging to show up. It is a good thing that we are so many. There are enough of us to do a big job well and still take time to "kick back" relax and enjoy.

                       

                Thank you for reading.

 

 

                                                                 Richard