Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
What I mean by dialogue is a defined set of communication patterns that build understanding and help people of different backgrounds and experiences openly share their thoughts and work through their differences with mutual respect.
The first step in deciding where and how to start with deliberative dialogue is to ask, what is your environment and how are you placed and rooted in it?
What we do with water matters even more in the era of global warming. Can we learn to treat this most precious of resources in a way that achieves sustainability?
And even if you are not an alliance builder, protester, organizer, or ready to take on an entire system, there is much you can do in the democratic wetlands to improve the democratic environment in ways that help support and sustain the overall work of change.
Deliberation is key to public engagement work as well, enabling people to discuss the consequences, costs, and trade-offs of various policy options, and to work through the emotions that tough public decisions raise.
One might think that everything that could possibly be written on the subject of power already has been. There are thousands of tomes that discuss subjects related to power in one or another of its many manifestations, and hundreds with the word power in their titles. But no book that I’m aware of has systematically examined the sundry forms of power, and investigated how they are related, how they arose, and what they mean for us today.
Whether we ourselves want to develop these skills, or support others to do so, to ensure a resilient future we need to grow more community members with effective group facilitation skills and mindsets.
What forms of self-governance will enhance our efforts to create resilient local communities?
Power, inclusion, and deliberation work together—slowly but surely—to yield stronger, more resilient communities.
People are yearning for authentic engagement. Although deliberation is hard work, it leads to much-needed rewards.
Democracy is a “we,” not a “they.” Especially at the local level, inclusion does not simply mean everyone is “represented,” it means offering authentic opportunities for people to be involved individually and personally.
We believe that a deep form of democracy based on citizen deliberation is the best form of governance for human beings and that this is a good time to start building it, regardless of what the future brings.
