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It’s time we reclaim our common ground

We are responsible for making our political system more functional

Our physical world has two poles (north and south) that are bitter and cold. The vast majority of humanity lives much closer to the equator, in a much more productive climate.

Our political world feels very similar. The current system is set up to force us away from our common, productive ground and into hostile extremes.  We won’t survive such a move and need to do all we can to regain our common ground.

It is up to us, the people, to:

  • Reach out to others who may not share our POV
  • Focus on listening to them with compassion, not judgment (I’ll admit, this one challenges me at times)
  • Have conversations grounded in verifiable facts (If you can’t agree on what is true, either work together to uncover the facts or move on)
  • Admit when you don’t know something, or are wrong
  • Politely agree to disagree when necessary.
  • Don’t focus on changing someone’s view. Enhanced understanding is a valuable outcome
  • Hold politicians from BOTH parties to the same standards. What is un/acceptable for one party should be un/acceptable for all

A broad variety of perspectives in our nation should be our greatest strength, not our most easily exploited weakness.

Reclaiming our common ground won’t be easy, but it is very necessary.

Not sure where to start?

I’ll be posting a variety of views that are honest and heartfelt, not confrontational and angry.

For today, check out the CNN segment Trump gives America’s ‘poorest white town’ hope.

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Moving forward with a positive attitude

Where do we go from here?

For many of us, the world seems a bit off-kilter right now. In times like these, it is tempting to retreat, to shut ourselves off from the chaos. But this is a reaction, not a solution. For my own peace of mind, I’m trying to focus on what I can do to move forward with a positive attitude.

As part of this process, I’ve written down my key goals for 2017. I’ll be updating it and providing more detail over time. I am sharing this not only keep myself on track but also to help others who are looking for suggestions on how to move onward and upward.

Going forward:

Above all, don’t give in to the dark side. There are so many forces that seek to divide our society, but we need to stay strong and:
  • Treat each other with dignity and respect
  • Assume positive intent among others
  • Acknowledge that we all have our biases and we need to work together to recognize and address them
Speak up/act when you or others are not treated with dignity and respect
  • Every day we see prominent people displaying childish, bullying and hypocritical behavior. This is not OK, and we need to make sure that this behavior doesn’t ever become acceptable
  • We may not be able to directly impact the most prominent perpetrators, but we can make a difference on a local level. We need to speak up when we see such behavior
Put your money where your mouth is
  • Donate to organizations that support causes close to your heart. It’s one of the quickest ways to make a difference
Work to stay informed and help others become better informed
  • This means actively seeking out news and information from a variety of trusted sources and verifying its veracity before sharing
Spend more time connecting in person
  • Limit time on social media—it isn’t a very healthy environment for dialog, especially right now
  • Expand your horizons and talk to people who may not share your POV
  • Spend more time listening, less time judging
  • Healthy discussions need to start from a common factual ground. If that can’t be established, spend your energy elsewhere
And most importantly, maintain your balance
  • Don’t burn yourself out.  Make time to do what brings you joy. Socialize, meditate, get out in nature, curl up with a good book, exercise, take a long bath, eat well, dance and sing with all your heart

I hope you will look forward with me.