It’s amazing that politics has so few referees. In times past it worked because there was a certain sense of nobility, respect, and cooperation among politicians and citizens. No more. As citizens bemoan the divisive partisanship of the political order, they themselves have become harder to bring together for the sake of our country. Like […]

The Call is Ours – Citizen Engagement Podcast (30)

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To create meaningful dialogue, good citizens display empathy more than emphasis. To understand and respect where the other person is coming from is one of the hallmarks of civil society – a trait made all to rare these days by a partisanship that’s gone mad. We all have our points of view – interests – […]

“From Interests to Interest” – Community Engagement Podcast (35)

True dialogue can begin with positions, but it should end in understanding. “Before the tongue can speak, it must lose the power to wound,” said an old philosopher, and we need that insight now more than ever. Free riders come to community engagement exercises with only one purpose: to impose their views on others. They […]

Expressions of Interest – Citizen Engagement Podcast (34)

The genius of democracy is not how right, or even how smart we are. It is how open we are to find compromise that will permit us to move ahead as a citizenry. Our present democratic state is mired in rigidity, in policies that won’t budge, and in characters than think having a strong opinion […]

A Life More Important Than Words – Citizen Engagement Podcast (33)

Just two weeks left in these podcasts, but this is an important one. What happens if we get a chance to build an effective democracy as citizens and no one shows up? Sad to say, this is repeatedly occurring in various citizen engagement activities around the world. The regulars show up, and through their dedication […]

“Public Dialogue: Not” – Community Engagement Podcast (32)

Political dysfunction has resulted in numerous efforts at citizen engagement across the board. Yet a sincere questions remains: are citizens mature enough to handle that responsibility? The answer to that seems fairly clear when about half the citizenry doesn’t even vote. We are in an evolutionary phase in the democratic experience – a time when […]

The Call is Ours – Citizen Engagement Podcast (30)

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