Citizen Ambassadors, Citizen Activists And True Democracy

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The following article extract comes to us courtesy of Truthout.org, an organization labeled by many as being "Progressive" (now a pejorative term when spoken by conservatives and Republicans) news source. And yes, I read The Liberty Digest, too (they tend to be called "right-wing" or "ultra-conservative" by many of those folks whom others are calling Progressives and Liberals. I read as much as I can, and I make my own decisions after gleaning insights from the full spectrum of politicized and cause-based media.

I am what some people would call an "Independent Thinker." It even gets lonely. By our nature, we really can't have a club, except to beat each other with. And for goodness' sake, stop calling Independent Thinkers, Non-Joiners, Sideliners And Revolutionaries "Anarchists" -- we are anything but Anarchists.

Please read the article excerpt which follows, then hit the "BACK" button on your browser, and come back. We aren't finished with this discussion. It concerns all of Human Civilization internationally.

Sunday 1 January 2012

Populism Isn't Dead, It's Marching: What 19th Century Farmers Can Teach Occupiers About How to Keep Going

Ashley Sanders, War Is A Crime.org: "Not so long ago, Americans witnessed the beginning of a mass democratic uprising.... They did it to reject debt. They did it to fight foreclosures. They did it to topple a world where the 1 percent determined life for the other 99. And they did all of it against incredible odds, with a self-respect that stymied critics. The year? 1877. The people? Dirt-poor farmers who would come to be known as Populists."
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THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE COMMENTARY:

To have any type of democracy flourish, certain preconditions should exist, and should be sustained and vigorously defended. Any tear in the fabric of democratic principles invites unconscionable abuses and contortions of the very concept of "people working, through informed argument, compelling conversation and majority agreement, with tolerance and provision for those who may disagree, to operate in a synergistic manner which benefits as great a percentage of the participants as possible without any unnecessary restriction of essential freedoms." This is my ideal for a functioning democracy.

1) Free exchange of information, news and ideas through unrestricted communication across all demographic and geographical borders;

2) A reasonable standard of education for all. Education is crucial, and is too often neglected around budget season. Simply put, NO EDUCATION = NO DEMOCRACY;

3) A safe, accessible forum for direct voting on all issues of concern for all participants, and a vigorous turnout for these votes. No gerrymandering, electoral colleges, no delegation to 'greater minds' -- simply a direct, uncontrived vote, with an honest, audited, public count;

4) Limited laws, made by vote, which are based on the need for cooperative effort, or to prevent significant physical dangers to the entire population -- not laws for the purpose of creating jobs, granting privileges, regulating morality, and to keep politicians and other potentially parasitic intermediaries busy;

5) Equal treatment under those limited laws -- it would certainly help if each voting participant imagined himself or herself being prosecuted or persecuted as a lawbreaker, as opposed to the notion of controlling the behavior, beliefs and practices of others to conform to their own beliefs...laws should be made to protect and not to restrict or constrain;

And last, every world citizen should have the right to question authority, orders, demands, perceived abuses, pirating of democracy, and other potential cracks in the foundation of true democracy. Democracy cannot be be forced upon people. Democracy cannot be bought. Democracy does not equate to somnambulistic conformity.

Every citizen must be an activist, and an informed participant to deserve and to create a democracy. Democracy is a difficult form of civilization -- it requires relentless work, transparency and a great deal of open communication.

How many true democracies do you think that we have in our world today? Hmmm....I wonder.

Remember this, too. Democracy disintegrates if it is neglected. It requires vigilance; but I believe the benefits are truly worth the effort.

Douglas E Castle for THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE

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Human Civilization: Case Study In Management.

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The best terms to succinctly describe the state of civilization today might be "unraveling," "decaying," and "disintegrating." This is neither breaking news nor a newly-emerging trend. This is the predictable product of prolonged indolence, indifference, ignorance, instant gratification (without regard for the future consequences) and neoplastic cupidity. Based upon one of Sir Issac Newton's fundamental laws, the more we slide down this slope, the more we accelerate -- until it is too late for the brakes to hold.

We've established some dangerous momentum in the wrong direction, and the further we go, to harder it is to get back on a survivable, sustainable course. Is it possible that things can change significantly in time to save ourselves from becoming a myth for some future civilization to debate about? It is not.

But the timing is not the issue. The issue is one of getting enough force pushing in the right direction, in full cooperation and coordination so that we can change our trajectory. This requires the fundamental organizational skills of leadership, team-building, discipline (negative reinforcement), rewards (positive reinforcement) and a clear vision of a newer, better objective to serve as a gratifying, magnet and a beacon.

We are here (at a precipice overlooking a drop which appears bottomless) because of being a badly-managed society. Many otherwise decent, responsible people have become so disillusioned with what they have learned about some of the excesses and foolishness of the people and the institutions which they trusted in to safeguard and protect their interests that they are reeling about from too many rounds in the ring. They feel outnumbered. They feel endangered. They feel isolated and completely helpless.

Civilization is a business. If we insist on wasting assets, accumulating liabilities, rewarding thievery and discouraging innovation, we generate growing losses. We are living in our own waste. And we are too engorged and atrophied to clean it up. We need energy and initiative. We need new, capable leaders -- leaders who believe that improving our future is a noble and great thing, and that civilization in this world is worth saving. These new leaders have to be activists who will not so easily tolerate compromise when it comes to the future of our investment in our own species. They must be able to distinguish between ambition and greed. And they must be able to work on a deferred compensation plan.

Yes. Civilization is a job for turnaround experts and indefatigable optimists.

Civilization, whether it prospers or perishes, is the same as any other large international business conglomerate with a large number of employees, divisions, operating redundancies, and a desperate need for improved communications and better responsiveness. If our civilization is worth saving, we cannot continue on our present course.

There is no more creative accounting to cover staggering losses. It's time for transparency, responsibility and collaboration across all borders, political, geographical and cultural. And by my watch (a Movado), the time is now.

This is not academic -- this is real world, in real time. There is so much at stake, but there is much more to gain. We are, each and all of us, investors, shareholders, consumers, vendors and employees in this big business of civilization. If you look around, you'll notice that all we have is each other.

Let's salvage what we can and replace what we cannot salvage. There is a chill in the air and I think we are dangerously close to an iceberg.

In Friendship,

Douglas E Castle, Internationalist and Global Futurist

http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com 

In words of a sermon by John Donne, "No man is an island,  entire unto itself..."

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THE GLORY OF A CULTURE

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Dear Friends:

My apologies for not writing sooner. It seems that I caught a virus from a friend's computer which I contracted though a telephone call that he made to me [am I just a Luddite, or could this be almost possible?].

The post which follows was originally published in my personal blog, http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com/. It is self- indulgent and nostalgic -- yet it speaks to the hostage hearts of so many of the disillusioned peoples of our Global Community.

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Glorious Cultures are very much like clubs that everyone wants to join. Several attributes seem to be present in every Glorious Culture. They are, in my observation, and in brief:

1. A sense of compassion for all of Humanity;
2. A open sense of humor, marked by laughter (and unmarred by litigation or persecution);
3. A respect for differences, but a constant search for important similarities that bind us;
4. A willingness to listen and to learn;
5. A celebration of scholarship, invention, building, the Arts and innovation;
6. Open debate, open explanation, non-violent protest, activism and a sense of fair play;
7. The presumption of innocence, and its vigorous defense;
8. A peception of persons as individuals, and not as "cases" or "statistics";
9. Pride in a job well done, and a belief in the work ethic;
10. Outrage at injustice, tears at the suffering of others.

I mourn the loss of so many of these simple, yet wonderful things. Do you remember a culture that once possessed them?

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle



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