Or, what to do about it...
Sarah woke up one morning. There was something special about today. It seemed that the sun was just a bit brighter, the air a bit cleaner and sweeter, a few more birds in the air.
Shee knew it sounded cliche, and such things couldn't really be true anyway. Besides, she was not the sort who gave in to maudlin reveries, anyway.
Yet it was undeniable. Something was different.
Then she remembered.
The day before, Sarah had been contacted by the President's Special Task Force on Values. This program, staffed by folks who were disabled, (otherwise) unemployed, and receiving government assistance, had contacted her regarding her opinions about what was important to her. They had asked a series of very open-ended questions, ranging from what the proper role of government is to how she (Sarah!) would improve things. The conversation lasted hours; the person taking down her responses was genuinely interested in how she felt and it was a two-way conversation. The person on the other end of the conversation was educated and polite, and was able to keep things focused and interesting, while not discounting any particular aspect of Sarah's opinions. They ranged all over, taking tangents that provided jewels of insight, instilling and pulling out passion in Sarah she'd not known existed before.
Finally, someone in the government is listening, she thought.
The discussion was carefully recorded and transcribed automatically by voice recognition computer programs. Both sides of the conversation were transcribed and later she would get an email of the transcription (it took about an hour after the call). The transcription had been reviewed by the interviewer for mistakes and other corrections. Sarah had added a few of her own, as well as some parenthetic notes that helped clarify some of her responses.
Once this was finished, she emailed it back, making sure that she checked the box on the website that she would like to be involved more with further steps. Because this was her country, her world. She wanted to leave it better than when she arrived. She owed that to the future, to the children.
After a few weeks time, Sarah was contacted once again. This time, it was someone like her in her neighborhood who had participated in the interview as well. Javier invited Sarah to come to a meeting that would be held at the local school and offered a couple of different times - both during the day and after hours. Since Sarah worked, it was most convenient for her to attend in the evening, and she said she'd show up to a meeting in a couple of days' time.
She arrived full of apprehension. It had been a busy day at work, and she was tired. Plus, she'd been to similar meetings before, and found them to be a bit of a waste of time - a bunch of people talking about things she was mildly interested in, but only superficially asking for comment/replies, and not much was ever done. Maybe she'd get a copy of some paper or report a few weeks/months later, but that was about it.
This time, though, it was different. The facilitator had arranged the room in a semi-circle, with a projector screen at the front. Sarah and the dozen or so others who had arrived were given a very detailed analysis of responses. These responses were collated and organized by region, by response, and by particular interest. It became clear that there were some patterns that were developing - some things she was genuinely surprised about, some things she took as a matter of course. Most of the concerns people mentioned were either exactly in line with what she'd responded, or just a little bit off - a difference without much impact. Many of these differences were better than what she'd expected, and she was very pleased. Of course, there were some things that she didn't agree with at all, and she was surprised (again) to see how prevalent those things were. But those things were few in number, and she thought she could stretch her mind and heart a bit to try to understand another's point of view. After all, we agreed on so many other things...
After the presentation, the facilitator (her name was Ai) turned to the people in the room and asked for further comment. The discussion that followed was interesting - some people championed one cause or concern, while others promoted what they felt was most of value. In all, nearly all of the points mentioned in the preceding presentation were mentioned, and the points not mentioned were brought up by the facilitator and tied in to the main values that were being discussed. When it was all said and done - about two rather exhausted but inspiring hours later - their little group had put forward half a dozen main values. The facilitator dutifully noted these things and said she'd contact them later, if necessary, or gave each person her contact information in case there was something they'd wished to add.
The result of these meetings was dramatic. Each meeting produced very nearly the same results. The values of the country were clearly and concisely put forward. These values, as garnered by each meeting, each phone conversation, each email correspondence, formed the great, governing statement of our country. Subject to periodic revision, these values informed decisions about the condition of life in our country - from how we treat the environment, to how we educate our children, to how we pay for it all. Tax reform was based on the value of self-sufficiency and financial responsibility on a federal level. Health care reform was provided for with an eye towards making our bodies healthy, not towards making a profit. And overall life was improved in such a way that everyone benefited.
The most significant thing, though, was something that was completely unexpected. Because of the democratic nature of the process, everyone felt empowered by the values. They really did reflect the thoughts, ideals, and dreams of all of us. There was no bickering or disparaging, and everyone felt invested fully in seeing these values were adhered to. No one complained about taxation, because each saw the benefit of the taxes paid in a clear, cogent fashion. The country began to fulfill the dream the founders had of a place where all were created equal, and all were treated equal under the law.
Truly, thought Sarah, something is different. And it is better.
Sarah woke up one morning. There was something special about today. It seemed that the sun was just a bit brighter, the air a bit cleaner and sweeter, a few more birds in the air.
Shee knew it sounded cliche, and such things couldn't really be true anyway. Besides, she was not the sort who gave in to maudlin reveries, anyway.
Yet it was undeniable. Something was different.
Then she remembered.
The day before, Sarah had been contacted by the President's Special Task Force on Values. This program, staffed by folks who were disabled, (otherwise) unemployed, and receiving government assistance, had contacted her regarding her opinions about what was important to her. They had asked a series of very open-ended questions, ranging from what the proper role of government is to how she (Sarah!) would improve things. The conversation lasted hours; the person taking down her responses was genuinely interested in how she felt and it was a two-way conversation. The person on the other end of the conversation was educated and polite, and was able to keep things focused and interesting, while not discounting any particular aspect of Sarah's opinions. They ranged all over, taking tangents that provided jewels of insight, instilling and pulling out passion in Sarah she'd not known existed before.
Finally, someone in the government is listening, she thought.
The discussion was carefully recorded and transcribed automatically by voice recognition computer programs. Both sides of the conversation were transcribed and later she would get an email of the transcription (it took about an hour after the call). The transcription had been reviewed by the interviewer for mistakes and other corrections. Sarah had added a few of her own, as well as some parenthetic notes that helped clarify some of her responses.
Once this was finished, she emailed it back, making sure that she checked the box on the website that she would like to be involved more with further steps. Because this was her country, her world. She wanted to leave it better than when she arrived. She owed that to the future, to the children.
After a few weeks time, Sarah was contacted once again. This time, it was someone like her in her neighborhood who had participated in the interview as well. Javier invited Sarah to come to a meeting that would be held at the local school and offered a couple of different times - both during the day and after hours. Since Sarah worked, it was most convenient for her to attend in the evening, and she said she'd show up to a meeting in a couple of days' time.
She arrived full of apprehension. It had been a busy day at work, and she was tired. Plus, she'd been to similar meetings before, and found them to be a bit of a waste of time - a bunch of people talking about things she was mildly interested in, but only superficially asking for comment/replies, and not much was ever done. Maybe she'd get a copy of some paper or report a few weeks/months later, but that was about it.
This time, though, it was different. The facilitator had arranged the room in a semi-circle, with a projector screen at the front. Sarah and the dozen or so others who had arrived were given a very detailed analysis of responses. These responses were collated and organized by region, by response, and by particular interest. It became clear that there were some patterns that were developing - some things she was genuinely surprised about, some things she took as a matter of course. Most of the concerns people mentioned were either exactly in line with what she'd responded, or just a little bit off - a difference without much impact. Many of these differences were better than what she'd expected, and she was very pleased. Of course, there were some things that she didn't agree with at all, and she was surprised (again) to see how prevalent those things were. But those things were few in number, and she thought she could stretch her mind and heart a bit to try to understand another's point of view. After all, we agreed on so many other things...
After the presentation, the facilitator (her name was Ai) turned to the people in the room and asked for further comment. The discussion that followed was interesting - some people championed one cause or concern, while others promoted what they felt was most of value. In all, nearly all of the points mentioned in the preceding presentation were mentioned, and the points not mentioned were brought up by the facilitator and tied in to the main values that were being discussed. When it was all said and done - about two rather exhausted but inspiring hours later - their little group had put forward half a dozen main values. The facilitator dutifully noted these things and said she'd contact them later, if necessary, or gave each person her contact information in case there was something they'd wished to add.
The result of these meetings was dramatic. Each meeting produced very nearly the same results. The values of the country were clearly and concisely put forward. These values, as garnered by each meeting, each phone conversation, each email correspondence, formed the great, governing statement of our country. Subject to periodic revision, these values informed decisions about the condition of life in our country - from how we treat the environment, to how we educate our children, to how we pay for it all. Tax reform was based on the value of self-sufficiency and financial responsibility on a federal level. Health care reform was provided for with an eye towards making our bodies healthy, not towards making a profit. And overall life was improved in such a way that everyone benefited.
The most significant thing, though, was something that was completely unexpected. Because of the democratic nature of the process, everyone felt empowered by the values. They really did reflect the thoughts, ideals, and dreams of all of us. There was no bickering or disparaging, and everyone felt invested fully in seeing these values were adhered to. No one complained about taxation, because each saw the benefit of the taxes paid in a clear, cogent fashion. The country began to fulfill the dream the founders had of a place where all were created equal, and all were treated equal under the law.
Truly, thought Sarah, something is different. And it is better.
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