Healing the Heart of Democracy

Democracy

Going through a phase of peril

Democratic leadership is setting up a system that allow people to question you and prove you wrong

Tragic Gap

Pseudo-politics

Talking about "them"

Addition to feeling like you're doing politics when you're not

Not a democracy

Real politics happens in communities

Not just legislation

Not just Washington

"The only answer to the power of big money is the power or organized people"

Habits of the Heart

Has been since it was established

How to actually build these

Awareness

Awareness of when a habit is brought up

Awareness of what the previous/current habit was

Awareness of when old habits kick in

Resources to Explore

SJN

Solutions Journalism Network

"On the Brink of Everything"

Book by Palmer

Inter-generational support #

Patience

Hold the tension creatively

Create tension when necessary

Live in your not knowing

"The Measure of My Days"

"Beyond the Majoriy Rule"

"Feminist-ing"

Website/blog

"Do It Anyway"

Book by Courtney Martin # #

Revolutionary Love 2018

Valerie Kaur

Barbar's speech to democratic convention

Ted Talk

Be in it for the long hull

Idea that change happens fast is an illusion

Tragic gap will never action close

Inherent human flaw

Changes are incremental

Faithfulness over effectiveness

Dialog more important than message

Mutual understanding

Mutual mentoring relationships

Waiting vs. patience

Change requires action

Change takes a long time, so be patient

Don't wait - keep acting

Balance fierceness & gentleness

Self-exploration

"If you're fully yourself, it's hard to be full of yourself"

Self-acceptance allows you to accept others

What you can't give yourself, you can't give others

Ex: forgiveness

Requires a sense of trust

Main area of struggle for me

Moving around from community to community

Not a strong sense of community in neighborhood

Neighborhood social media page

Mostly focus on posts about crime

Creates more distrust

Creates more fear of the "other"

Creates less democracy

Also posts looking for help or offering services

Similar to time bank

Fear is what threatens democracy #

Distress vs. eustress

Distress is negative & destructive

Eustress is positive and a prod to growth

Partisanship is not a problem

Demonizing the other side is

Let your heart break open instead of apart

Allows you to hold differences #

Violence is what happens when we don't know what to do with our suffering

Does not mean indecision or inaction #

If we believe in democracy, we must believe it is for the common good to hold our differences and conficts in a way that does not unravel the community

Creating community with "the other" #

Hope

Individualism

Tug of war between being independent & interdependent

Tough area for me

Individualism can lead to selfishness, but communalism can lead to no one having a mind of their own

Chutzpah

Knowing I have a voice that needs to be heard and the right to speak it

Balance with humility

Accepting my truth is always partial

Be an intentional rather than accidental citizen

Healthy democracy, public conflict is prized

Arm ourselves

Protect our ego

Dealing with fear & heartbreak

Addictions to protect our ego

Consumerism

Scapegoating

And/both instead of Either/or

Forced resolutions are false resolutions

"Progress in America has often come from agitation of ordinary people, heartbroken people, who would not settle for the status quo"

free-spaces

Public spaces where people can freely gather and mingle

Healthy public life can enhance private economic values and political values

Strange attractors

"Inner teacher"