For a year, I was in retreat mode at home, in my study. I have appreciated that discipline, which has enabled me to focus on furthering my research and writing on several aspects of Constituent Engagement. As I transition to this next covid phase, I am now extending my exploration of these topics through a greater re-involvement with individuals and community entities.
As part of this focus, I have been writing on the Constituent Engagement dynamic related to our current society, and now these central realms –
– Democracy
– Equity
– Climate
And with the unique overlay of health!
Each of these has its qualifier that captures our attention and propels our engagement:
– Sustaining Democracy
– Systemic Equity
– Climate Change
In a sense, the “our” in that statement suggests a shift in EngagementSpectrum from “some to all” – with more of the “some” having greater visibly:
– within our families
– among our friends
– in neighborhoods, cities, counties, states, regions and in each nation.
People are more in the communal discourse:
– in our conversations
– on the news
– on social media
– as participants in politics
– apparent in the fabric of society
We are seeing the greater engagement of “We The People.”
Individuals outspoken about who they are and what they believe.
We hear the refrain of “a more divided nation.”
This comes with little recognition of the fact that we have, as a nation,
always been made up of countless factions which are divergent and segmenting.
To be candid…
We are not in a bi-partisan nation, nor a tri-partisan nation.
We live in a multi-partisan nation.
That was the concept of the founders who framed the initial phase of this participatory democracy.
They had a limited idea of “participatory,” but not of “democracy.”
The infrastructure framed in the US Constitution testifies to their intent.
Our nation has faced pivotal moments in time since that first draft of the Constitution,
when we engaged around certain questions which came to the fore:
– Slavery – yes or no.
– Women, part of the “We”- yes or no.
– Demagoguery – yes or no.
Please – pick out those that resonate for you.
Now it is Our time to engage:
– Democracy
– Equity
– Climate