Debbie Broome wrote:
--snip--
> One of the things I
> think representative democracy encourages is a lack of systems thinking
> and an enhanced ability for individual's to advance their own agendas. In
> local government, we constantly face conflicts between neighbors,
> developers, businesses, etc. and NO ONE EVER SITS DOWN IN THE SAME ROOM
> AND TALKS. What I mean by this is that everyone "lobbies" who they know
> outside of the public forum. A public forum (meeting) then occurs which
> consists of each side or sides telling their viewpoint to a seated elected
> body who then listens, is supposed to have no t already made up their
> minds, and then renders a decision. Time after time I have seen community
> conflict handled this way. THERE IS NO DIALOGUE. Opposing groups do not
> get the opportunity to look at an issue from a system wide perspective.
--snip--
> People in my field accuse the public of being
> apathetic. I don't think they are. They come out in droves when it is
> something they really care about. We just d on't have a way for dialogue
> to occur and consensus to be reached when they do come out, a process that
> everyone can access and knows is available when they want to DISCUSS an
> issue. All we do is have very long, very contentious and very uncivil
> public meetings.
Debbie--your thoughts are so succinct and accurate (from my experience).
Two supporting ideas came to mind as I read this:
1. that hierarchies (modern feudal substitutes) create this type of
reaction from people. it seems that they are looking for the person with
"power" (usually political power) to sit on that judgment throne and
decide what the complainants could not begin to work out between them.
the significant difference is that our representative system allows us to
castigate the decision-makers with every pejorative available when the
decision goes against us.
2. getting a third party involved to "rescue" the 1st and 2d party from
their mutual conflict creates a powerful triangle of resentment, anger,
frustration--indeed the 1st and 2d parties frequently come together long
enough to bring the 3rd party down.
thank you for your perspective; it helped me see more of the systemic
faults. it certainly appears that your heart is weary with the strife you
experience.
regards,
Doc
-- ". . . no one is afraid of Caesar himself, but he is afraid of death, loss of property, prison, disenfranchisement. Nor does anyone love Caesar himself unless in some way Caesar is a person of great merit; but we love wealth, a tribuneship, a praetorship, a consulship. When we love and hate and fear these things, it needs must be that those who control them are masters over us . . . That is how at a meeting of the Senate a man does not say what he thinks, while within his breast his judgment shouts loudly." -EpictetusRichard C. "Doc" Holloway Your partner for workforce development Visit me at http://www.thresholds.com/community/learnshops/index.html Or e-mail me at <mailto:learnshops@thresholds.com> Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2361 Phone: 01 360 786 0925 Olympia, WA 98507 USA Fax: 01 360 709 4361
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>