Where do I start? This is not a book, so Chapter One or the Preface doesn't quite fit. So I’ll do what seems most logical and follow up on the “Why” you might have read and or heard. I don’t pretend to have great knowledge in any particular field, but I have had lots of different experiences and, as I mentioned, I have time now to reflect, ponder issues of the day, and throw out some ideas for feedback and sharing. In addition, I've had ten years teaching leadership and political skills to very bright young people who have in turn taught me a lot.
In this process I really do want feedback, for somehow we need to find ways to communicate between folks with different ideas on how to proceed. Somehow, we need to learn to listen to others and their ideas on ways to act and, in the process, find areas where agreement can be found. For as long as we stay on the extremes, tied to our community of common beliefs, we’ll only see ourselves as right and those folks on the other extreme as wrong, or maybe even something stronger to more clearly reflect how we really feel.
I intend to really push for those who disagree with my opinions to help me understand where you are coming from. And I won’t be satisfied with the fact that you just disagree, I’ll want to know why. What is your road forward? Where are possible areas of agreement? It’s not just a fight over whose idea is best, which tends to lead to just each side defending themselves and frequently taking shots, often cheap, at the opposition. Most importantly, if we can really start to share and actually listen to each other, then we might start seeing ideas evolve that are better than any original. What we are getting to here is dialogue, collaboration, and better results.
I intend to get into a variety of subjects ranging from education at all levels and from all aspects, to our contemporary politics, to whatever the crisis of the moment is if it has ties to experiences I've had where I have something to share. As you can see from how the website is laid out, I’ll be calling attention to articles from others that enhance the dialogue as well as related stories when I think it will add context. I plan to make it easy to check the latest news and, from time to time, do some polling to get a sense for how those connecting feel about a particular question.
I do intend to have responses to push-backs and/or comments but not individual by individual. When an observation or feedback reaches a level of significance, I’ll respond. I’ll try also to say what I want to say keeping in mind that folks are really busy and shorter, more to-the-point formats work better for most folks. So, with that in place and a general direction to go, we’ll get started.
In this process I really do want feedback, for somehow we need to find ways to communicate between folks with different ideas on how to proceed. Somehow, we need to learn to listen to others and their ideas on ways to act and, in the process, find areas where agreement can be found. For as long as we stay on the extremes, tied to our community of common beliefs, we’ll only see ourselves as right and those folks on the other extreme as wrong, or maybe even something stronger to more clearly reflect how we really feel.
I intend to really push for those who disagree with my opinions to help me understand where you are coming from. And I won’t be satisfied with the fact that you just disagree, I’ll want to know why. What is your road forward? Where are possible areas of agreement? It’s not just a fight over whose idea is best, which tends to lead to just each side defending themselves and frequently taking shots, often cheap, at the opposition. Most importantly, if we can really start to share and actually listen to each other, then we might start seeing ideas evolve that are better than any original. What we are getting to here is dialogue, collaboration, and better results.
I intend to get into a variety of subjects ranging from education at all levels and from all aspects, to our contemporary politics, to whatever the crisis of the moment is if it has ties to experiences I've had where I have something to share. As you can see from how the website is laid out, I’ll be calling attention to articles from others that enhance the dialogue as well as related stories when I think it will add context. I plan to make it easy to check the latest news and, from time to time, do some polling to get a sense for how those connecting feel about a particular question.
I do intend to have responses to push-backs and/or comments but not individual by individual. When an observation or feedback reaches a level of significance, I’ll respond. I’ll try also to say what I want to say keeping in mind that folks are really busy and shorter, more to-the-point formats work better for most folks. So, with that in place and a general direction to go, we’ll get started.
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