Thinking Citizen Blog — The Party of We and Yes (Part II)
Thinking Citizen Blog — Sunday is Political Process, Campaign Strategy, and Candidate Selection Day
Today’s Topic: The Party of We and Yes (Part II)
In my post of June 25th (first link below), I discussed several possible new names for the party I launched at Adams house in 2018, then the “Education First Party.” The names proposed included: The Party of We and Yes, the Thinking Citizen Party, the Lady Justice Party, the Orion Party, and the Gratitude First Party. I have decided to go with The Party of We and Yes. And, miracle of miracles, the name change has already doubled membership! My wife, Patti, has joined! Hallelujah! From a party of one to a party of two! Don’t miss the boat! Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
THE CURSE OF HUMANITY IS NEGATIVITY — think us! think yes!
1. Negativity has many names. At the top: envy, anger, and hatred.
2. At the root of the curse is “us versus them” thinking.
3. At the root of a new, better world must be “us and yes” thinking.
NB: Put differently, the scourge of humanity is lack of focus. The focus must be on the positive, the shared, and the future.
THE CHALLENGE IS INVENTING A NEW KIND OF POLITICS THAT BEGINS WITH YOU, WHEREVER YOU ARE, AND NOW NOT TOMORROW — aka “be the change you want to see in the world”
1. And the foundation of that new politics must be gratitude — as the saying goes, “not only the first of the virtues but the parent of all the others.”
2. Values must not be an afterthought or dismissed as an opiate of the people.
3. Micro values like gratitude, courage, and prudence are the only solid foundations upon which to build macro values like freedom and justice.
MICRO VALUES ARE LIKE MUSCLES, THEY MUST BE EXERCISED DAILY TO MAKE THEM STRONGER — do you have a daily fitness program for the heart, mind, and soul?
1. A daily goal: how much joy can you spread per day digitally and in person? How many family members, old friends, colleagues, or new friends can you cheer up with a word of appreciation, sympathy, or encouragement? Are you tracking the ratio of your kind words and deeds to the not-so-kind ones? How is that ratio trending? Do you have a goal? Is it reachable? Is is reasonable? Is it too low? I call this my santa/grinch ratio.
2. A weekly joy cycle: have you assigned to each day of the week a different joy to give special attention to on that day so that every day you have something a little different from yesterday to look forward to and focus on?
3. Are you writing every day to deepen your joy and appreciation? Are you sharing your work with a network of family and friends who share that joy? Why not? Have you tried?
NB: You might be surprised by the consequences. I certainly was when I started in the fall of 2011. Twelve years later…well the results have exceeded my wildest dreams. Every day is a miracle. Many times over.
Thinking Citizen Blog — The Party of We and Yes
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
My spin — then periodically review, re-rank, and exchange your list with those you love. I call this the “Orion Exchange” because seven is about as many as any human can digest at a time. Game?
LAST FOUR YEARS OF POSTS ORGANIZED THEMATICALLY
PDF with headlines — Google Drive
ATTACHMENTS BELOW:
#1 A graphic guide to justice (9 metaphors on one page).
#2 “39 Songs, Prayers, and Poems: the Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People” — Adams House Senior Common Room Presentation, (11/17/20)
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest thing you learned in the last week related to political process or campaign strategy or 2020 candidate selection or anything else for that matter.
This is your chance to make some one else’s day or change their thinking. Or to consolidate in your own memory something worth remembering that might otherwise be lost. Or to clarify or deepen your own understanding of something dear to your heart. Continuity is key to depth of thought.
