List Managers Update on Civility in Our Forum ---------------------------------------------
Here is a quote from a recent article by Tom Atlee. I think that some folks in our group might be interested in this article. I present it here, because of its importance to our ongoing discussion on civility.
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I really like some of the work by Tom Atlee - am very skeptical of some of his commentaries, but I guess that only reaffirms one of the thesis' of this article.
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Exploring the Dynamics of Polarization http://www.co-intelligence.org/polarizationDynamics.html by Tom Atlee - July 2004
"To the extent we can free ourselves from the polarized prisons of Left and Right, we will have more creatively productive deliberations. The reverse is true as well: To the extent we have well-designed and well-run deliberations which help us use our differences creatively in light of our common ground, we will free ourselves from those polarized prisons of Left and Right and discover the power of our uniqueness and our shared creativity.
But most of us seldom experience such remarkable conversations. More often than not, we are trapped in -- and blinded by -- this manipulated narrative called "Left vs. Right" that's designed to make us feel like heroes in an epic of Good vs. Evil. It keeps us from seeing each other, from recognizing potential allies, from talking with each other or treating each other like the decent human beings most of us are. Most importantly, it keeps us from coming together to free our minds and hearts to create a society and world that work for all."
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-- Tim Erickson List Manager St. Paul Issues Forum http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/ Hamline Midway Resident 651-643-0722 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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