The Inclusion Solution: Vote Tomorrow !

The Inclusion Solution: Vote Tomorrow !

Vote Tomorrow !

Vote Tomorrow
It is a precious right that we must not take lightly. No matter how discouraged we get about the “politics” surrounding the politics, we still have an obligation as Americans to be actively engaged in the political process. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “we must accept finite disappointment but we must never lose infinite hope”.
The unyielding passion for a “more perfect state” is what has kept America strong.
As I listen to the rhetoric of the politicians I wonder if we have lost the real reason for our passionate dissention. Is it really for the good of the nation or is it more for selfish aggrandizement? Is it because we have studied the issues and understand why we are for or against certain issues or is it because we for some reason want to exacerbate the polarization…the “us” and “them” (What happened to “One nation…indivisible”?).
It appears that we have candidates seeking political office who are unfamiliar with the constitution, cannot define socialism (although they are vehemently opposed to it) and would rather spew out pop culture phrases ( e.g. “man-up”) than help the public understand the complexity of the current issues.
Complex indeed. And to suggest that there are easy solutions that will rapidly manifest if we just put incumbents out of office seems a bit naïve to me. I don’t think the Republicans have any more of a magic wand than do the Democrats, the independents or the so-called tea party candidates. It is going to take hard work, sacrifice (I know we don’t like that word), and much more realism that we see today.
Fareed Zakaria, a thought leader for whom I have great respect, speaks about how the US has lost its optimism. We have become a nation of gloom and doom, blaming everybody from the President to the Chinese for our problems.
Zakaria postulates that our problems started in the early 80’s when we became a nation of conspicuous consumers. We increased consumption with no corresponding increase in wages, thereby markedly increasing our individual and collective debt. He said, and I agree, that we are all a part of the problem.
So rather than continuing this ludicrous path of divisiveness, we have to learn to work together for the mutual benefit of our survival or we will self-destruct as a nation.
I would ask you to consider acting on the following:
1. Vote tomorrow for those who stand for something and not just against the status quo. It is ok to be angry, frustrated, fearful, confused and whatever other emotion is appropriate for this state of affairs but if you are not a part of the solution, you remain a part of the problem. I have not heard too many candidates spell out what they would do to change those things with which they disagree. Vote for those who have a platform other than bashing their opponent.
2. Let us not tolerate the incivility and polarization that is currently being promulgated. We need to stand up and not accept the nastiness. We get enough of that from the terrorists and others who “hate America”. Sign the civility pledge at Civility Project. Org.
3. Make sure you know the truth about the issues. We make judgments based on sound bytes today. The issues are complex, thorny and have many different dimensions. For example, for those who want the government to create jobs and blame the government for the lack of jobs, if the government creates them, does not the government then have to pay for them? Is this not antithetical to less government spending? We can’t have it both ways folks.
4. Let’s rally around a vision for America. One that is hopeful and as inspiring as sending a man to the moon. I am not sure we have a unifying vision right now. Mine would be The United States: leader in Education, innovation and global alliances
5. Encourage everyone that you know to vote tomorrow.

One Nation Rally

A Plea for Mutualism and an End to “Us and Them” Divisiveness  

Saturday October 2, 2010. I fell down some stairs on Tuesday and chipped a bone in my foot so I am lying in bed with my foot propped up otherwise I would be at the rally.

As I reflect on where we are as a nation today economically, politically, socially and from a values perspective, I am frustrated, confused, angry, ashamed but at the same I am also ignited, hopeful, energized and grateful to live in a country where I have freedom of speech.

My negative sentiments stem from being tired of hearing the same old rhetoric about our problems but no concrete solutions.  Let’s take education, which I think is our nation’s most pressing issue. We have been talking about the appalling public education results since the mid-eighties when large corporations made significant financial and human resource contributions in support of improving schools.  These efforts seemed to fizzle after a few years.  Bill Gates, Oprah, and educator Jonathan Kozel have brought these issues to light in recent years. There are pockets of excellence such as Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Zone Schools but the national stats are appalling.  68% of 8^th graders do not read at grade level; by 12^th grade the US ranks 26 out of 29 among industrialized nations in math and science. We have a 25% drop out rate but for Blacks and Latinos it is as high as 50%. 

It is truly unbelievable that in a country that was first to send a man to the moon and is considered the world’s economic Super Power (although this is quickly changing) we can’t figure out how to provide quality education to all children.  It is inconceivable that a country founded on freedom and justice, justifies large portions of its population being denied basic human rights.

At the core of why we haven’t turned the education problem around is the same root cause of the other failures with the economy, political divisiveness, poverty, poor health outcomes, etc.  It is quite simply a failure to really believe that we are all equal and deserving of the same respect and human rights. If we really believed it, we would have fixed the schools a long time ago.

Even with all of the laws banning discriminatory behavior, hate crimes, redlining and other practices that promote inequality, many still see the world as “us” and “them where “us” is better and we live in fear that if we let “them” share in what we have, “us” will suffer.

Just last week, five gay young men committed suicide.  Among them, Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University, jumped to his death from a bridge after discovering his sexual encounter with another man had been streamed live to other students by his roommate and another student . He killed himself because he was gay and in this country gays are “them”.  Just days before a 13 year old California boy Seth Walsh, hung himself after suffering years of bullying for being gay.  A majority of our elected officials want to maintain the don’t ask, don’t tell military policy.  Clementi was a talented musician, described as a wonderful young man. This was not just a horrible loss to his family and friends but to society as a whole.  Seth had his whole life ahead of him and we don’t know how he might have contributed in wonderful ways to our society.

We have a large proportion of our population who are anti-Islam.  According to an ABC poll, 49% of respondents had an unfavorable view of Islam even though over 50% of respondents in a Pew survey admitted that they knew very little or nothing about the religion.  Again, Muslims are “them”, viewed as a threat to “us.”

Seventy –three percent of the public broadly supports the Arizona law aimed at dealing with illegal immigration and the law's provisions giving police increased powers to stop and detain people who are suspected of being in the country illegally.  Another survey showed that the public’s main fear is that immigrants take jobs away from “us”.

We just don’t get it. As long as there is “us” and “them” we will be stuck as a country…stuck in intolerance, hatred, divisiveness, violence, incivility, illiteracy, poverty and the list goes on.  The message of the One Nation Rally is just what we need but we need to go further and help people understand the imperative of mutuality.

Mutualism is a term commonly used in the natural sciences to understand complex relationships and interdependencies among different species.   Webster defines mutualism as the doctrine or practice of mutual dependence as the condition of individual and social welfare.

We are inextricably entwined, like a web.  We will not function well until we connect all of the pieces of the web.  As long as we think it is ok to continue to allow a broken education system to exist for some, the country will stay at number 26 in math and science or decline even further. While we are busy trying to figure out ways to keep “them” (immigrants) out of the country, our economy will fail to grow as it as potential to do.  If we can’t get over our homophobia, we will continue to lose the Tyler Clementi’s and the Seth Walsh’s.  As we senselessly lose “links”, we weaken the entire web.

Much of our fear is based on ignorance. We don’t know much about “them” except the more often negative media portrayal.  We have to learn about each other, our commonalities and differences.  Diversity is normal and natural. But no matter how different, we are still a part of an interdependent whole.

Martin Luther King, Jr. probably said it best: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny and that what affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

You Can’t Have Inclusion Without Civility

I wondered if anybody else but me felt like our society is becoming more and more contentious and less civil so I Googled the word “civility” and lo and behold I see that there is a website called Civility Project. Org.   where you  are invited to take the Civility Pledge which is "I":

• Will be civil in my public discourse and behavior.
• Will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them.
• Will stand against incivility when I see it.

The Project’s founder, Marc DeMoss and his supporters are concerned as I am that we have become a divided nation where our disagreements are no longer debated in a spirit of mutual respect and a desire for a unified vision of a better society but rather with hate and animosity for those with different views.

"Civilityproject.org is a collection of liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, blacks and whites, and people of various faith—or no faith— who agree that even in sharp disagreement we should not be disagreeable".

As I go around the country consulting on diversity and inclusion, I make a point to have my clients understand that inclusion is not about agreement but it is about first seeking to understand (Stephen Covey) and respecting other points of view.  We can and should debate the merits of different viewpoints without hateful words and behavior.  Destroying property, engaging in physical altercations and spewing profanities will certainly not solve any of our disagreements.

Incivility can be seen everywhere in society from the driver who unabashedly pulls into the space that you had been waiting for to our elected officials who seem to get worse every election season with egregious personal attacks on their opponents.

Civility and inclusion go hand in hand. If we are not able to be civil with one another we will never get to inclusion which is the espoused goal of many organizations today.  Inclusion is about creating a respectful environment that allows everyone to contribute to their full potential.  Our strength as a society lies in our diversity.  If everybody had the same opinions, we would not achieve breakthrough innovations.

I think that there are three essential ingredients for civility:

• An ability to separate the issue from the individual.  We should “attack” ideas not individuals.
• A genuine respect for all living things because we understand our inextricable mutuality. The definition of mutualism is a web of interdependent relationships benefiting each other for sustainability. Our very survival depends on us understanding and leveraging our mutual interests.
• Effective conflict resolution tools:  Most of us don’t know how to have a meaningful dialogue with those of opposing views.  First there is self awareness. What is your conflict resolution style? What is the style of those with whom you disagree?  Where are you points of mutual interest?  I think our political leaders would be well served by spending time developing more effective ways to debate and resolve issues.

I would like everyone reading this blog to sign the civility pledge and encourage others to do so. The Project invited our elected officials to sign but from what I understand very few have done so since the plea went out over a year ago.