Saturday,
December 29, 2012
Yesterday, I
saw a “petition” on Facebook asking for support of President Obama’s proposal
in regard to avoiding the “fiscal cliff”.
For some reason, I wanted to see the comments so I bravely clicked the
appropriate “button”. I shouldn’t have
been surprised by the name-calling and finger-pointing that seems to be the
extent of many a person’s contribution to the national dialogue. Considering the dire nature of the current
situation, it’s scary to believe “this is what we got”.
When I was
working with the union, “negotiating” was a continuous part of the job. However, even in an environment where “negotiating
to find solution” (at least this was my interpretation) was prevalent, it wasn’t
out of the ordinary to find those who had a different understanding of the
concept. For many, “negotiating” is
about winning; it’s about getting their way no matter the cost or level of
nastiness. It may be my “pollyanna-utopian”
perspective, but I sense this “winner-takes-all” paradigm only exists because it’s
what we’ve been taught and we haven’t slowed down enough to realize there are other
possibilities. As we move into a “Golden
Age” of updated truth and unity, it seems appropriate to take the time to match
our beliefs, systems and structures with the overall nature of the times we “sense”
and to which we look forward.
As far as
the “fiscal cliff” and political parties in general, if you can’t agree upon
the presented “solution” – then persevere until one is found to which
you CAN agree! If one party
presents a proposal with which the other doesn’t agree, then counter with
something different until the finest point at which both can give a nod is
found. We can’t afford to just “take our
toys and go home” when our proposal isn’t met with excitement and joy!
In my
opinion – and in my perfect world –
we would just sit down around the parlor table and converse about the truth
beneath our surface-level desires and then “negotiate” to find creative
solutions that support that truth! ( J ) Obviously, we aren’t there yet…..but
I maintain a steadfast hope and faith that this is a possibility as we move
forward into this Golden Age.
In the
Spirit of Solution-Oriented Negotiating and Utopian Possibility!
Much love,
Karrie
I sometimes think a lot of folk have just plain forgotten that we live in a democracy, that people in a democracy are free to share ideas, opinions, and seek solutions through discussion, common ground, the greater good—that compromise and negotiation are very democratic ideals and processes. "Solution-oriented" is not, sadly, the focus of some (okay, many). This continued division for the sake of opinions, beliefs, and righteousness is troublesome, if not downright frightening. Where have all the common sense makers gone?
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