Democracy Diaries: Subscriber Rya suggests reframing
Rya sent a link, and I asked (as I do for all those who comment and make suggestions) if she’d like to do a guest post. I should probably have called this Democracy Diaries. Here’s Rya:
I'm delighted and a bit intimidated to have been asked to write a guest post. Intimidated because I do not see myself as having the background or knowledge to weigh in on 'politics'. I vote, I pay attention to the news, I have my opinions - but I've had this idea of 'true politics' as something akin to advanced math. I've seen it as something other people are experts in - a system that I don't really 'get'. And, like Jonna, I've found myself increasingly alarmed with the state of our country, the threat to Democracy, wondering - what can I actually DO to make a difference?
My expertise comes at the level of interpersonal relationships. In my fifty years, I've honed my ability to understand where different people are coming from & find the common connections that allow a translation of sorts - manifested through visuals, reframing, asking questions, etc... And I'm stymied when I look at the state of our country. I hear loud and clear that individuals on all sides are passionate about saving America. That language is the same. But the meaning & assumptions behind it is what seems to be vastly different between the 'right' and the 'left'. I have a hunch, though, that there is some piece here, something in the language, in the framing, that we have to uncover to allow the passion and patriotism of the people of this country to come together to get our government back in line with the will of the people.
I shared this article with Jonna - it's about a type of reframing not directly related to politics as a whole, but about identifying individuals first by their aspirations & contributions rather than defining them by their challenges & deficits. And no, it isn't the 'everyone gets a trophy' kind of toxic positivity. It seems to me, that this is reframing at its most powerful, and that there is something to be learned here that we can apply to our current political dilemmas.
I don't know how to make the jump from my personal areas of expertise into this land of politics - of influencing people one has never met, organizing or inspiring a movement, getting things to actually change. I'm interested, and a little desperate, to find ways to contribute - and perhaps that's part of what we need right now: a body of people bringing elements from their areas of expertise to the table for the group of us to assemble and apply in this area of politics. I'm curious to know what you all think.