Civics includes the study and practice of the rights and duties of citizenship. Civics is much about the things we do which affects our fellow citizens. Is there civics teaching in a school near you?

It is useful to remember that civility is an important part of effective civics and politics.

We can benefit and profit by learning>                                                                                             ~ More of “civility.”                                                                                                                                ~ some collaborative leadership.                                                                                                        ~ about consensus building.                                                                                                                ~ a deeper level of tolerance.                                                                                                                ~ about sources of conflict.                                                                                                                  ~ how people who are fundamentally different from one another can develop sensitivities that will enable us to get along with a person different from us.

We are at our best when we>                                                                                                              ~ are listening.                                                                                                                                        ~ are working in partnership with others.                                                                                      ~ lead by example.                                                                                                                                ~ have the courage to be appropriately humble.

Learn, educate yourself, find out what others have to say, organize, plan, act.

We have a lot to learn. An old aunt of mine used to say that by beginning we are half way there. Once one begins one does one’s best to keep on keeping on.

Civics? Try it where you live.

by Richard Sheehan                                                                                                                              for Mago Bill

Dialogue Practice is not a:
~ place to make a particular point prevail.
~ debate or discussion.
~ an attempt to gain points.
~ game to win or lose.

A dialogue practice group is a way:
~ to an activity which helps us to be us.
~ through the meaning of word.
~ to an honest supportive activity.
~ to greater awareness and enhanced consciousness.
~ to hone your listening skills.
~ to develop new speaking skills.
~ to practice effective methods of communicating.
~ to cultural preservation, growth, and creativity.
~ of making a healthy effective society more probable.
~ To meet interesting people in an interesting environment.
~ Of putting honest thoughts on the table where we can look at them and begin to find their meaning.
~ of finding pleasure in speaking up.
~ to understanding among us and within us.
~ to satisfying relationships.
~ to exchange idea and opinion.
~ to share experience.
~ to more effective communication outside the group.
~ to practice a “second” language.
~ to peace and good-will.
~ for us to see our words as gifts.
~ to keep a stream of meaning flowing among us.

According to David Bohm, dialogue practice is:
~ participating in a flow of meaning between us, through us, and among us.
~ an activity out of which emerges new and renewed understanding.
~ an activity which helps us to be us.

by Richard Sheehan
for Mago Bill

Or, let’s have a platform. Or, let’s have a plank. “A Party” sounds more attractive, but I have reason to consider a plank first

The kind of plank I am considering is political. It is the name given to fundamental parts of a political platform. Political party platforms are made up of planks. This kind of plank does not come from a lumbar yard. but rather from the minds of men and women. We can shape one, or more planks.

Most of us have some ideas about the nature of a political party. Historically each person running for political office usually has a platform much like the platform of his party. So, we may consider that a platform is what a person running for political office stood on and, perhaps for. In Great Britain, I believe, one stood for office rather than running for it as one does in the USA. A platform was once more often about  one stood for rather than on. A party and its platform may be much about wants, interests, needs, desires, values, and even philosophy of citizens, th men and women of the nation.

So, parties can have platforms. An important part of those platforms are its planks. Each plank is likely to represent a specific want, need, value of citizens.

Now I am less interested in specific candidates, and even parties and much more interested in the specifics of the platform they stand on. The specifics are best found in the planks.

So we can be  in our platforms and the planks of those platforms.  We can be interested in the nature of specific planks we can be proud to stand for. We need to be practically aware of our fellow citizens. We can work to polish solid planks to see implemented among the people of our nation.

We can continue work on planks which  represent real and specific values and needs to present to our fellows in highly understandable and attractive ways.

We can practice justice and honesty as we form some great planks. With those great planks we can form a great platform. On that great platform we can learn to stand a great (new) party. A party to be proud of entails constant, renewal, reform, update, and cleaning. It’s a lot of work and there are a lot of us.

Haven forbid that other parties copy planks we present.

by Richard Sheehan

for Mago Bill

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton