Questions That Make All The Difference

I am writing to open a deeper inquiry among the Democratic Underground.

Given the opportunity to speak to your fellow citizens, what three questions would you ask them? Mind you, this is not an opportunity to rant and complain, to insult and deride, but to ask the three questions you believe the answers to could change the course of things. The three questions can concern politics, economics, or education, the environment, the culture, or the personal character, respectively. You may not address, however, more than one issue. Mind that the three questions you ask should enable us all to determine what most concerns you and why…what you believe will make a great and glorious turn for the better...for all of us.

I don’t pretend to have given you all an effortless task, as we narrow down our opinions and points of view to a central and/or singular idea.

No answers, please! (smile)

Just questions: questions that make all the difference...

My questions:

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous quote, “Life consists of what a man is thinking of all day," parallels our nation's educational and cultural decline. In unadulterated truth, in the scope of an average day in your life, what do you find yourself thinking about most of the time?

“The Golden Rule” is a universal law within religions around the world: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Strangely, outside the grievances against the insidious influence of the Church and religion, lies this “first principle“ of Judeo-Christian doctrine that has borne little if any influence within Western political and economic systems. If the Golden Rule were to be implemented within democracy and capitalism, how would those two systems be altered in theory and practice?

In your life, as long as you can remember, what has been the longest, strongest most enduring belief you’ve held? Be it faith in God or love of country, that love is all you need, or that family/friends are most important, that the world will ultimately self-destruct/triumph, people inevitably disappoint/surprise you, etc., what is that one belief no amount or variety of experience, no exceptions or examples to the contrary, has ever or could ever, make you denounce?

What are your three questions?

I am truly appreciative to anyone who takes the time to read and respond to this post...

On C-SPAN’s BOOK-TV, I had the pleasure of being introduced to Andrea Batista Schlesinger, author of the recent publication, The Death of Why: The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy.

Schlesinger’s argument is that the American people are preoccupied with finding the quick, easy and right answers than asking the slow, difficult and objective questions. With the economy, health care, and foreign policy raging in the public forum, she makes a pressing point.

I stagger at the lack of real discussion and debate within the town hall and Congressional meetings: it seems to me there are a great deal of opinions and no ideas. Indeed, opinions are simply the communication of thoughts: ideas are a culmination of them. Whether the thoughts have the form and foundation of a good or bad idea is to be debated and discussed: but the form and foundation must be there, or people are simply arguing for the sake of “speaking their minds…” Schizophrenics do as much: it just never makes any sense.

What are the government decisions you're referring to that are made "outside of our view?" For that matter, is "our" a pronoun for the citizenry, your particular community or group, or political party?

If "our" stands for the citizenry, do you believe the citizens within this nation have only a "view" of their government? If so, why? Why or how within a democracy would citizens be or become merely spectators? If you believe "everything else is theatre," how does that change the meaning and purpose, indeed the power and influence of the public forum within a democracy, even something like a DU discussion thread?

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post.

and the labor force only gets propaganda. We have to use our judgment of human nature to make decisions on which leader to follow. Can someone from the labor force become a leader? Yes, but only very, very, very, very rarely. That requires more luck than work/drive/brains, just like the ruling class relies on. They're lucky with the genepool lottery.

Then what would your three questions be to the labor force in America?

Would your three questions be pertaining to their judgment to make decisions on which leader to follow?

Would your three questions be pertaining to their credulity when it comes to propaganda? What do you think makes the labor force subscribe to the "view" of propaganda which is not in their best interests?

Bear in mind that you state that becoming a leader takes work/drive/brains and a genepool lottery: hence the ruling class. Do you presume the ruling class or the rich have better skills, motivation, and intelligence than other people do? That these traits have or can be passed down genetically? If so, then is it not futile to believe a leader can arise from the labor force? Against a better prepared, if not predetermined ruling class, what is the advantage to improving judgment on which leader to follow?

So, you see, how those considerations will shape the three questions you would ask? How, indeed, would they "make up all the differences?"

Looking forward to your "Three Questions!

that Americans sometimes lack a long-view on politics. I don't believe its totally our fault and is somewhat understandable. I believe there is a innate impatience w/ Americans and that may result from watching too much television and getting used to problems being wrapped up in an hour episode (yes, I'm being glib). But, what I really believe is that we have been continually sold a fake bill of goods by the critters in Washington for the sole purpose of getting elected. For example: I know that Pres. Obama has told us that healthcare reform would be an arduous process, but he also promised it would be done this year, despite not having a fully-fleshed out program. We are often urged to be patient, but sometimes our patience is rewarded with bait-and-switches or broken promises.

I also believe that some Americans (especially the Progressives) have a short-view because they are so hungry for change. I include myself in this category. I find myself despairing over the basics in life that other countries have implemented and have made successful (i.e.: healthcare, national rail systems in European countries, etc...) that I am hard-pressed as to why we could not implement them here. I believe, cynically so, that its lack of vision and political will.

Anyway, its just my opinion.

"Americans lack a long-view on politics: they have a short-term view because they are so hungry for change. There is a lack of vision and political will to implement the basics in life that other countries have made successful." Am I wrong?

So, what would enable the American people to cultivate the patience and perseverance you believe is necessary for change? In other words, if your vision of this nation is that it can implement the basics of life successfully, what needs to be considered and why?

Narrowing those considerations down to three questions, to motivate the political will of the American people, what would they be?

I find myself desparing as well: I believe no questions are stupid, but many too vague to be considered valid. That's just it; there is a vague quality to most people's beliefs and I don't wonder the cause. There are too many differences that are taken for granted in this society, where democracy has been distorted to mean, "you have the right to not be wrong," or "your own truth shall set you free," and "you can create your own reality in our world." If there are too many differences within an organized society, within a collective human group, or within a shared environment, then something is wrong...oh, sorry, I meant "not quite right."

possibly some Progressives, but primarily me. I think the biggest difficulty so far is that we tend to grab the closest good thing we see and don't hold out for the golden ring because we fear that if we don't grab at something, we'll get nothing, despite it not being what we really want or need. So in that, you're not wrong, but I can only speak for me and what I see.

"So, what would enable the American people to cultivate the patience and perseverance you believe is necessary for change?" If I could answer that question, I probably would be in politics. My gut answer is a pie-in-the-sky, and most likely a not implementable solution: solid campaign finance reform. Get the lobbyists out of Washington, and make politicians directly answerable to their constituents. Period. The will of the people will not be served while the interests of big business take precedence. I believe this creates a lot of hopelessness and builds a wall between representatives and their constituents.

I have a hard time coming up with three questions for the very reasons you laid out in your last paragraph. Many people have motivations for how they want their country to look and many don't question why they feel that way. Many folks base their opinions on myths promulgated by the media and downright falsehoods forwarded by politicians (read: Chuck Grassley, Sarah Palin) to the point where I believe they live in a subjective reality, one not necessarily based upon facts or sound logic.

My neighbor Christopher thought "Questions That Make All The Difference," might be a way to start a new movement (giggle), so he wanted to contribute his own to "the cause."

"I would ask about equality.

How would (or could) we redistribute global, national, or local wealth, so that regions of the world with an abundance of natural resources could (or would) help those without?

How can we change our way of thinking about only ourselves, to thinking about society as a whole, giving without expectation?

How would we educate or inform our youth not to make our own same mistakes?"