What kind of society do you want to live in?
Do you want it to be prosperous? Blessed with liberty? Open? Transparent? Blessed with opportunity? Restricted to only one racial or ethnic group? Violent? Might-makes-right? Rule-of-law? Growing? Creative? Vibrant? Obedient? Militarized? Stratified? Family oriented? One with upward social mobility? One with an empowered middle class?
Any answer is fine – for you, yourself. Some answers are not acceptable for some societies, and in the USA, we have an inheritance of self-government, expressed by Abraham Lincoln as:
“A government of the people, for the people, by the people“
That is self-government – where the people hold the ultimate authority. Well, what are the things required for successful self-government? That is CivicsDNA – the 19 key ideas and concepts necessary to sustain self-government in the USA. One day this framework will be published as a book that people can buy and put on their shelf and *read*. But for now, here is the outline of the book – for *free*. This is far too important for our society at this moment when self-government is in its greatest peril at any time except for during the Civil War.
Do these principles ring true to your ears?
Table of contents:
| Item | Name | Blog link | Video link | Date | |
| 01 | Unconstrained power | ||||
| 02 | Checks, Balances, 3 elements | ||||
| 03 | People & Press – extra branches/checks | ||||
| 04 | When there is profit in lies, prosperity dies | ||||
| 05 | If power is what is perceived, reality may be deceived | ||||
| 06 | Trust in each other, then in the courts – lest life be fearful, nasty, brutish, & short | ||||
| 07 | Democracy is derided when the people are divided | ||||
| 08 | A law has great force, if the people say, “Of course!” | ||||
| 09 | What is the purpose of government? Is it written anywhere? | ||||
| 10 | No lines on the road = “more cars get towed!” | ||||
| 11 | C/E/G/L – Culture/Economics/Government/Legitimacy | ||||
| 12 | Republic or Democracy? Both | ||||
| 13 | Wolves have a pack; Lions have a pride; Elephants have a herd; Humans have a tribe | ||||
| 14 | Bullying = seizing power. Always. | ||||
| 15 | Crowds are powerful when the people in it are afraid to leave – they become mindless | ||||
| 16 | Sometimes people create & sustain alternative reality bubbles, which hurt society | ||||
| 17 | The engine of human progress is tribal {safety+reward} – so grow the tribe | ||||
| 18 | War is Politics by another means, and vice-versa | ||||
| 19 | Violence shatters the social contract. Always. |
A British negotiator at Versailles in 1919 commented about Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points, saying, “Wilson goes above and beyond. God only had 10 commandments.” Well, there is never a time where Ignorance is better than knowledge. Oh, sure, 19 is too many to get at the drive thru. That’s the point, isn’t it? Do you want to live in a society where all you need to know about running it has to be supported by, “Do you want french fries with that?“
The PDF file download appears here for logged in members. User comments are also welcome (and visible) for those at the “Community Builder” membership level.
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