Sing the Human, Electric

“It is not our difference that divides us.
It is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences”
~Audre Lorde

SHE01 celebration rainbow people

We live in an era in which our individual and collective identities appear to have taken on an increased importance in their presumed ability to establish who we are—and who we believe we are not. But who are we really? Whomever we decide to be, we tend to construct such stories in terms of what we have come to call identity politics. Take a look at these “food for thought” articles related to this issue.  Then consider some of the ramifications of such methods of self-recognition and, indeed, self-creation.

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Tales of Self-Recognition

imagining america SIZED

Who are we?  Who are we as individuals?  Who are we as a national collective? Who are we as a  world community?  Who are we as a species?

For several month, we at seekingGood have been researching and discussing these questions.  For the next few months, we will begin to share some of our emerging findings, insights and ideas.  To begin, consider the following video by Robert Reich in which he asks “What is the Real American Story?”  His proposal can serve as a means of framing a certain way of thinking about the question “Who are we?

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Hobbits & Hooligans

What kind of voter are you?

Just curious, do you consider yourself a Hobbit, a Hooligan or a Vulcan? Not sure?  Well, are you politically well informed?  Do you perhaps vote in accordance with your best buds, your BFFs, your clan, your family, friends or grossly defined political party (largely disregarding the issues associated with a particular candidate)?  You wouldn’t by chance make a habit of either choosing a candidate without even knowing who or what you are voting for or (perhaps more likely) do you not vote at all?  If you recognize yourself in two of these three descriptions, according to political philosopher Jason Brennan, you should be excluded from the voting rosters of your community.

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Between the Lines

The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Peace and Progress

The above quote was famously delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was apparently often quoted by President Barack Obama.  But it was probably originally written by slave abolitionist, and Unitarian church minister Theodore Parker on the eve of the American Civil War.   All three men were suggesting hope as a hallmark of our days on earth. Do we still believe this quote?  Are we justified in such a belief? (more…)