A quotation from John Adams

John Adams (1735–1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797–1801)
Letter (1816-02-02) to Thomas Jefferson

More about this quote: wist.info/adams-john/34664/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #johnadams #checksandbalances #conscience #emotion #intellect #power #regulation #restraint #selfdeception #selfdelusion #trust #abuseofpower #powercorrupts #bestintentions #selftrust #selfawareness

#CitizensAssemblies: strengthening democracy and participation

" #Earth4All advocates for citizens’ assemblies as a way of restoring public trust and participation in politics and creating safe spaces for dialogue around polarising issues.

We are calling for citizens’ assemblies on economic systems change so that we, the people, get a say in the kind of economic system we want.

What is a citizens’ assembly?

Citizens’ assemblies are designed to allow for a public debate outside of political parties. A randomly-selected group of citizens representing the full diversity of society are invited to participate in a process to explore an issue and formulate recommendations to government or parliaments. Often, independent experts are brought in to discuss problems and potential solutions.

We are living in a time of social and political polarisation. Social tensions are on the rise, bolstered by skyrocketing #inequality, and #democracy is increasingly at risk. Just 39% percent of people trust their governments to make good decisions. We urgently need to rebuild trust in our political systems.

On the other hand, we know that around the world, people want economic systems change. Holding citizens’ assemblies on this topic would open up space for exploring the kind of change we want, building trust and understanding between different groups, and co-creating a common agenda for the greater good.

In the 2024 Earth for All survey, 62% of people surveyed supported the use of citizens' assemblies to increase citizens’ influence in political decision-making.

What are some examples of citizens’ assemblies?

Citizens’ assemblies have already been used successfully to navigate politically contentious issues in highly polarised democracies. Prominent examples include:

- The Irish citizens’ assembly on abortion. The assembly is credited with helping Irish society navigate a deeply polarising issue. It led to a referendum and eventually a change in law.
- The Canadian Citizens’ Assembly on Democratic Expression, a three-year initiative to look at impact of digital technologies on society.
- France’s Convention Citoyenne Pour le Climat, the climate citizens’ assembly and a similar UK Climate Assembly.
- The Global Citizens’ Assembly for People and Planet was launched at New York Climate Week in 2024 and aims to bring citizen participation to the COP30 climate summit in Brazil."

Source:
https://earth4all.life/resources/citizens-assemblies/

#SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity
#BuildingResilience #NoKings
#NoRulers #AddressingInequality #PowerCorrupts #PowerToThePeople

Came across this in a post about #SolarPunk a few weeks ago (post may be gone)... Anyhow, I've been reading #DavidGraeber and #DavidWengrow's book, "The Dawn of Everything," and thought the question posited by #Graeber was relevant to #SolarPunkSunday...

Are You An #Anarchist? The Answer May Surprise You!

"Every time you treat another human with consideration and respect, you are being an anarchist. Every time you work out your differences with others by coming to reasonable compromise, listening to what everyone has to say rather than letting one person decide for everyone else, you are being an anarchist. Every time you have the opportunity to force someone to do something, but decide to appeal to their sense of reason or justice instead, you are being an anarchist. The same goes for every time you share something with a friend, or decide who is going to do the dishes, or do anything at all with an eye to fairness"

David Graeber, The Ultimate Hidden Truth of the World, p 243, published 2009

"Chances are you have already heard something about who anarchists are and what they are supposed to believe. Chances are almost everything you have heard is nonsense. Many people seem to think that anarchists are proponents of violence, chaos, and destruction, that they are against all forms of order and organization, or that they are crazed nihilists who just want to blow everything up. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Anarchists are simply people who believe human beings are capable of behaving in a reasonable fashion without having to be forced to. It is really a very simple notion. But it’s one that the rich and powerful have always found extremely dangerous.

At their very simplest, anarchist beliefs turn on to two elementary assumptions. The first is that human beings are, under ordinary circumstances, about as reasonable and decent as they are allowed to be, and can organize themselves and their communities without needing to be told how. The second is that power corrupts. Most of all, anarchism is just a matter of having the courage to take the simple principles of common decency that we all live by, and to follow them through to their logical conclusions. Odd though this may seem, in most important ways you are probably already an anarchist — you just don’t realize it.

Let’s start by taking a few examples from everyday life."

Read more:
https://davidgraeber.org/articles/are-you-an-anarchist-the-answer-maysurprise-you/

#SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity #BuildingResilience #NoKings #NoRulers #Inequality #PowerCorrupts

A French proverb

French proverb

More info about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/proverbs/79385/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #frenchproverb #victorhugo #adversity #character #corruption #monsters #power #powercorrupts #problems #prosperity #restraint #struggle #troubles

A quotation (possibly) from Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
(Attributed)

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/hugo-victor/1989/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #victorhugo #adversity #character #corruption #monsters #power #powercorrupts #problems #prosperity #restraint #struggle #troubles

A quotation from Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 6, ch. 30 (6.30.1) (AD 161-180) [tr. Farquharson (1944)]

Sourcing, notes, other translations: wist.info/marcus-aureleus/7824…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #marcusaurelius #marcusaureliusmeditations #ascent #corruption #dictator #ego #emperor #imperiousness #leader #monarch #position #power #powercorrupts #powerhungry #pride #status

God bless #RoKhanna for getting the #GOP on committee majority on record as supporting & protecting #PEDOS

The #MAGAts wanna think only 'Dem Elite' hung out with #Epstein, but seriously?

Anyone who's read the autobiography of #MalcolmX knows the only way to stop the trafficking of children is to stop having ANYONE with the $$ & power to buy whatever they desire

#PowerCorrupts
#CapitalismKills

The aphorism, the dictum of the Twenty First Century, which should be carved into every Public Building, every statue, every street and painted on a thousand billboards.

"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Billionairism is barbarism.

#corruption #powerCorrupts
#uspol #cdnpoli #uk #eu #piketty