🦚 TREE 138: Democracy is an argument towards creative solutions, not an existential death match

When democracy is something else, it’s being distorted. (I think very few people would disagree that the world’s democracies are suffering a lot of distortion right now). But the idea of arguing towards creation is important. It allows you to see your opponent as an essential good – the iron that sharpens iron, the eye-opener that helps you see the needs and desires of people who aren’t like you.

(In the UK’s mostly two-party system, the party not in power is officially known as Her Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition. It helps us remember that, beneath all the arguing, we’re all part of one big, mostly grumpy team.)

Sometimes your opponent is wrong. Sometimes you’re wrong. Mostly you both need to make some adjustments.

Of course, thinking and acting this way is hard. But you can do it with practice. When you do, you gain the security you need to listen, change and convince.

Important note: Arguing towards creation isn’t just about politics. It’s also a useful way to think about teams and any other group where individuals have input on decisions.

I’m putting a couple links in the comments today – two articles that have a lot of good stuff to say about why the differences between people matter.

Trees grow up and down.
Jeff

Here’s all the enthusiasm you need for being on a team:

The Memory of TREE playlist – every song from every email: