Sender: "Bruce Schuman"
Subject: Enrolling and Introducing
Date: Mon, Mar 24, 2014
Msg: 100834

From: List for transpartisan leaders and innovators [mailto:TRANSPARTISAN@LISTS.THATAWAY.ORG] On Behalf Of Michael Strong Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2014 1:45 PM To: TRANSPARTISAN@LISTS.THATAWAY.ORG Subject: [TRANSPARTISAN] Enrolling and Introducing

Thanks for the proposed topics, Mark, as well as getting this conversation started. As I've already provided a brief introduction I'll explain why I enrolled below.

I joined because I believe the most sensible solutions to many issues are not likely to be advocated by partisans. Worse yet, partisan rage and hyperbole actively reduces the probability that constructive solutions will be implemented. Moreover, it seems to me that more people live increasingly partisan bubbles in which they can't even imagine that there are honorable, decent, caring, and intelligent fellow citizens who hold beliefs opposed to their own.

When I first discovered the transpartisan movement almost ten years ago, I was optimistic that it could make a difference. Since then it seems as if partisan animosity has increased dramatically even as the problems faced by the U.S. seem to grow more serious.

I would not be surprised to find that in the next ten to twenty years the U.S. experiences a fiscal collapse much worse than was experienced by Greece, with the rise of even uglier political parties on the left and the right, and a diminished sense of well-being for much of the population. Detroit as the future of the U.S.? Mad Max here we come?

This is not a necessary outcome. It is also possible that the U.S. could experience a wonderful renaissance in which more people than ever before live happier, more flourishing lives.

But the more that partisans on both sides regard the other side as illegitimate and evil the more likely the first scenario becomes. The lack of constructive, mutually respectful dialogue in the public arena makes me gloomy about our prospects.

Perhaps this group can increase the odds of the positive outcome somewhat.

On Sat, Mar 15, 2014 at 2:18 PM, Mark Gerzon wrote:

March 15, 2014

TO: TRANSPARTISAN LISTSERV COLLEAGUES

FROM: THE FOUNDERS*

Thank you for joining the Transpartisan ListServ, and welcome from all of us at Mediators Foundation. As you know, we have partnered with Sandy Heierbacher and NCDD to deepen the conversation about unlocking the partisan gridlock that has gripped America and taking political dialogue to a higher, more creative, problem-solving level. We are excited to be embarking on this journey with all of you.

In addition to the many rich conversations that this forum will host, we would like to invite your participation in the following ongoing conversation on the breadth, depth, and possible directions of the transpartisan field. Below you will find an outline of the elements of this discussion on the listserv. Throughout all of our conversations and posts, we want to invite a spirit of inquiry and inquisitiveness, understanding that we are seeking to uncover answers and solutions that many have found difficult to find.

NOTE: Although we are proposing a monthly conversation focus, please feel free at any time to share whatever is alive for you.

March: Enrolling and Introducing

Why have we joined this conversation?

The focus this month is welcoming new members and getting introduced to one another. Please let us know when you join, and tell us anything about your work and your interest in the field. A heartfelt thanks to all of you who have joined and introduced yourselves thus far. Enrollment will continue of course, building every month. But for at least this month, it will be our primary focus.

April: Clarifying ‘Transpartisan’

What does 'transpartisan' mean to you?

What does transpartisan mean? What does it mean to you? Are there other words or phrases that describe this "field" better, or add another dimension to our understanding of it? What kind of work do you do that is part of this emerging field? And how would you define the borders of the "Transpartisan field"? Why does the field becoming aware of and connected to itself matter?

We propose that April's dialogue address these vital questions, as well as other related questions that come to your mind. We will launch the month with a sample of definitions from various sources so that we have a dynamic starting point for a community conversation.

May: Mapping the Transpartisan Field

Who is part of this emerging field of transpartisan practice?

In May we will invite you to partner in a concerted effort to map the field. We will circulate a draft of a Transpartisan Field Map 1.0 to all of you and ask you (1) to place yourselves on the Map, and (2) to suggest other individuals/organizations that should be included. We will then share the Map 2.0 with all of you after we have compiled the new information.

June: Gathering the Field

What would you like to experience when the field gathers?

As you may have heard, in partnership with NCDD, we have planned a 1st Annual Transpartisan Meet-Up on October 16 (the day before the annual NCDD conference begins) in Reston, Virginia. In June, we propose a dialogue that addresses the question: What would you like to experience when the field gathers?

As we plan the agenda for this initial gathering, your input can help shape the day. What do you want to learn? What small groups do you think should convene? What questions would you like the group to address? What speaker(s) would you like to hear? What activities would be most meaningful to you?

Obviously, this conversation can begin sooner than June. But we propose directly focusing on it that particular month since, by then, we will be in the planning stage for October 16.

July: Taking Action:

What shared action projects might we as a field consider?

If the transpartisan field is to gain traction in American civic culture, we need to break out of the margins and into the mainstream. To do so, we will need to take actions of some kind to highlight or showcase the transpartisan perspective. In July, we will propose some ideas — and invite you to propose yours — so that, as a community, we can begin to consider potential shared actions.

We look forward to a spirited, dynamic conversation. Thank you!

*Letter drafted by Mark Gerzon in partnership with Sandy Heierbacher, John Steiner, and Gabriel Dayley

-- Mark Gerzon Mediators Foundation 2525 Arapahoe Avenue E-4 #509 Boulder, Colorado 80302 3038171409

"Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them." - Albert Einstein

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-- Michael Strong CEO and Chief Visionary Officer FLOW, Inc. www.flowidealism.org

For the definitive Conscious Capitalism book, see Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World's Problems, by Michael Strong with John Mackey, CEO Whole Foods Market, Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Hernando de Soto, Co-Chair of the U.N. Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, and others, and listen to John Mackey's audio CD Passion and Purpose: The Power of Conscious Capitalism, both available at amazon.com or www.flowidealism.org.

Liberating the Entrepreneurial Spirit for Good

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.

Leonardo Da Vinci

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