I want to put in more concrete detail how this blog/forum will function. As for outreach, I will be creating a mass e-mail to advertise the blogs (I have two) to my own friends, families, and colleagues. I will also use Facebook as a method for advertising the blog and bringing in new followers/members. I want to keep this as a grassroots discussion, meaning real people, real voters, real concerns. If you are interested in helping to create a diverse and informed community at each of our fingertips, then you too will pass this information and our blog's website on to people who you think may be interested or could add to our discussions.
I will serve as the administrator to this forum. I will post topics, background information, and starter questions, as well as my own thoughts on the subject. Although I love to be able to say what I think, I also want you to be very aware that what I post is my own participation in this blog as a member, not as it's administrator. I will try not to abstain, but also not to dominate. This forum, jut like our society, will be democratic. If you have a comment, concern, or criticism, I encourage you to use the space for comments. Even more so, if you have a topic you want to write a piece on, you can contact me via e-mail (dmcassetta@gmail.com) so that I can post your writing directly to the blog and give it the attention it deserves.
This is a safe and non-threatening environment to bring up questions, hash out our ideas, seek new information, and present our opinions. It is important that you feel comfortable participating, and I will be happy to do whatever is necessary to make that happen. This blog is about answering questions, providing research, and getting to know the real concerns of real voters - even if you don't vote! We have to create a respectful dialogue, and present criticism in a friendly and non-threatening way. This can be hard with politics, but if it doesn't get met, it may destroy the heart and soul of the process - the comfort zone that helps people feel safe and confident enough to communicate what they're really feeling. We all have gems of knowledge and unique perspectives to add, and the opinion of each one of us is something we carry with us to the polls, so it is important to be humble and honest, as well as open to modifying our way of thinking.
Author Janet Gonzalez-Mena speaks about the uncomfortable, banging-your-head-against-a-wall feeling we get when someone's way of thinking "bumps" into our own and it seems that no reconciliation will be possible. I find that I get this feeling most intensely just before a personal breakthrough and then - ahhhh - clarity sets in. Either I see what the other person is really seeing (but I previously misunderstood), or I see what they mistakingly think I am seeing. Please be aware that when you feel like this it is because the world as you see it is being exposed to the world as someone else sees it - and because you so dearly believe that yours is reality, you can't fathom how the other person can think any differently. They must be illogical... Stupid... Blind... Or ignorant... Right? Wrong. There are many discrepancies in this world. Many times when we get that uncontrollable feeling inside... Many times when our world-view "bumps" against another's. What is great about this is that we end up discovering most of us have the same goals in mind - it is just a matter of how to achieve them effectively.
I don't want it to seem that I think we will all eventually agree. There are times when our goals are simply at odds with one another, and no solution will change that. But this is why it is important to honestly share what we think, so we can evaluate our goals and make sure they are really worth keeping. This "bumping" process is essential for personal growth. It opens up the discussion of how your opinions differ, and although complete agreement may not happen, the process still offers new ideas to people that they wouldn't have otherwise seen. We all grow from conflict - we learn to re-stabalize, to adjust our thinking. We either further confirm what we previously thought, or we learn something new and adjust for the better.
It is time to view all other voters (and future voters) with equality. We all have a say, and all of our opinions will affect the state of our nation and the world. Honestly and dialogue will be the tools we use to understand each other, educate ourselves, inform our opinions and votes, and strive to from a more perfect union.
Once again thank you for your time and as always, happy blogging!
Danielle Cassetta
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