October 16

When we decided to leave Geneva and move back to Maine in 2004, part of the reasoning was to be part of the return to sanity that we were certain would accompany regime change in Washington. We were four years early, but have never regretted the move. Another part of the thinking was to bring to local involvement some of the things we have been working on at the international level for years, either through teaching or through working in international organizations. How to contribute to making the world a better place starting up close and personal, rather than big picture and “out there”, was the question. The peacebuilding work of Interpeace is guided by five principles, which I think can be applied fairly well to town politics:

1. Local ownership - Local ownership begins by ensuring that priorities are determined locally. It is crucial that spaces and processes exist where consensus-building and dialogue can take place. If local people and groups participate in defining the problem, they can be engaged to take ownership also of the solutions.

2. Include all parties in the process
By ensuring the involvement of all relevant groups in society in the dialogue and priority setting process, actors from each social group are instilled with a sense of responsibility for the rebuilding and reconciliation process.

3. The heart of the challenge is building trust
Trust cannot be imposed, imported or bought. It emerges slowly and is built through collective engagement on issues small and large, and through consistent daily commitment.

4. It’s a long-term commitment
Support of local efforts must be patient, adaptable and consistent. There are no short-cuts or quick-fixes.

5. It’s as much about "how" things are done as well as about "what" is done
How the process is managed and how the engagement of all sides is carried out, will determine in large part the success of the initiative.

So what I am really trying to do is to apply these principles to being a Selectperson, a citizen of Bowdoinham, of Maine. It carried over at a national level in the Obama campaign and still has me getting regularly upset at the way issues national or international are being played, but the real heart of the matter is here – It’s the little issues – the tax abatement that sets a precedent; the decisions on how taxes will be budgeted and spent; how the roads will be fixed, the garbage collected and disposed of; how kids will be educated; how this little patch of earth in town will be cared for and stewarded for the next generation and the next. It’s quite a challenge. There is much to learn and it is not a perfect system, this thing we call democracy, and yet we taut its benefits so confidently and look down on societies that can’t make it work well right from the start as somehow inferior, or less intelligent or some how less worthy.

Democracy, government by the consent of the governed, by peers chosen from amongst us, and tough decisions going back to direct referendums voted by an informed and caring public …Wouldn’t it be pretty to think so? It’s on this last point that we are falling seriously behind, and may be putting the whole ship at risk. The responsibility of the media to educate and inform is seriously deficient. The only way for the populace to be truly well informed is to demand to be, to seek out truth and perspective, and to embrace diverse opinion. We all should do that every day and not be satisfied or throw up our hands in defeat.