The 2002 book "Society's Breakthrough! Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People" presented a breakthrough strategy for transforming the "System" through an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Since then we've discovered that the transformation can begin without the Amendment, because the "magic sauce" for transforming "the System" is "choice-creating" more than any change to "the Constitutional system". However, the "Wise Democracy Amendment" to the U.S. Constitution, whether it's Step 1 or Step 10, would still be essential:
The Wise Democracy Amendment
Note: It’s hard to find any risk to this proposal. It’s just adding a new conversation to what we already have. The fact that it’s a Constitutional Amendment means “We the People" charter it into existence. And assures that people generally will attend to the results.
Benefits include:
The Wise Democracy Amendment provides a way to:
Staff and elected leaders of the Austrian state of Vorarlberg have contributed to this strategy in two key ways ... 1) Showing that the issue can be selected ahead of time and given to the Wisdom Council. 2) Providing a strategy by which ordinary citizens can present their issue.
Video interview from 2010 about the Wise Democracy Amendment ... (8/27/10)
The Wise Democracy Amendment
- Section 1--Wisdom Council Process: There shall be an ongoing series of national Citizens Wisdom Councils, at least two per year. Each Wisdom Council is comprised of twelve to twenty-four citizens randomly selected from voter registration roles who gather for three to five days. They are presented with an issue of vital importance and are dynamically facilitated to create unified "Statements of the People".
- Section 2 —Who selects the issues: The executive branch and the legislative branch take turns in presenting issues to the Wisdom Council. Plus, citizens can also select additional topics and Wisdom Councils through a citizen initiative process.
- Section 3 — The National Community Cafe: All citizens are invited to come together in different venues to hear the Wisdom Council present its perspective. The report consists of three elements: 1) Statements of the People created by the Wisdom Council 2) Sharing the story of how these statements were created by the Wisdom Council; and 3) Personal reflections from members of the Wisdom Council on their experience. Once the Wisdom Council finishes its short presentation, it disbands. Then the citizens visit with one another in face to face conversation about their insights from these conclusions and they informally register the level of resonance.
- Section 4—The "We the People" Conversation: After the National Community Cafe all citizens are encouraged to continue the public conversation. All are given an opportunity to keep building the ideas and assessing the overall level of support for the Statements of the People. Much of this conversation can continue online. Because of the Wisdom Councils happen regularly, this facilitates a new “We the People” public conversation. to approximate a Constitutional Convention, where “We the People” build a shared perspective about what’s going on with the issue and what we all want to happen.
- Section 5—Assuring the Essential Quality of Conversation: Each Wisdom Council must be facilitated in a way that assures "choice-creating," the desired quality of talking and thinking natural to “We the People.” This quality is heartfelt, collaborative and creative where citizens seek “what's best for all” answers. Dynamic Facilitation is used within the Wisdom Councils to assure choice-creating -- building unity and enthusiasm for “Statements of the People.”
- Section 6—Wisdom Council Commission: A rotating group of twelve former Wisdom Council members are convened to assure capable oversight to the process. Especially, they determine procedures by which the issues are given to Wisdom Councils, provide for capable Dynamic Facilitation and assure ongoing support to the national “We the People” conversation. Three elected members from each of the previous four Wisdom Councils serve on the Wisdom Council Commission. The Wisdom Council Commission itself shall also be dynamically facilitated.
Note: It’s hard to find any risk to this proposal. It’s just adding a new conversation to what we already have. The fact that it’s a Constitutional Amendment means “We the People" charter it into existence. And assures that people generally will attend to the results.
Benefits include:
The Wise Democracy Amendment provides a way to:
- Transform the quality of political conversation so that it becomes more inclusive, respectful, creative and consensual.
- Generate a bottom-up shared vision and sense of the “public interest.”
- Generate new solutions to impossible-seeming public issues, plus the general will to implement these solutions.
- Generate a spirit of national and global community.
- Facilitate a new system of ”Wise Democracy" where “We the People” provide responsible leadership to government, the courts, and society in general.
- Preserve and enhance individual freedoms, celebrate diversity, and support the expression of people’s individual creative gifts.
Staff and elected leaders of the Austrian state of Vorarlberg have contributed to this strategy in two key ways ... 1) Showing that the issue can be selected ahead of time and given to the Wisdom Council. 2) Providing a strategy by which ordinary citizens can present their issue.
Video interview from 2010 about the Wise Democracy Amendment ... (8/27/10)