A Civil Society Bill of Rights

"A Civil Society Bill of Rights","

I reserve the right to make truth claims, to hold positions even if others may take offense.


I reserve the right to be idealistic, optimistic, not cynical or jaded, nor comfortably relativistic or postmodern.


I reserve the right to believe in things for which there is more hope than evidence.


I reserve the right to experiment with ideas that I am not sure about.


I reserve the right to change my mind as the world changes.
  I have not figured everything out; I never will.


I reserve the right to compromise to achieve good, but not perfect, solutions to bad problems.
  I refuse to be defined by others' categories or philosophies or terms.


I reserve the right to disagree with you, to disagree with my friends, to disagree with anyone (maybe even myself in part).


I reserve the right to sometimes be silent - to not have an opinion or an answer, to not advocate a position, to not define myself, to not assert expertise.


And I freely extend the same right to you.
  Well the world is not simple, and my views on it are not simple either.
  It is a shame that more of our public figures do not freely assert the right to change their minds, to disagree respectfully, to sometimes be wrong, or to sometimes be silent.
  You would probably write a slightly different set of rights for yourself in order to frame, develop and express your ideas.
  We may all speak.
  If the world's problems were simple, then smart people would have solved them a long time ago.


The power of civil society is the democratic power of multitudes speaking, discussing, testing and trying ideas.
  Some of the proposed ideas, policies or solutions are bound to be wrong-headed, or foolish, or just not work.
  If they were my ideas, my speech, or my advocacy, then I take responsibility for them.
  In many cases, we will simply have to disagree.


And I freely extend the same right to you.


HERE IT IS ALL IN ONE NUT SHELL