Changes

==Heading==

==Heading==

===Topic: '''''Politics'''''===

===Topic: ''Politics''===

===Group: [[Lightline TeaM]]===

===Group: [[Lightline TeaM]]===

==Facilitators==

==Facilitators==

Dear [[Michael]] and [[Mother Spirit]], tonight I have what I hope is not too strange a request, or something that might be considered just a pure curiosity question. But I was thinking, now in our political season, just how you two view these processes that we go through in order to elect our officials. So if you would consider that, and if it’s possible to answer in a short time on such a broad question, we would appreciate it. Amen.

Dear [[Michael]] and [[Mother Spirit]], tonight I have what I hope is not too strange a request, or something that might be considered just a pure curiosity question. But I was thinking, now in our political season, just how you two view these processes that we go through in order to elect our officials. So if you would consider that, and if it’s possible to answer in a short time on such a broad question, we would appreciate it. Amen.

===Lesson===

===Lesson===

===='''''[[Politics]]'''''====

====''[[Politics]]''====

Good evening, this is Michael. Mother Spirit and I would be glad to address your question. You are correct that it is such a broad term that perhaps we should begin by defining politics as just all those processes by which individual men and women are chosen for governmental positions. And this is generally in all three recognized branches of government—the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. If there’s one word I could think of to address this whole subject it would be—necessity.

Good evening, this is Michael. Mother Spirit and I would be glad to address your question. You are correct that it is such a broad term that perhaps we should begin by defining politics as just all those processes by which individual men and women are chosen for governmental positions. And this is generally in all three recognized branches of government—the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. If there’s one word I could think of to address this whole subject it would be—necessity.

*The necessity for politics

*The necessity for politics

Insofar as Mother Spirit and I are mainly concerned with each one of you as individuals and not as political parties or groups, we can only assure you, again, of the necessity for this whole realm of human behavior and activity. Government is an absolute necessity just above the small consanguine family group. There is some organization and some authority needed in such a nation-state as the United States. There has to be some accountability for those laws that are on the books--the tens and hundreds of thousands of them. There has to be some means for the citizens of your country to become aware of these laws. And that is so much a part of your education system, not only formally instructing the children what these laws are, but what they can infer from all the behavior around them--what is legal, what is not, and even what is extra-legal--what is generally being done irrespective of the laws.

Insofar as Mother Spirit and I are mainly concerned with each one of you as individuals and not as political parties or groups, we can only assure you, again, of the necessity for this whole realm of human behavior and activity. Government is an absolute necessity just above the small consanguine family group. There is some organization and some authority needed in such a nation-state as the United States. There has to be some accountability for those laws that are on the books--the tens and hundreds of thousands of them. There has to be some means for the citizens of your country to become aware of these laws. And that is so much a part of your education system, not only formally instructing the children what these laws are, but what they can infer from all the behavior around them--what is legal, what is not, and even what is extra-legal--what is generally being done irrespective of the laws.

===='''''[[Citizenship]]'''''====

====''[[Citizenship]]''====

*Civic responsibility

*Civic responsibility

Mother Spirit and I wish to emphasize, more than anything else, your responsibility, your ability to respond to these duties put upon you as a citizen. It is only occasionally that you get a chance to vote and cast your own preference for who is going to fulfill those government offices around you. And as you know, there are so many media--from newspapers, magazines, the television networks--all with their more or less proclaimed, or just implicit, point of view. The realization of this implicit point of view can very quickly lead you to understand how the only way to arrive at even a relatively objective understanding of any political situation; the only way is to keep an open mind and literally to shop around. It helps to enjoy this process, to check out different commentary from commentators expressing their political opinion, because it very quickly gets into several major camps—what you call political parties, or just general philosophies of government. It is good to sample, to be eclectic, to compare one against the other, for any reliance upon a single network to give you a full and comprehensive view of not only what exists--what is the political situation, but what are the choices you have as an individual, what are the contrasting points of view?

Mother Spirit and I wish to emphasize, more than anything else, your responsibility, your ability to respond to these duties put upon you as a citizen. It is only occasionally that you get a chance to vote and cast your own preference for who is going to fulfill those government offices around you. And as you know, there are so many media--from newspapers, magazines, the television networks--all with their more or less proclaimed, or just implicit, point of view. The realization of this implicit point of view can very quickly lead you to understand how the only way to arrive at even a relatively objective understanding of any political situation; the only way is to keep an open mind and literally to shop around. It helps to enjoy this process, to check out different commentary from commentators expressing their political opinion, because it very quickly gets into several major camps—what you call political parties, or just general philosophies of government. It is good to sample, to be eclectic, to compare one against the other, for any reliance upon a single network to give you a full and comprehensive view of not only what exists--what is the political situation, but what are the choices you have as an individual, what are the contrasting points of view?