17 – What Do You Think?
Mark has stated his videos are presented hoping people will watch them and become better parents for their children. That can happen on an individual basis, but it appears the number of “parent-abused people” indicates the need for overall social systems changes.
I have been posting these messages for a couple of months. I received one supporting reply from Aracelli responding to “15 – Parenting Challenge – Language.” That was appreciated. There are others that read my ideas. Instead of me rambling along with more messages, I thought it would be good to hear from those reading. So…what do you think about my ideas?
One of America’s great challenges involves our people bring polarized, there being no dialogue across the gap. So called “public discussions” usually involve a panel of four or five individuals that basically believe the same “liberal” or “conservative” points of view, expressing “like thinking.” The ancient Greeks used one-on-one dialogues involving two persons, holding directly opposing views, that were provided two slots of time to present their individual points of view. Each dialogue focused on one, agreed upon, directly stated, difference of opinion. Use of such a process today would provide communication across the politized gap.
My thinking is based on my academic and experiential background as an organizational change agent, helping people realize how they can restructure their corporation, government agency, or nonprofit. I find support for some liberal ideas and some conservative ideas. I cannot find support for some liberal and some conservatives ideas. I find some to be harmful.
I am old and will not live much longer. I can remember when our society was very different than today. The pivotal point in time came following 1964. That fall I personally listened to Lyndon Johnson discuss his wars on inequality and poverty at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. It was about time to do something positive about these problems.
I have never seen a candid, overall, big picture assessment of his program’s successes or continuing improvement opportunities. Assessment efforts focus on physical issues instead of abstract thinking. Some of today’s extreme problems such as drug and weapons usages did not exist before 1964 to the degree seen today. But many major improvements seem to be ignored.
So…what do you think? 8/26/2025