WHY DO THIS?

There is nothing more practical in the world than to have a reason for what we're doing. 

Whatever we’re doing, there is some element of thinking behind it. Sure, some days more than others, but there’s always some interplay between ideas and actions. And there are links between what individuals are thinking and what societies are doing.

The goal of Our Voices is to highlight ideas that are valuable to individuals and societies and examine them through conversation.

Then to share selections from those conversations with as many people as possible.

For example, does the Golden Rule tell us anything about equality? Does it apply to people we don’t know? Does it suggest anything about the way to act in a democracy?

We are each part of many societies, with each society as unique as the people who form it. A family. A set of workers. A basketball team. People in line at the convenience store. They come with expectations of how the group works. Taken as a whole, these ways of getting along are the norms we live by and can be instrumental to pubic institutions, such as the values of a justice system. 

The Our Voices project provides one small way for citizens to step into such conversations.

If there is kindness in a society, democracy gives it a chance. It’s up to us to figure out how to take advantage of that opportunity.