Chapters 1 & 2

Democracy’s Ecosystem:

“In my personal life, I have learned what millions have learned from crushing losses and defeats: such experiences, rightly held, can make us more compassionate and receptive, deepening our engagement with others and opening us to new life.” - Parker Palmer

Query:

How does the John Woolman Story (pg. 20) shift your ideas about community and the importance of tending our connections?

Confessions of an Accidental Citizen:

“Out
of a great need
we are all holding hands
and climbing.
Not loving is a letting go.
Listen,
the terrain around here
is
far too
dangerous
for
that.”

—Hafiz

“If I were asked for two words to summarize the habits of the heart American citizens need in response to twenty-first-century conditions, chutzpah and humility are the words I would choose. By chutzpah I mean knowing that I have a voice that needs to be heard and the right to speak it. By humility I mean accepting the fact that my truth is always partial and may not be true at all —so I need to listen with openness and respect, especially to ‘the other,’ as much as I need to speak my own voice with clarity and conviction.” —Parker Palmer (pg. 43)

Query:
Palmer asserts that we need both chutzpah and humility to thrive in our democracy. What do you notice about these two qualities in your own life?