We left off in the last post with a one-or-the-other choice to make. It really is one-or-the-other. These are two fundamentally incompatible worldviews. Do you accept the one that has your dog peeing on your floor, snarling at you, and mauling your children, or do you accept the one that has your dog sitting when you say, "SIT!", and protecting your home and your family from those who might wish to do you harm? You cannot have it both ways...and even my five year old is able to figure out that she wants to be the one to tell the dog to, "SIT!" rather than sitting by and letting the dog chew up all of her toys.
The problem is that many of us have never lived with a dog we controlled. Some of you may remember the cute puppy your dog used to be. Maybe you can look back and pinpoint the exact moment that your dog assumed the Alpha position in the family, but more likely your dog issued a series of seemingly inconsequential challenges to your authority that were never met with backbone that ultimately culminated in your surrender of power and authority to your dog, possibly without you even consciously realizing it. Many of us grew up in homes where our dog had always been the boss. Getting growled at and bitten is normal.
I am trying to change that perception in my house. I don't want my children growing up in an America where they are passively accepting getting growled at and bitten by the dog. That's why I started taking the classes from the Tennessee Center For Self-Governance in the first place. I've been staring at my growling dog, aware of the complete imbalance of power going on here, but because I grew up in an America where that was normal, I don't know how to tame that beast. I just know it needs to be done. I suspect there are a lot of people just like me, people who would do something about retraining that dog if they knew what to do and how to go about doing that. I know that standing by idly and letting the dog growl at me isn't going to improve the situation; it'll actually make it worse in the long run when the dog realizes I'm not going to do anything about it. I know that complaining about the dog's behavior to my friends, none of whom have dogs that behave any better, isn't going to improve the situation, either. So what will?
This is where I believe that the classes created and offered by Mark Herr and the Tennessee Center for Self-Governance are a stroke of brilliance. What will teach our dog to heal, sit, roll over, and stop barking is, metaphorically speaking, Mrs. Powel. The Constitutional Convention in 1787 was held behind closed doors, shrouded in secrecy. Meanwhile, anxious citizens gathered out front, waiting word from the delegates. When the doors opened, a woman named Mrs. Powel approached Benjamin Franklin and asked him whether we had a republic or a monarchy. He replied, "A republic if you can keep it (emphasis mine)."
So who exactly is Mrs. Powel? We're all Mrs. Powel. You, you, you, you, you, and me. All of us. The republic will survive if we can keep it. The key to keeping the republic is keeping Mrs. Powel aware of the power and the freedom that the Constitution grants her, and the confines and limitations it places on the government. When was the last time you actually read the Declaration of Independence or the American Constitution in full? Reading those magical, historical documents isn't like trying to wade through the Affordable Care Act; our founding documents are remarkable in their brevity. It took me less than an hour to read through both of them. Do you have at least a basic understanding of your rights as defined by our Founding Fathers in the Constitution? Do you have at least a basic understanding of how our federal and state governments are supposed to work? Do you know who your state's federal Senators and Representatives are? How about your district's state Senators and Representatives? How about your city's mayor and city planner? Do you know what your elected city council is doing? If you don't know, why don't you know? These people are making decisions and enacting legislation every day that shape our society and impact your life. How do you justify not knowing to yourself? I used to tell myself that I didn't have time. I used to tell myself that it was too complicated. I used to tell myself that my efforts would be wasted anyway because I can't do anything about what's going on. Those are all excuses, though. Excuses for abdicating my responsibility. Excuses for being lazy. I am now reaping the rewards of irresponsibility and laziness. Because not enough of us know, the dog is snarling at us and mauling our children. I guess I care more about my children than I do about myself because as soon as I figured out that the dog is mauling my children, enough was enough.
Thomas Jefferson said, "I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion."
That is the mission of the Tennessee Center for Self-Governance: informing our discretion so that we can save and preserve the republic. I have taken two of the five levels of classes from the Center for Self-Governance. Worth every dime I spent in tuition, and by the way, the tuition is minimal. Worth every second I sat there in class and listened. I have more questions than answers about how this all works, but right now I am trusting the process. I already think differently about the government and my role as a citizen than I did before I took level one. My son is taking the classes with me right now. I'm sharing what I am learning with my husband and our oldest daughter. Once I have completed all five levels, I will have Erica take the series too. I'm sharing the process of having my discretion informed with all of you, in the hopes that it create ripples in the pond, or so to speak.
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