Independence = ownership X democracy x responsibility
Saturday, July 4th, 2009It’s the 4th July again which means I’ll be contacting all my American friends to wish them a great time with their families. My friend in NYC, Josephine, has been sent a whole box of items and I’m going to call her later today to find out where she’s going to celebrate.
More generally, I’ve been thinking about what independence means and I came up with a little equation. Let me explain its elements:
· ownership — this means that as individuals we’re prepared to stand up and say, “This society / this business / this community / this item / these thoughts / these words / this contribution belongs to me. I’m conceiving it. I’m building it. I’m shaping it. I’m proud of what I’m doing and the direction it’s taking. Even the mistakes and learning from them, I own.”
· democracy — this means that collectively we respect the desire and rights of others to either share in our ownership or have their own ownership in a free and open way.
· responsibility — this means we’re aware that ownership also confers to us (as individuals and collectively) the need to do what we can so that the society / the business / the community etc. progresses in a way which fosters democracy.
So INDEPENDENCE = OWNERSHIP X DEMOCRACY X RESPONSIBILITY
Happy 4th July, all!