A Kindergarten Test for Democracy

There is quite a bit to unpack in this, the latest episode of The People’s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast. Where conversations serve as springboards for deeper discussions that weave through nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice, all with the starting point of a question sent in by a listener. 

In today’s episode your co-hosts discuss two such questions, the first coming from Ray, Sauk Centre, Minnesota, USA - “The Biden and Trump administrations worked together as one came to an end and the other started. Should the two parties power share and work together as a better version of future US politics? 77 million voted for Trump and 75 million, I think, voted for Harris. The country is split so is it time to share?”.

Off the back of Ray’s question Stuart comes up with an action: if you went to kindergarten or you went to nursery school. When you think about how your life progressed in school and you ceased to share, and it was about self gain, self gratification, getting grades, and all the rest of it was just me, me, me, me, me .Think if the sharing had continued through your education, and on into your adult life, how would it have looked different?

And William’s action: Realize that we are polarized in our thinking, that what you think is true for yourself, is not necessarily right, it can just be your opinion, not fact. And be mindful of that, and be ready to have your mind changed.

The second question comes from Vinroy, Linstead, Jamaica - “A million Earths could fit into the space taken up by our Sun. With that concept in mind, do our problems, issues, disagreement, fashions etc etc etc, really mean anything?”

For such a BIG question which Vinroy has raised here, your co-hosts come up with two big actions.

Stuart’s action: look at a problem you've got today and set it against the enormity of the universe. Any issues long term, or short term that you may have, your friends, may have , the people around you may have. Does it matter? Is it of anything of significance? Be it disagreements and fashions? They're just like a blip. Does any of this really mean anything?

William’s action: he encourages you  to go out there and, and lead a good life, and actually just be kinder to people that are around you. And if you operate from that point of view, and you see that somebody else is actually having struggles themselves. You are only gonna make the world a better place.

During the discussion of this question, William mentions the Hubble Telescope Deep Field, you can find out more about this with the following link: Hubble Telescope Deep Field

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