On the Difference Between Revolutionary Service and Community Service - Nikitah Okembe Imana

               There are essentially three distinctions to be made in differentiating between revolutionary service and community service. The first is to examine the modus operandi of the organization to see if it is self-replicating or self-eliminating. Community service organizations, for the most part, function with an eye towards maintaining a foothold in the communities they serve, in a sense, to legitimate their own role. This is self-regarding and it results in the creation of a proverbial service or "vanguard" elite that hoards the organizational training and resources over the heads of the "masses." The problem with this model, in addition to the fact that it is undemocratic, is that it can never truly lead to revolution, for the relevant populations remain perpetual subjects of liberation rather than initiators of liberation, and a revolution cannot come from the top and the bottom.
                Revolutionary service, in stark contrast, emphasizes the dissemination of the methods, resources, and techniques of revolutionary organization to the population it desires to liberate from some type of oppression. Consequently,   revolutionary organizations and their leaders are always to be perceived as short-term facilitators for the community's liberation. This requires a sacrifice in terms of ego and individual aspirations to become a member of some revolutionary elite. The motivation behind this temporal nature of a revolutionary organization lies in the corruption inherent in power relationships. This effect can only be minimized by minimizing in turn the amount of time any particular organization or individual has a monopoly on the implements of revolutions. Accordingly, the best revolutionary organizations are those that emphasize tool-building projects like the development of alternative, independent, and non-exploitive economic ventures, literacy and community-regarding education for all, alternative media, etc.
                The second difference between the two forms of interaction is between outreach and in-reach. Outreach results as a consequence of the community service perspective whenever the "vanguard," by virtue of its monopoly of the tools of the revolution, begins to distinguish between itself and the population it is attempting to serve. Whether you agree with their economic theories or not, Marx & Engels hit the nail on the head in "The Communist Manifesto" when they said that the true communist agitator could have no interest apart from the proletariat, the class he/she sought to the tools of revolution. The revolutionary ideology, the physical movement, and the human resources must be constituted and operated by the population itself.
                The third and final distinction between revolutionary service and community service is drawn out of the second. The community servant and the "true" revolutionary inevitably have different views about the outcome of their work. The best case scenario for the former is that he or she be able to perpetually institutionalized a response to the needs of the population being served. Even if systematic change renders this desire meaningless, the community servant takes pride in the act of service. As such, the enthusiasm of community servant is cyclical and their actions tend to lack unity of purpose. There is no dominant goal that integrates them. For the revolutionary, however, the revolution is perceived as inevitable, needing only the sufficient distribution of the tools. As such, revolutionary organizations tend to thrive "underground" despite cyclical fluctuations in popular "liberal" opinion, and have a much higher degree of understanding of purpose between individual actions, in relation to the actions of the whole group, and in relation to the relevant population.
                Given the rising tide of fascism in the United States, I believe that it will be critical for the liberal establishment not to become co-opted as were some French and Austrians in WWII, nor to try to reform the system which will bring only brutal repression. We must strike the beast that is the system where it lives, in the hearts and minds of the masses of people and to do that we must be revolutionaries and not just community servants.

The Eight Degrees of Tzedakah - Maimonides

There are eight degrees in the giving of tzedakah, one higher than the other:

One who gives grudgingly, reluctantly or with regret.
One who gives less than should be given but gives graciously. One who gives correctly, but only after being asked.
One who gives before being asked.
One who gives without knowing who receives the gift, although the receiver knows who has given.
One who gives without making themselves known.
One who gives without knowing who receives the gift, and the receiver doesn't know who has given.
One who helps another to support themselves by a gift or a loan or by finding them a job, because in this way the receiver is helped to become self-supporting.

What is Consensus?

What is consensus?

Consensus is a process for group decision-making. The goal of consensus is for the group to work collaboratively to achieve better solutions, and to promote the growth of community and trust amoung the group members. All the partipants are encouraged to give ideas and input. The input and ideas of all participants are gathered and synthesized to arrive at a final decision acceptable to all. Consensus requires members to listen and understand all sides of the issue.

Decision-making 

Many of the decisions we face demand that we find ways to listen to opposing points of view, and find ways to accommodate deeply held and differing values. Conventional decision making mechanisms tend to exclude rather than include diverse interests and do not cope well with the complexity that many social issues present. In spite of this, Consensus Decision Making is currently the least used form of conflict resolution, taking a back seat to majority voting, Robert's rules, adversarial processes, and power structures. In spite of this, decision making by consensus can also be the most powerful and durable form of agreement! 

Consensus

Decision making is as much about conflict as it is about agreement. Consensus works better in an atmosphere in which conflict is encouraged, supported, explored and resolved cooperatively with respect and creativity. Conflict is desirable. It is not something to be avoided, dismissed, diminished or denied.

While consensus decision making may not be appropriate in all circumstances, it can be invaluable in reconciling competing interests, forging cooperative partnerships and exploring creative solutions to complex issues. Consensus processes do not avoid conflict or require abdication of leadership - but call upon leaders to forge partnerships that work toward developing solutions. A consensus process provides an opportunity for participants to work together as equals to realize acceptable actions or outcomes without imposing the views or authority of one group over another.

A consensus process is one where all those who have a stake in the outcome work together to reach an agreement acceptable to all parties. Consensus is sometimes spoken of as "more or less unanimous", or "virtual unanimity", or "consensus minus one..or two". But true consensus brooks no such dilution. Every party thus has a veto power, and unanimity may seem an unattainable goal - but consensus when achieved, creates commitment to the agreement, and that is a powerful motivating force. Either all parties support a settlement or there is no consensus. Although they may not regard all aspects of the agreement as ideal, consensus is reached if all participants are willing to live with "the total package."

Consensus vs. voting

 
Voting is a means to choose one alternative from several. Consensus is a process of synthesizing many diverse elements together. Voting is almost always faster than consensus, but it may deter full discussions of ideas and may leave subgroups that do not support a decision, and in the worse case, disaffected members may work to undermine the decision they do not support. Consensus tries to create solutions that all the group members will support.

Advantages of consensus

·         The process builds trust and a sense of community among the members

·         All ideas and viewpoints are heard and considered giving the widest range of ideas to work from

·         Solutions are supported by the whole group

Consensus may be difficult if:

·         The group is new and not used to working with each other.

·         The group does not understand consensus process or has some members who do not.

·         The group is larger than 20

·         People are upset about something but not willing to address the issue directly.

·         The issue is complicated and there are a lot of options.

·         There aren't any good options available.

·         The correct question hasn't been posed.

Consensus should probably not be used when:

·         Members of the group attack each other over their positions, causing people to not state their real opinions or truths for fear of being attacked.

·         There is no agreed upon mission, purpose or principals for the group.

·         There is not an agreed upon consensus process for the group to use.

·         There is a clear hierarchy in the system where one persons opinions dominate, eg the boss speaks and countering the bosses ideas will cause negative consequences.

·         Individuals use blocking as a means to get their way or threaten to do so in order to influence the outcome.

·         There really is not a best answer for the group as a whole. For   example, colour choices as a design issue are entirely opinion based, and whether green or blue is best is a matter of opinion. There is no best answer.

Disadvantages of Consensus Decision Making

·         Takes time in a group meeting to hear everyone's ideas and opinions; the larger the group, the more time needed

·         The group has to consider all viewpoints and sort them out

·         Trust is needed among members to encourage idea and opinion sharing

·         Group leaders must use facilitation rather than control

·         Blocking allows one individual to hold up the whole group

Sample Steps for a basic consensus process

1.        Describe and define the problem, situation, or issue

2.        Write the exact item so all can see and refer to it

3.        Encourage people to offer ideas, opinions, and comments relevant to the item

4.        Brainstorm a list of alternatives without judging, discussing, or   rejecting any ideas

5.        Evaluate the list of alternatives and create a draft proposal that combines the best of all the ideas

6.        Review, revise the proposal until it meets the best interests of the group

7.        Write down the final proposal

8.        Ask if any one has any issues regarding adopting the proposal, if there are none left, you have achieved consensus

9.        Evaluate the results later; revise if needed

Special consensus problems

·         Facilitator is lacking or poorly trained so group does not function effectively

·         The group is poorly trained in consensus, or has numerous new members that lack training or experience with consensus

·         People do not really share their ideas or objections in order to end the meeting quickly.

·         People agree to things they really don't want in order to get along or because they are afraid to speak up.

·         The group is deadlocked between two alternative proposals

·         Two or more group members dominate the issue, participation is not equal.

·         One or more group members withdraw from the process

·         Group avoids consideration of unpopular alternative ideas

·         Group climate is hostile, members attack each others ideas creating a negative atmosphere

·         Two or more group members have an unresolved conflict which affects the issue.

·         Behaviors, attitudes, or personality problems keep the group from working effectively

·         One member blocks, or threatens to block, for personal gain or to exercise power.

·         Issues do not get resolved, keep getting sent back to subgroup for more refinement, subgroup loses interest or becomes demoralized after continued efforts do not achieve a solution.

·         Group members who were not present at the discusssion bring up the same issues again.

·         Group members are not willing to compromise or work for the best interest of the group.

On Hitmodedut

Hitmodedut is a Hebrew word that has no precise English definition but the closest equivalent would be “a grappling with”. The Hebrew word comes from the Hebrew root MADAD. MADAD gives us the word for measurement and the word for coping.

It is not by coincidence, though, that the term for measurement and coping are related.

To cope with something, to deal with something, can be a passive act, can be an act of something happening to you and you suffering the consequences.  But coping can be active as well. Coping can be the active sizing of yourself in the face of a difficulty.  To deal with an issue can be to see yourself in that issue and understand how you would respond to it.  And this is where measurement comes in.

Lehitmoded (the infinitive of hitmodedut) in Hebrew means to deal with, cope with, but it also can mean to measure oneself.  When you lehitmoded with someone, you are facing that person.  You are sizing yourself; you are seeing how you measure up to them. And what is important in this process is seeing how you are different from that person. The measurements will never be the same, and yet this is exactly what makes you equal. Understanding yourself in the situation, understanding the person you are facing in the situation, and accepting that person - this is hitmodedut.  Hitmodedut can only come from a place of love. Hitmodedut involves seeing the person for who they are and seeing them for who they can be.  Hitmodedut is harnessing the unique spark inside every human being and making it shine brighter.

Truly, even in a hitmodedut with a person, you face yourself, for when measuring another person, you hold a mirror up to yourself.  This mirror reflects back upon you the demands you place on another person.

When measuring another and measuring yourself, you gain an understanding of exactly where the next step needs to be in order to facilitate growth. This also places a responsibility on you to take that step with the person, to show them the way, to see yourself in the mirror taking the step alongside them.

On Educating Children - Janusz Korczak

Understanding their vulnerability: Children have little power and are therefore easily exploited and disempowered. This leads to a need for a pedagogy of "Stewardship" and the need to create a safe space for children to express themselves without the fear of being exploited.

Understanding their uniqueness: This is the key to nurturing children. We need to understand the spark in each child, respect the mystery in each child and therefore, while we try to understand and work with their uniqueness we should not try to reduce each young person to a totally understood human being. We need to lead each child to where they need to go. It is not about "making you into something" rather about helping "make you what you can make of yourself."

Understanding meaning making: Children are involved in a process of making meaning of their selves, their surroundings, their community, and their world. Educators have the power to shape the narrative within which this meaning making takes place.

Understanding community: To enable all the above to happen, it is important to create a community for these to happen and to enable the educators to ask the central questions: Who is the child? What is their greatest gift? What do they fear? How can we make them feel valued?

Laz - Zika - Martin Buber

There are two ways one person can relate to another in this world:
The first - "I - You" The second - "I - It"

We're walking on our path and we meet another person walking on his. All we know is the road that we walked on, and we don't know the road the other person has walked on. It is a coincidence that we met, nevertheless our relationship is valuable. While we look at the person in front of us, we decide how we'll behave: will we warmly greet the person, or will we ignore them? Will we try to be open and honest, or maybe closed? Will we be indifferent about the road that he's walking on, or maybe the opposite - we could ask him where he's coming from and where he's going to, and we can show curiosity towards all that happens to him. The question "what is our wish/intention we carry when we approach a conversation," is the first and most basic question that we shall ask ourselves. One wish is to form a relationship of "I - It" type. The "It" is the other. The unknown. The distant. The frightening. The "It" is for us just a shaky bunch of qualities, that will never be linked strong enough to form a whole human being. Another wish is to form a relationship of affinity, the "I - You" type. The other person isn't an object. I don't have any prejudice towards him. I see him as a whole human being that has wills, dreams, loves, and disappointments. He's complex and multi-colored and it's impossible to put one label on him. In every encounter that we have, we choose our relationship to our world: Is this a world of people who see each other as "It," that are all strangers to each other, or is this a world of "I - You," where people are seeking of human contact, where people are looking for other people?

On Human Nature - CrimethInc.

We're often told it is "human nature" to be greedy, and that this is why our world is the way it is. The very existence of other societies and other ways of life contradicts this. Once you realize that modern capitalist society is only one of a thousand ways that human beings have lived and interacted together, you can see that this talk of "human nature" is nonsense. We are formed first and foremost by the environments we grow up in - and human beings now have the power to construct our own environments. If we are ambitious enough, we can design our world to reconstruct us in any shape our hearts desire. Yes, all of us are haunted by feelings of greed and aggression, living as we do in a materialistic and violent world. But in more supportive environments, built on different values, we could learn to interact in ways that would bring more pleasure to all of us. Indeed, most of us would be far more generous and considerate today if we could be - it's hard to give gifts freely in a world where you have to sell a part of yourself away in order to get anything at all. Considering that, it's amazing how many gifts we still give each other. 

From Days of War, Nights of Love

Kvutza Messimatit

"An individual that's involved and active in social change processes according to his beliefs and views"

"An individual that aspires to fulfill himself in the state of Israel and is a partner in its processes of building."

-From the Goals of the NOAL movement

Messima is an attempt and effort to create a better reality not just within the kvutza, but also towards the environment and society that the kvutza is in.
The universality and exclusiveness of Shivyon Erech Ha'adam demands the believer to actualize it in his own life and in his surroundings and wider society. To this manner adds the understanding that we cannot create a nice, warm bubble for ourselves inside a self-consuming, self-destructive society and if we value and crave for life (chafetz chaim) we must act and influence Israeli society in the deepest, most meaningful way possible.
As a result, we choose to take an active and shaping stand withing Israeli society which is expressed by the personal responsibility that every chanich and madrich must bear in his community.
In messima, the madrich is exposed to Israeli society from a view point of a shaper, educator and ties himself in a relationship of partnership to society. Only from that place cam he become a chalutz.

Messima is a platform for a kvutza experience, an opportunity for mutual thinking and doing, learning the kvutza itself and the people in it.
Creating a meaningful base of encounter - that reveals the individuals, their desires, and abilities in a new light.

On Education - David Cohen

At the moment that the decision to take this action came to fruition in my heart, I knew that the organizational and educational path that would bring them to us was not to try to raise them up, but rather to descend to them, to join them, live with them and  with them to ascend.

This was my educational method, for raising garinim (seeds) – hardcore groups from within the neighborhoods, not to call them to come to HaNoar HaOved, but rather, to truly bring HaNoar HaOved to them.

I enlisted alongside the first ones, the founders, the living spirit and the force directing the operation, and with them, as an assistant for them; and together we started to set the foundations and to create the tools for this enterprise.

Shivyon Erech Ha'Adam - Avraham Aderet

In the uniqueness of every person, there is undoubtedly hidden a special "intention" that is essential and that guides one's life. The uniqueness of each person serves to show us each person's individual value; that uniqueness rises up as a one-time event in one's life. Each person has a unique value that does not stem from socio-economic standing or talents and abilities; rather, from being a human being that bears from birth a divine spark that is unique, a spark which was thrust upon on by the authority of the rule of consequence, and which one is responsible for expressing and actualizing in one's short life.

Therefore, all human life is precious, in that it is a new and unique discovery in the world of the living. One must relate to this with respect and awe, and protect it as a precious gift and expose it completely to the best of one's ability. Therefore, one must demand of others to treat the individual's life and human uniqueness with honor and holiness, and provide the other with the conditions and opportunities to reveal this uniqueness in its full force, and to coalesce one's life with the lives of others. The sanctity of each person's life is therefore the primary foundation of the values of human civilization. It is an absolute value that is not open to argument or compromise, and that is not dependent on a person's standing, abilities, or power. Rather, it stems from the fact of one's human essence that exists from the day one is born until the day one dies.

Other values are drawn from this value, which come from it and compliment it. If the life of each person is sacred, then we must honor life and give life the right and the circumstances to become full. This is not given to one by any external force, but rather from the nature of one's humanity.

How do you make life full? According to the present, it is by the ability to discover the self, which contains the unique nucleus that nature bestowed upon it and only upon it, in order to add to human life what only it can add - its unique musical note of life.

Shivyon erech ha'adam is therefore a primary value that stems not from political, economic, or social considerations, but rather from the fact of one's human essence. From the difference that one's uniqueness provides. Violating this equality is an attack on the foundational rules of life, preventing people from the conditions of discovering their own uniqueness and strength, and limiting their ability to discover their life possibilities.

There is no superior and no inferior in a system of human uniqueness. "He who kills a single Jewish soul is as if he demolishes the entire world" - every human is an entire world, a precious being that must be nurtured and be protected from injury and despair. One's existence and development are important not only for oneself, but for all of humanity. For all life. Shivyon erech ha'adam binds the existence of one's freedom to live without external boundaries within the framework of accepted social norms. This definition of freedom is the primary human value, which allows the natural growth and completion of the unique nucleus hidden in every human being.

This growth cannot be created only by shedding the heavy external restrictions, it requires encouragement and nurturing.

Therefore, one should not be satisfied by granting only formal freedoms; rather, one must allow another to grow that which is hidden in the depths of each human life patiently and lovingly.