Vision Statement

The purpose of Seeds For Thought is to provide thought provoking articles designed to heal the bitter divide between political extremes while transforming and promoting progressive ideas. (See Articles.) We recognize that the present-day tension between left and right has resulted in a stagnating conflict of ideologies that leads nowhere and is ultimately detrimental to our society.

To accomplish this, Seeds For Thought is dedicated:

• To encourage, energize and empower new progressive thinking throughout Connecticut.
• To serve as a bridge between liberal and conservative ideas that will lead to communication, reconciliation and cooperation.
• To give voice to mainstream religious people who believe in a kinder, gentler America that is rooted in religious and Enlightenment tradition.
• To appeal to non-religious people whose depth of personal belief and motivation can be described as spiritual.
• To redefine our local, state and national problems in order to find better solutions.
• To replace greed in our personal and professional lives with conscience and compassion.

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Tired of Politics?

We are too—at least the way politics are being run today. Party bickering. Special interests. Scandals. Dangerous relations between church and state.
     That's why Seeds for Thought is trying to change things at the grassroots level.
     We're not asking for donations. We have no dues. We're not trying to sell you anything. What we're hoping for is your input and ideas in order to make our democracy functional again.
     We invite people of all religious faiths and no religious faith to come together as Americans to support progressive issues—whichever ones you care to support.
     We have discussion groups, action groups, workshops, book studies, special guest speakers and events.
     Our goal is to share ideas, redefine the issues, cut out the spin, and energize citizen involvement—all citizens!
     We hope to start a process that will heal the nation of its present extremist divide. That means insisting on leadership integrity, reining in the political influence of the religious right, holding the media accountable, and empowering each and every one of us.
     We are not a militant group. We consider no American our enemy, and invite people of all persuasions to join hands with us in getting America back on track. Our main focus is to get people thinking for themselves and contacting their representatives about the issues. Our one defining rule is that civility and respect for another's opinion is always maintained.
     So, tired of politics? Looking for a quiet, positive way to vent your outrage?
     Join us in our quest. We need your interest and your energy.

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Spiritual Direction

Seeds for Thought recognizes that there is more to human nature than physical reality. Since we welcome but do not endorse any particular religion, and include people of no religion, our acknowledgement of spiritual elements seeks a common ground of agreement.
     If human beings were limited to the physical, you would not be reading this now. We own a distinct combination of consciousness, thought and reason that make us unique. We are more than the sum of our parts. We are persons. We search for what is good and gravitate toward what we consider moral. We have creative energies and interests that encompass far more than our immediate sphere of influence.
     This is how we define "spiritual." In current terminology, our brains provide the organic hardware, our minds and hearts, the spiritual software—something on which both science and religion can agree.
     When we promote the spiritual elements of a cause, we are trying to advance its deeper meaning, its most humane qualities.
     For example: giving financial aid to the poor misses the mark if we end up treating the poor as second class citizens, or fail to open our hearts to the fullness of their humanity.
     Our concern for the environmental should go beyond the protection of vital resources. We should treat the earth with reverence and awe and learn from it as well, for here we find our spiritual roots.
     As these examples illustrate, when we open our hearts and minds to love and learning not only do we respond more humanely, but we, in turn, are better for it. On the other hand life principles based on greed and power lead only to contention.
     This being said, we freely admit to not having all the answers. Life is a journey for us all and begins with preserving good intent. We ask you to join us in any capacity you feel comfortable with. Our goal is to inject new thought and constructive discourse into a political dynamic that has long suffered from the rigid posturing, framing and contention of mean-spirited extremism. Our collective support leans toward liberal causes, because we firmly believe that caring about the well-being of the American people, putting people first, is the highest form of patriotism and religious concern.
     We also welcome the efforts of interested conservatives to work with us to bring civility and compassion back into politics.

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Conservatives are Not our Enemy!

Neither is Conservatism!
     We need the wisdom, energy and patriotism of conservatives in order to assure a balance of thought in our democracy. They provide us with a "tension of ideas" that prevents the rule of extremism. Likewise, conservatives need progressive (or liberal) opponents to keep their own extremism in check.
     It's not true that conservatives who really love this country people have no concern about the well-being of our citizens or the health of our environment. Republican Theodore Roosevelt introduced federal efforts at conserving the environment. Richard Nixon started the Environmental Protection Act.
     Neither is it true that liberals who love this country have no concern about business and the health of our economy, or the strength of our military. Franklin Roosevelt pulled us through the Depression and led us to victory in World War II.
     Negative images of both extremes do not in any way represent the vast majority of the American people at all. Not even close. It only seems that way because the media preys on contention and scandal, and yes, division. Politicians follow suit generating their own rhetoric, offering outrageous statements in order to get noticed by a camera.
      It is a crime against our democracy for political candidates to define their opponents in the worst light possible, using exaggerated conclusions, partial quotes taken out of context, misleading innuendo and sound-bite jingoism that appeals to those who fail to think the issues through. And yet that's what we have prior to every election. They think they are employing winning strategies, when what they are really doing is turning people away from politics and degrading our sense of morality, fair play and civility. In other words, they don't respect the American people, and only wish to manipulate our vote for their own benefit.
     We have to take democracy into our own hands by demanding something better! While campaign finance reform sounded like a great idea, all it did was loose the hounds of corruption to find new ways of circumventing the rules. It's no surprise that many of our leaders get caught in political scandals. What is surprising is how Democrats see that corruption only in Republicans, while Republicans see it only in Democrats!
     Seeds For Thought encourages you to become a Seed For Change, no matter what your political affiliation. Yes, we promote some progressive ideas, but we also encourage free thought and open dialog. Americans need each other, conservatives and liberals, no matter what misguided political combatants say.

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To Our Conservative Friends

The first question on your mind probably is this: "Why would anyone support liberal causes in the first place?
      To answer this, let's start by looking at the word liberal, a term first adopted by Franklin Roosevelt. No doubt it conjures bad things in your mind. If you look it up in the dictionary, you'll find it means something quite positive and American at its roots:

Liberal—open-minded; tolerant. Favoring civil and political liberties, democratic reforms, and protection from arbitrary authority.

Which part of this definition do you disagree with? Probably none of it. Yet think-tanks and political strategies have somehow managed to malign this word to the point that its meaning is scarcely recognizable.
      Now, lets look at the word conservative:

Conservative—favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change. Traditional in style.

When you compare the definitions side-by-side, they don't look so contentious, do they?
      And why should they? Think back on the beginnings of our nation. Our democracy was formed on open-minded, tolerant ideas respecting freedom and human rights. These ideas have become our traditional views and values! When we oppose them, we are not opposing change. We are rejecting the very foundation that our nation was built on!
      Of course, politics has redefined things somewhat. Liberals are said to spend tax money more freely, while conservatives want to constrain spending and reduce taxes. This difference, while still touted by conservatives, simply does not reflect the facts. Spending has risen dramatically under recent conservative administrations. Although they can claim to have reduced taxes, who are the beneficiaries of these reductions? Mostly the rich, who have at least indirectly, made their wealth on the vast labor of all of us. The results? A huge national debt that each of us, along with our children and grandchildren, are responsible to pay back. This is not fiscal responsibility.
      The following list represents issues that liberals advocated, and conservatives opposed:

• equal rights
• workplace safety
• child labor laws
• living wages
• 40 hour work week and overtime wages
• labor union rights
• food and water regulations
• protecting all elderly citizens (and widows and the disabled) with Social Security and Medicare
• protecting the air and environment we live in

These are benefits we all enjoy, and we take many for granted. In recent years, political leaders who call themselves conservative have made efforts to dismantle many of these protections, including Social Security. Is this what you really want?
      When it comes to spending, conservatives and liberals have very different ideas on how to spend money. Conservatives focus on the health of large businesses, saying that these are the leading forces of our economy. In many ways they are right. However, in idealizing the free market, conservatives have failed to take steps to reduce the ever growing gap between rich and poor, and the erosion of the middle class. Instead, they reduce taxes in favor of the super-wealthy.
      Liberals spend money as well, but with a focus on the good of the American people, all of us. We feel that real patriotism is about supporting the people who comprise this nation, all of them, making sure that the environment they live in sustains healthy living, encouraging responsible living, supporting families through affordable health insurance, making America all that it can be as monument to human decency.
      Neo-conservatives have joined forces with the religious right as part of the systematic dismantling of liberal causes. They claim that liberals, in respecting the separation of church and state (a term coined by Thomas Jefferson), presents a threat to fundamentalist religious ideology. This is not the case. By keeping church and state separate, religions are protected from government interference. All religions can flourish freely in such environment. What the religious right objects to is that they are unable to imose their own specific religious views on Americans who do not believe in them.
      The majority of religious people in this country are socially progressive in their concern for the poor and well-being of our nation. Unfortunately, because they believe in the separation of church and state, they have remained quiet as the religious right advanced politically. This is changing. We encourage the religious left to challenge the right, with integrity and determination and a concern, not for power, but for the good of all people.
      We could go on and on about the differences. Our purpose is to point out that the animosity between liberals and most conservatives just isn't necessary. Our society needs the balance of both ideologies. We invite and welcome conservative thought and dialog with open-minds, and hope to learn from you. Let's find out just how similar we are after all.

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How to Become a Seed Democrat, Republican or Independent

The purpose of Seeds For Thought is to encourage people to knowledgeably think for him- or herself. We do not seek to dictate ideas on anyone.
      With that in mind, we invite you to join us in our movement to bring civility and integrity to politics. You can do this by becoming a Seed Democrat, Seed Republican or Seed Independent.
      It's easy to join our cause. There's no meetings to attend or membership fee. It's a matter of personal growth, actively developing and embracing your own individual vision:

• Refuse to be a blind, indoctrinated follower of anyone's leadership or campaign strategy. Democracy only works when concerned citizens think for themselves and make their voices heard.
• If you belong to a particular party, work to reform it. Demand integrity. Expel politicians who demean their office or fail to represent the people. Hold everyone accountable. Parties need to strictly police themselves.
• Open friendly dialogs with people who think differently from you. Listen to them without condemning their beliefs. Learn from them. Explain your views as if you were that's person's compassionate partner (which hopefully you are). Work with them to bring civility back to government.
• If you are religious, don't be afraid to take your best moral beliefs and express them—but always respect the beliefs of others as well.
• Become more active politically. While it is easy to get discouraged with politics, especially the mean-spiritedness that constantly pollutes every issue to the point of paralysis. But this is the very problem we need to change! It will only change, however, when we make it happen.
• Insist that American patriotism includes the well-being of all Americans.
• Define freedom as synonymous with personal responsibility.
• Write positive letters to newspapers and political representatives explaining your views and how you want things to change.
• Sharply rebuke negative ads, media bias, quotes presented out of context. Insist that candidates talk more about their own beliefs and records rather than pointing to their opponent's.
• Refuse to listen to extremist demagogues on radio and television. By profiting, as they do, on dividing this nation, they belong to the age of carpetbaggers.

Through these simple efforts we can instill new integrity throughout the spectrum of politics. No matter what your political affiliation, we invite you to be come a Seed for Change.

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