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Judith C Birenbaum's avatar

How do we want and hope to go about rebuilding our expectations for a functional government after the mess of all this destruction? How can we learn to count on telling each other the truth after all this lying? How should we build reliability?

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Dino Alonso's avatar

It's a rich and bountiful narrative. Thank you, Judith.

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Lyn Fenex's avatar

Pluralism.

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Dino Alonso's avatar

Interesting you should go there, Lyn. I have two planned. One has a spiritual base and the other political.

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Lyn Fenex's avatar

YAY!!! I have been looking for books and most center on religion. Thank you, Dino!

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Dino Alonso's avatar

Is that a vote for the political or both?

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Lyn Fenex's avatar

Oh, both! But of course in the way you feel the material is best presented. I also think one can make a distinction between spiritual and religious. In my mind, Spirituality seems more aligned with Philosophy than with either politics or religion, both practices which seem to have developed competitive characteristics, don’t you think?

I don’t think it is impossible for ideas of spirituality or philosophy to foster factions. And I guess these must influence the practice of religion and politics.

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Dino Alonso's avatar

Lyn, I’ve pondered a lot about that too. To me, spirituality has always felt like philosophy spoken in a softer voice. It’s the same search for meaning, just with the heart taking the lead instead of the intellect. Religion and politics often turn that search into competition, each trying to prove who’s most right instead of asking what’s true.

I don’t think spirituality or philosophy are immune to that. The moment ego sneaks in, even curiosity can start to fracture. But when I strip it all back, what I love about both is the wondering itself. The conversation between what we can know and what we can only feel.

Maybe that’s the real task, to keep seeking without trying to win at it. To let questions stay alive and let meaning unfold in its own time. That feels more honest to me than certainty ever could.

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Lyn Fenex's avatar

It occurs to me that what I REALLY meant to say is that I will appreciate reading how you will characterize the distinction between spiritual and political pluralism. Thank you, Dino. 😬

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Ami's avatar

Dino, you're a very deep thinker and excellent writer. I feel that in the short time I've been reading articles on Substack, I've been exposed to much more truth than I ever was watching "the news" (MSNBC, soon to be MS NOW). Why are we fed half stories and half truths? Why are important stories dropped and not followed, especially when they could affect a vast majority of Americans? I feel that money is always at the heart of our news coverage. Lately, it seems to mirror what this regime does: the reporting drops little attention-grabbing bombs to keep us from actively focusing on the more horrible things coming out of the WH. Or, the same story is repeated over many hours, but doesn't have any updates. It's exhausting after a while. Your experience working for the government would surely shed light on all of this.

I hope this topic would interest your readers. It makes sense that many writers on Substack are now independent journalists!

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Dino Alonso's avatar

Thank you, Ami. Much of what I write is rooted in my four decades of government experience. I will think on your words. Thank you for your thoughts!

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