Circle Parliament of Harmonic Voices

Many years ago I wrote a Circle Parliament which I later called a Children’s Forum as I wanted to distance the notion of politics from this forum to seek for solutions. Many times I have sat in Parliament and have been astounded at the word plays, the insults, the wasted time in speaking to distract rather than to really engage in dialogue using the forum of opposition as a way of creatively catalysing real discussion in a format that is truly democratic.

In the future we will create Parliaments or forums whereby each voice is valued and we direct our discussion to explore problems and to seek out the most optimal solutions. This is not difficult to do, it is a decision.

CIRCLE PARLIAMENT

Within dignity,
You find respect,
Within honesty,
Expect clarity,
Within fairness,
Justice is sought,
For justice is in the action,
It is restorative,
Within another’s eyes,
You see yourself,
What you see in another,
Is in the self,
For how would you know?

The judicial system is not justice,
It is based on judgement,
This accords right and wrong,
Weak and strong,
These are value judgements,
Values are the sea change of time,
Real justice is universal,
For the intent behind the action,
Plants the seed,
The outcome is a natural consequence,
Of climate change.

What is a civilized society?
Is it one that accords blame?
Is it one that seeks to punish?
Is it simply to rule?
For me it is in the cultivation of true value,
Of inherent dignity,
Of intrinsic worth,
But not at the expense of another,
For legal processes give no credit,
The benefit for the other is natural justice,
As a consequence,
Of developing one self,
To remove the weeds of fear,
And look into the mirror,
What is it that we see?
Which seed is planted in me?

I am beginning to realize community,
The shared concern,
The shared space,
The global commons,
For all existence is cooperation,
Yet we have forgotten,
We have taken for granted,
We have bought and sold the market,
Yet the market was a gathering place,
It was a place to meet,
It was a place to discuss,
To trust your neighbour,
Where elders were wise,
Problems were solved in the circle,
Each reflecting personal wisdom,
Giving perspective to fragmentation,
Never seeking retribution,
But retrospective inclusion,
Lifting reason upon the wings of truth,
For there are no scales when in balance,
This is the parliament that has a voice,
And all have an equal seat and no table.

We live in times,
Where we have no time,
The times are cultivated,
There is a culture of fear,
It is all pervasive,
It is persuasive,
It sits in the shadows and seeks to divide,
It is a cancer,
For the world is unwell,
Chinese whispers send signals,
To not reveal but conceal,
To not stand up but conform,
To not reform for change is uncomfortable,
Yet we are facing collapse,
We work as if ‘business as usual’,
We keep the security safe,
Yet this is what builds insecurity,
It is when we become open,
When we face our challenges with hope,
That the rope is cast,
For no-one is cast away in this play,
We are all members of the cast,
All are acting in a role,
But just imagine if you could step outside your role and play,
Look back on another today,
Without judgement,
Without concern,
With simple appreciation,
For we are members of a family,
We are different and cannot always see,
That it is truth and justice,
That is free,
It completes me.