Discovering Possibility

Hello Readers: This is the preface to my book, Discovering Possibility: A Common Sense Conservative Manifesto (For Classical Liberals Too). It might fill in the blanks for Ray and others who are interested in my journey to common sense conservatism from Progressivism: I used to be where you are but discovered another way that makes more sense for me.

"I would like the reader to know this has been a personal transformation for me. I have evolved from a wide-eyed professional helper who was very much connected to the progressive political orthodoxy that under-girds much of the professional culture in human services, to a right-leaning American Communitarian who believes the Progressive Movement in America is one of the root causes of community devolution and personal unhappiness. For a lot of reasons, not the least of which is being a father and husband trying to raise a decent family in the midst of what has seemed like a declining culture all around me, I have come to abandon the Progressive ideology that dominated my earlier thinking. I see myself as a Common Sense Conservative influenced by the Deism and Classical Liberalism of the American Founders, which is a worldview I will advance throughout the book."

Preface – Discovering Possibility: A Common Sense Conservative Manifesto (For Classical Liberals Too)

I started writing this book several years ago at a time when I was quite frustrated with the status quo in my profession. From my perspective, the human services landscape had become a bureaucratized behemoth. Social services were increasingly embedded within what had become a jobs program for an ever-growing legion of well-intentioned helpers that were part of the services sector economy, the fastest growing segment of the U.S. economy. The problem I confronted was the ineffectiveness of many of the services that were designed for folks most in need. In my opinion, we had created an inefficient and self-perpetuating bureaucratic juggernaut that was burning out its increasingly disillusioned workers at very high rates. I had become one of the disillusioned and decided that in order to keep my sanity I needed to figure out a different way to contribute.

That was the beginning of this phase of my life and the impetus for the founding of Responsive Community Resources, a community-building organization, that would eventually become the current-day educational nonprofit corporation, A Place for Possibilities. At the same time, I was in a state of professional brownout from the all too common family therapist occupational hazard that eventually leaves many of us unsatisfied with helping one individual or one family at a time. I was vividly seeing the connection between individual and family pathology and larger community patterns, which lead me to working as a community family therapist who frequently tried to help families see how their own troubles were connected to what was going on around them. From that level of abstraction I ventured into the world of capacity building in which I operated as a de facto community family therapist, attempting to stimulate culture changes that I believed would contribute to a healthier and happier community in which people would require fewer professional services.

By now the reader has undoubtedly predicted the next phase of remedy for my occupational hazard affliction, which was to look even larger, to the (declining) American culture itself as a source of discontent and disillusionment for many. Since then I have decided to take my community building to a higher level of abstraction and attempt to be a catalyst for culture change at the level of the American community at large. That decision in 2005 stimulated a reformulation of the mission and goals of A Place for Possibilities, and it is the basis of this book, which I had originally subtitled, Restoring the American Community by Rediscovering Freedom, Personal Responsibility, Neighborliness, and Thrift.

That is where I am today, attempting to be a voice for restoration of the core American values that I believe lead to personal happiness and community wellbeing. Thus, the purpose of Discovering Possibility is to provide inspiration to current and future generations of Americans.

My intent is to describe my view of our Founders’ intentions illustrate where we have been, where we are today, and outline a new path for America that will restore the country to its founding ideals, the wisdom of which will, in turn lead to the aforementioned personal happiness and community wellbeing.

I would like the reader to know this has been a personal transformation for me. I have evolved from a wide-eyed professional helper who was very much connected to the progressive political orthodoxy that under-girds much of the professional culture in human services, to a right-leaning American Communitarian who believes the Progressive Movement in America is one of the root causes of community devolution and personal unhappiness. For a lot of reasons, not the least of which is being a father and husband trying to raise a decent family in the midst of what has seemed like a declining culture all around me, I have come to abandon the Progressive ideology that dominated my earlier thinking. I see myself as a Common Sense Conservative influenced by the Deism and Classical Liberalism of the American Founders, which is a worldview I will advance throughout the book.

In my view, Common Sense Conservatism is the new centrist position in the United States because the associated socio-political worldview characterizes the thinking of the majority of Americans. My hope is this book might offer a balanced and realistic vision for people that might be on the socio-political fence looking for a refreshing common sense alternative to the polarized tribal condition that defines so much of the national discourse today. These are consequential times that require enlightened solutions that honor the legacy of our founding.

I would like to add another note about my process. Like the Millennials I am trying to inspire, I fully embrace the freedom and power of the Internet as a revolutionary communication and research tool. Internet media are the modern day printing press. Thus, in the writing of this book I tried to capture the full power of that medium to do my research. Additionally, our organization is committed to tapping into the vast opportunities presented by the myriad of on-line communication vehicles for education and social marketing.