Amendment 1: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ... |
The Human Standard describes behavior that facilitates worthwhile collaboration between people. But first, it holds a space for your own experience of, and relationship to, divine Source. Your invisible relationship with God is all your own.
The Human Standard gives No Standard of how one must describe or relate to God; this is a personal matter between God and each person. When we don't push other people to adjust their inner experience to match ours, we are in keeping with the First Amendment. We expect and cherish that each has their own unique spiritual experience. |
or abridging the freedom of speech, |
On a personal level, this means we do not solve our social problems by silencing another person, nor by silencing ourselves. If you cannot speak freely with the people you know without justified fear of retaliation, it is time to add new people to your list of friends. Spend time in a friendship way with people who allow you to speak your mind, people who even enjoy and encourage it. Practice allowing other people to speak their mind without trying to get them to agree with you. Free speech depends on listening to each other on purpose. Otherwise it is just noise.
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or of the press; |
Publishing, on a personal level, means "write it down." Write in a journal to organize your thoughts before sharing with others. Some subjects are easier to address with the written word: write it down, find your relevant audience, and read your ideas to others. Make a point of hearing and reading what others have to say. It could help to start with common questions to answer. Discovering our friend's answers is a very good idea indeed.
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or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, |
Get together with your peers as a regular routine. If your time with friends includes more than 2 or 3 people at a time, a collaborate listening circle can enhance our awareness of what goes on around us and within us. Peer group assemblies are also called consciousness-raising groups. Keep the peace and practice useful rules. Possible rules: No one speaks twice until everyone speaks once. Use a talking stick to protect the speaker from being interrupted. Use a timer to make sure that people who talk too much are reminded to listen more, and that people who usually keep their mouth shut are supported to speak more.
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and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. |
What does our collective attention improve? The situations we live in, settling the ways we have been aggrieved into a state of greater justice. Don't limit yourself to the 'positive' things you can say. Make a point to talk about the things that are bothering you, make alliances and expect to make change in those things. What is bothering you?
How are you? is a question that is meant to be answered, honestly and in full. Don't just say fine. Fine means invisible, none of our business, or 'not worth mentioning.' |