Hi, I'm Ken Lebensold. I live in an off-the-grid house ("earthship") in Mountain City, Tennessee, a highly rural area in the Appalachians in the NE tip of the state, near NC and VA.
My own perspective on dialogue and deliberation, as well as on social change and personal development, is one of moral inquiry: this inquiry covers not only individuals, but groups, organizations, social systems, and any patterns which influence human behavior. It is not based on any fixed rules or on moral evaluation, but rather on a deep, present-moment inquiry about human thought and behavior and the sense of "what is right." For more on this, visit my web-site, www.newmoralvision.org.
My current work in dialogue mainly consists of a long-running e-mail exchange I have had with a very conservative individual (supporter of Iraq war, massive tax cuts, Patriot Act) with a libertarian bent. Although we don't disagree about everything, there is a huge gap in the way we see the world. Despite this gap, we have had an extensive, detailed dialogue over a period of months about social, economic, and political issues; we have developed a very strong rapport, and are inquiring into making our work together into some sort of presentation we can share with others -- when we figure out just what it is we have done and are doing. This individual had no pre-existing explicit interest in or knowledge of D&D as a "field", nor any prior relationship with me. I find this whole thing quite remarkable, in view of the level of polarization usually attendant in such circumstances. Please address any questions or comments to me at ken@newmoralvision.org.
