Protestantism

» paper_turtle - Back to your original question

Agenda (which, BTW is the plural of agendum) refers to items on a list to be discussed or considered before a group of people. It usually has a political or bureaucratic connotation.

When we ask someone what his/her agenda is, the implication is that the person has some hidden motive for acting/speaking.

Brian referred to a mission statement. To me this is something quite different than having an agenda. A mission statement implies, to me, having a vision one would like to realize. The mission statement, then, details the steps necessary to realize that vision.

My perception is we all come here with similar hopes or intentions. We want to present what we value, and perhaps convince others to value it too. We want to share something of ourselves with others. We want to learn. We enjoy writing/communicating. We like to think.

What we value is about more than the beliefs we hold. What we truly value is evident in how we behave in relation to others, and what we say. If I say I value truth but every word I write is obviously a lie, then I do not really value truth, but only the appearance of truth.

What I value is (to name only a few) love, tolerance, respect, peace, justice, and (or course) love. I value fairness, thinking which balances logic with compassion, non-judgmentalism, open-mindedness, and personal responsibility.

I freely admit I am a fallible human who does not always live up to what I value. None of us does. I freely admit to having misperceptions, preconceived notions, and false beliefs. We all do.

Still, I persevere, as do we all. I believe that my conduct here on the net and in real life should seek to promote what I value. If I truly value peace I must manifest peace--to the best of my ability, in any circumstance (allowing, of course, for the possibility that occasionally I will lapse into something less than my best). And so on. If I cannot manifest what I profess, then I believe its wisest for me to shut up until I can authentically manifest it.

peace and love,
Paper Turtle

-- posted by paper_turtle