Diplomacy and International Respect

Authored and read by Mayasonette Lambkiss

1/20/2024

Episode #11 of the show SPACESUIT MADE OF FLESH

An Academic Voicecast Publication of

The Institute of Universal Human Rights - Hawaii

What is diplomacy? Diplomats are authorized and highly trained communication mediators in sensitive international and domestic affairs between individuals, organizations and government. Literally, anyone involved in public life in a state level, federal, or international arena will need to be skilled at strategic communication styles. Diplomats are professional relationship specialists using skills as advisors of political decision makers, writers and strategy creators of treaties, negotiators, and alliance builders. In a nutshell they face interhuman diversities and they are in the frontlines to negotiate and mediate potential misunderstandings, troubleshoot, remedy unfavorable conditions.

Diplomacy is firmly required to respect a diverse set of values and often categorically different from what the diplomat holds true for themselves. As the public face of international relationships, a prominent level of self-examination and self-control are vital qualities. Ethics and etiquettes of diplomatic protocols are taught and need learning to help bridge communication between radically diverse cultures and produce mutually beneficial results between nations, and on all levels of government. These high-level communication skills need time and relevant long-term exposure to acquire them, nobody is born with them.

The attitude of open mindedness and actualized diplomatic skills are not enough to combine collectivist and individualist cultures. The truth is that one without the other is catastrophically dysfunctional. In a healthy society everyone is using both philosophies, placing themselves on a scale between the extremes in a healthy zone. The more individualist you want to be the more you need to seek unusual opportunities but there is no need to do that at the expense of communitarianism. How can you stand out if there is no one around you who doesn't? How can you lead if none is following? Pay your taxes, don't commit a crime, and everyone will leave you alone. And if you can afford to be alone, you don't even have to work and compromise your uniqueness. My best friend always emphasizes how unique, eccentric, and unusual he is. It frightens him to realize everyone is just as unique, true to their own self, and an extraordinary person as he is, because it would make him the same as everyone else: special. We all need community, we depend on each other, and our shared natural resources, infrastructure, education, and greater variety of food than the pots can grow in the window. We need each other, but it should not interfere with our uniqueness, our hearts' concerns. Martin Luther King was courageous in fighting for his own individual equal rights, only we all do that in our own ways. But he was unique for doing that for the masses, he led his aching community. It is the tiny freedoms of his youthful formation as an individual that raised him as a leader. but without the community, he would have influenced nobody's life. Martin Luther King is an excellent example of how individualism enriches, even makes communal life fundamentally better. Without his soar as an individual, an entire community would have missed a revolution.

The Foundation for Economic Education published on July 2nd 2022, in their article: Individualism, a Deeply American Philosophy:

"It would take many decades before the laws recognized that women and blacks were just as equal as anyone else. However, with the overthrow of caste...

What is the Role of Government in Amercian Society?

Written and read by Mayasonette Lambkiss

for the podcast show of

The Institute of Universal Human Rights - Hawaii

SPACESUIT MADE OF FLESH

1/18/2024

The role of government in American society is a matter of balance between what the members of society expect the government to do, and what they do not want the government to have the right to do.

First, we need to distinguish between federal, state, and local governments.

As citizens we established, we have rights and responsibilities towards our society. We all have the unalienable right to life, but we have the responsibility to register our identity with the DMV. We all have the same legal human rights, but different individuals will understand, interpret, and consent differently. Degrees of compliance will result in different behaviors, and often interfere with other people's rights, may even violate them as such. It is the government's job to regulate the different individual's behavior and distinguish acceptable from not acceptable behavior. It is also the government's job to balance individual freedom with the common good and public welfare and take this exact same context to the level of organizations, business entities, communities. It is the government's job to face and manage challenges that stand in the way of safe and healthy living of people, like environmental, economic, national safety challenges.

While a capitalist free market economy and the society created by it does not leave a ceiling on wealth creation and revenue access to preserve freedom, redistribution of wealth and revenue must be regulated to protect the exact same freedom. It is the job of the government to balance the scales of redistribution with equal access. By equal access we mean to find ways to create opportunities like education for the disadvantaged individuals to elevate their predisposition, benefits like welfare to see them through tough times, and resources like taking a hike in your favorite national park, use of libraries and facilities, microloans for business startups. But it is not the Government's job to decide if someone is too rich, take their wealth and redistribute money to the poor people.

It is the government's job to educate its citizens about their rights and responsibilities, the functions of democracy and republic and how they work together and protect their rights and democratic voice within that society. It is also the responsibility of the government to keep its citizens informed of formal democratic process participation opportunities like voting dates. It is the government's purpose to apply the democratic, administrative, and legal decisions the collective has made to daily life. Therefore, the government is a secondary decision maker and manager of the running of life of society. The government is created to regulate society and not to interfere in the life of the individual if the citizen has not violated any laws. The same principle applies to organizational and business entities as incorporated members of society.

Having all that said, the "If the right to live and be free is natural, then the government are doing wrong when they are protecting your rights, and doing wrong when they violate your rights. As much possible then, the government should create rights that are compatible with and don't contradict your natural rights." (Prof. Aeon Skolbe, Bridgewater University, Libertarianism Explained: What Are Rights? Learn Liberty, YouTube, 2011 (3:46). Consequently, reasoning can lead us to understand the above statement, that the government can only do right by controlling as little as possible....

The Significance of Democratic Participation

Written and Read by Mayasonette Lambkiss

as Episode 9 of SPACESUIT MADE OF FLESH

on 1/13/2024

Radio On Demand of The Institute of Universal Human Rights - Hawaii

For today's topic of democratic participation an old saying comes to mind recorded somewhere in the universe: 'Those who live together, eat together, and those who work together, sing together'. I chose this very popular hula song 'Over the Rainbow' to introduce my show today followed by Polynesian rhythms because hula are cultural community events where most local civic involvement takes place. Just as music is a natural expression of every culture, the same way the characteristics of their community participation, leadership style, sense of democracy will be different, yet remarkably just as beautiful in every culture. Just as every voice has a harmonious part to sing, every instrument knows when to join into the play, and each dancer naturally moves in harmony, so is a healthy community, a healthy democratic participation in public life. Not effortless is performing arts, and it is live, so won't be flawless, but it exudes love and beauty into the life of those participating or witnessing. When will our shared lives on local and international level be as harmonious as our artistic expressions?

The local civic participation in Hawaii where I live is controversial with varying intensity from decade to decade. The Big Island Sovereign movement never ceased, but slows down from time to time, but every so subtly and powerfully present. The Anthem of Hawaii an almost all national songs are rather unwelcoming of the foreigners even today, promoting loyalty to the chief who protects its people with spears. Will not enter this topic any further today than describing the local Hawaiian attitude for community participation. There is much to observe here. Local Hawaiians have distinctly different social norms from island to island that can still be very strongly felt when isolation is significantly less now than was in historical times. The most generous care for the broken, destitute, hungry is shown daily by the locals. They take visible pride in giving generously, food, smile, entertainment, sharing their culture with foreigners and local equally. None-the-less, when it comes to the affluent, wealthy, capable foreigners should watch their back. Nature provides just enough for the dwellers of the land, so surplus cannot be trusted. Hawaii is not only an expensive luxury tourist state for the visitor, but just as expensive for the locals, who do not have equal resources than tourists. Even if the business thrives, envy remains. So, how do they engage in civic activities? Decades old resentment still fuels a subtle but powerful resistance called sovereignty movement, passing down traditional culture to the new generations, and fostering the solidarity of the older ones.

“the American states with the highest levels of social capital are precisely the states most characterized by economic and civic equality.” (Putnam: Bowling...