Tag Archives: society and family

Conversations to teach Civic Engagement

Personal Development, , , , , , ,
Conversations start here
Conversations start here

‘It’s amazing how one little conversation can change things forever.‘

Conversation is the ‘exchange of thoughts through informal talking‘, together, but there is also the other quote, ‘talking to oneself‘.

Speaking about ‘civic engagement‘ refers to talking and working as a group (use of collective power) to bring about change in public issues of concern.

Either way, it’s to examine or share, a topic of interest. Discussing a specific topic can lead to learning various outcomes and who’s best for what task.

Discussing Civics with your Family

Meeting at the table has been a favored gathering point and event for family and friends. Conversation can be considered the ‘toast of the party’! Would you agree?

Civics refers to the duties, rights and privileges of citizens. Parents can introduce this topic during evening dinner meals, and discuss with their children, just what is and what isn’t allowed since society has it’s norms, rules and laws, along with the consequences.

Children can learn from these discussions and hopefully, avoid glamorizing or considering, criminal behaviors or acts. It’s preferable to begin with asking questions, to measure the amount of knowledge and starting point versus entering preach or lecture mode.

Learning gets Shared

Parents take on many roles for their children, and one is, as a teacher. Helping children understand their place in society, will help towards developing the child’s personal and intellectual growth.

In turn, they will be able to pass on these lessons learned at home, to their friends. They will also be learning the beginning steps of civic ‘engagement‘. The ability to discuss, as individuals yet act as a collective group, to achieve or address, public concerns.

Parent and child conversations can help develop a child’s intellect and learning to use reason, gain understanding and separate, real from the imaginary, and ground the ego. After all, society works together to uphold their norms, rules, regulations and laws, to function as a nation, and remain in a state of peace, with each other. A child learning this knowledge and skills can develop into a socially well -adjusted adult.

Short on Energy or Time

A few parents may find, they do not spend or make for, any quality time with their children other than giving directions and reinforcing rules. This can be detrimental for both parent and child along with making for a bad day.

Socially maladjusted children can usually be observed as those with behaviors and values that conflict with society norms. Abuse and neglect can have lifelong consequences on a child, which can easily be observed by trained education, and mental health professionals. Local laws may require any suspicions of child abuse and neglect, to be reported.

The idea of teaching a child about rights and responsibilities of adults, and children may be daunting for parents. This can be resolved by taking time, to research the subject online, or visiting the library.

Importance of Open minds, Patience and a Safe environment

A conversation with our child is a two or more person orchestra vs a one-sided conversation, allow for all to contribute. It takes skill to shape and guide a conversation to create meaning, learning and thinking. We can’t forget a dose of humor can lighten a conversation and add fun.

A meaningful conversation in a family can take place when trust and safety exists. Let your next dinner conversation be a learning experience for your children. There are many topics to choose but one should first start with their place in society. One may be influencing a future leader.

Learning in Motion

Extra Learning Resources

Civic Responsibility – A Paper

National Traffic Safety Institute

World Learning Education

I hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to leave your comments and share with your friends and family . Use my ‘Ask a Question‘ form if you have a request on a topic of interest, a guest post, or to say Hello! I hope you visit again.

AIC| An informal Cornr all rights reserved. Ginsense creates and posts articles online about business development, micro business, health, science, technology and advocates on social issues.

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Pope Alexander IV and Inter Caetera Divinai

Issues in Society, , , , , , , ,
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History writes that Columbus ‘discovered’ the Americas and the Indigenous peoples while in search for treasures for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, of Spain.

People seem to forget that the Vikings had been to the East coast of Canada before Columbus found the shores of the Americas.

Columbus landing on the shores of the Americas does set in motion the choice of greed for wealth and power over lives of the Indigenous peoples.

Church and Crown Unity

Spain was part of the ‘mercantile‘ empires and strived for profit brought to the nation more than settlement. They would gain control of mainland South America and also have colonies, in North America located in Florida, Mexico and California.

Upon this ‘discovery‘ of the America’s, other European nations questioned Spain and the legalities, to make such claims of the America’s, due to the ‘potential‘ resources that would fall into control of Spain.

A common practice in Europe, in regards to ‘discoveries of lands and resources‘ was to seek out the advice of the Pope and have ‘Papal Bulls‘ awarding the state, these new lands.

Vatican Rome Italy
Vatican Rome, Italy

Seek Approval from God and Pope

Pope Alexander IV was the reigning head of Church in Spain. He is considered one of the most corrupt Popes yet admired for his diplomatic, political and administrative skills, for avoiding outright wars against the Church.

As a graduate in law and rise through the ranks of Church, thanks to familial ties, along with gaining influence amongst his peers, he would learn to balance and take full advantage, of building the power base of his family, The Borgia’s, with his papal position.

The year of 1455, Pope Nicholas V had issued a Papal Bull called the ‘Romanus Pontifex‘ to Portugal, which awarded permissions to conquer and claim lands of Indigenous peoples NOT subjects of European Christian monarchs.

Following this precedent, Pope Alexander IV met with lawyers and provided the Spanish monarchy, May 4, 1493, with their own Papal Bull, the Inter Caetera Divinai, which would declare the following:

‘The Pope could place non-Christian peoples under the tutelage and guardianship of the first Christian nation discovering their lands as long as those peoples were reported by the discovering Christian nation to be ‘well disposed to embrace the Christian faith‘.  ~ (‘Our Elders Understand Our Rights’, by Sharon Helen Venne)

The Inter Caetera Divinai papal bull, would lay the foundations, and be applied to all Indigenous peoples, for the next 500 + years. It would be followed by many European nations to treat the Indigenous peoples, as ‘objects’ rather than as human beings. This treatment still goes on this century in year of 2021.

The papal bull would justify the rationale, that non-Christians could not own lands when faced with Christian sovereigns. Governments in the Americas would commit acts of genocide with impunity and permit settlers to join in the atrocities. This still exists to this day too.

Commencement of Genocide

European colonizers would relocate, displace and strip lands from the Indigenous peoples and deny them basic human rights, and deny Indigenous peoples to govern themselves. It would become the ‘Doctrine of Discovery‘ which would deny recognition of the Indigenous peoples as ‘Nations‘ and be used to make ‘racist laws‘, such as a few of the following, practiced in the United States:

  • Fugitive Slave Law, 1793
  • Indian Removal Act, 1830
  • Slavery, 1500- 1865
  • Suppression of Native American Indian Religion, repealed 1978
  • Anti-Coolie Act, 1862
  • Residential Schools System, 1879-1900
  • Jim Crow Laws, 1876-1965
  • Lynching, 1700-1960

Canada would also enact laws, that were not favorable for their Indigenous peoples and can be found under the Indian Act (IA), 1876, but other laws were also created, to control immigration of the Chinese. They would get some relief after their support in WWII but not Indigenous veterans.

Canadian Aboriginals would continue to suffer with laws designed to continue removing lands and rights even after they had also served in WWII. A few of these laws are as follows:

  • 1881, prohits the sale of agricultural produce by Aboriginals in the Prairie provinces without a permit from an Indian agent. As of 2008, this law still stands in the Indian Act though it’s not enforced.
  • 1885, IA is amended to prevent potlatches and religious ceremonies
  • 1911, IA is amended to allow municipalities and companies to expropriate portions of reserves, without surrender, for roads, railways and other public works. Further amended to allow a Judge to move an entire reserve away from a municipality if it was deemed ‘expedient’. Also known as the ‘Oliver Act’.
  • 1927, IA is amended to prevent anyone, Aboriginal or otherwise, from soliciting funds for Indian legal claims without a special license from the Superintendent-General. It would stop any First Nation from pursuing a land claim.
endgame of genocide
endgame of genocide

Ancient Bull in Modern Societies

Today, the Doctrine of Discovery (adopted in 1823, and) remains part of of laws in the United States of America (USA), as implemented in the Johnson v. McIntosh or the recent Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation (2005) court decisions.

Efforts, by Aboriginals in both USA and Canada along with the Episcopal Church (US and Canada), have been made to request the Pope and Queen of Britain, to revoke the Inter Caetera Divinai papal bull, but are denied.

The reasoning from Church and Crown, it’s considered ‘not juridically valid‘ and remains in existence therefore still endangering Indigenous peoples around the world. Laws are created by governments to ‘legalize‘ land thefts, resource development ON Indigenous homeland remains without permission. For Canada, it’s called the Indian Act (IA).

Society is said to be continuously evolving for a better world. This can be seen with the co-operation between nations (United Nations) and use of diplomacy along with a rise of human rights.

Yet, this particular document, the Inter Caetera Divinai, continues to allow, for continued acts of atrocities and inhumanity, against Indigenous Peoples, right in their own homelands, globally. Do you truly believe that God blesses those who commit crimes against others? Indigenous peoples send Prayers too.

Learning in Motion

Further Reading Resources

Timeline of Efforts/Remove Papal Bulls

Keep Tabs on Parliament

Native American Encyclopedia, USA

I hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to leave your comments and share with your friends and family. Use the ‘Ask a Question’ form to make a request on a topic of your own interest. It is FREE to subscribe to my RSS feed.

An Informal Cornr, all rights reserved. Ginsense writes articles on business skills, development, health, science, technology and society and enjoys advocating for independence, security and a better world for all of us.

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