Why look for truth at street level?
At it's best, it is an environment where ideas and voluntary association can happen. The people in our daily lives who contract with us without concern for our faults or weakness give us, as we give them, a sense of belonging. Within the acceptance and co-operation of others, we express our opinions unfettered by our status elsewhere. We enjoy a sense of normalcy that is basic to our personal dignity, to our understanding of family and community. Without a grasp of civility, the sense of place is impossible. Is your name known? Does anyone inquire about your welfare in your absence? Are you secure that you will achieve your purpose? Interaction at street level is a powerful good. As witness to societies shattered by hatred and disaster, I believe we all live with a sense of impending loss. Patterns of successful civil relationship are undermined by distrust and accelerated economic change. In lifting up situations that are assumed, I want to declare their complexity and importance. I want to say 'instead of loss, this can happen'.
