Friesland, Democracy & Critical Thinking

I have a strange name.

I have spent a lifetime being called everything under the sun and have particular sympathy for people whose mother tongue is other than English (which is a far cry from suggesting that native English speakers do any better with it!) Innes is a Scottish surname that my francophone relatives have a particularly tough time with - the hard ‘i’ sound tends to come out as “he”. The best way to remember it is to think of ‘Guinness’ and drop the ‘G’.

However, Innes isn’t my first name. It actually begins with a C and is an ancient name that seems anachronistic in North America, although it is still common in parts of Europe. As a kid, outside of my own family, the only times I had ever heard it used was in my Latin textbook, in the Christmas special Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, and in Planet of the Apes – the original starring Charlton Heston. See if you can figure what it is.

As an adult, my name has grown into a point of mild pride. It is interesting, tells a story, and links me with my ancestors. But for kids (including me), often unique traits are about as welcome as lice. Whether it is physical differences, ways of speaking, weird names, or family quirks, anything that moves you to the outside of the adolescent bell curve of being ‘normal’ is to be avoided or at least well-hidden.

Young people who are comfortable in their own skins, especially if they are different, are remarkably impressive. How we promote this ability is among the greatest challenges for parents, teachers and society. Because, whether the comfort comes from wisdom, courage, delusion, perspective, or arrogance, it will more than likely be a major contributor to longer-term happiness. We all know people who have spent lifetimes trying to become comfortable with who they are. Discovering (or it is developing) that comfort is one of life’s greatest gifts

My last name was created in the 1630s by my great x 10 grandfather, Jacob Jansen. He emigrated from a flooded island home call Nordstrandt (or ‘North Shore’) in Friesland to an area of New Amsterdam that is today just outside of Saratoga, New York. Once in the New World, he adopted the surname van Nordstrandt or ‘from North Shore’. Any van Nostrand or Van Ostrand or Noordstrand or other derivation is almost certainly a descendant of Jacob Jansen.

Friesland is now part of The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, but the Friesans used to be their own nation and were intertwined with the Angles and other Germanic tribes. The distinct Friesan language and dialects still exist and I am told that Friesan culture is alive and thriving. My cousin John, who is a well-known international expert in planning and how communities interact, informed me that for much of their history in the early Middle Ages, the Friesans had neither kings nor lords and practiced democracy as the core of their societal decision-making system long before most other European powers. Indeed, they exported the idea to other nations.

Democracy is at the heart of North American and Western European society. It is impossible for me to imagine Canada being anything other than democratic. We promote it in much of what we do as a school, and it is a pillar of Round Square.

It’s hard to take issue with Churchill’s famous quote on the subject, “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” However, David Brooks’ column today is a refreshing example of US-based critical thinking when it comes to political systems.

In travels over the last 20 years, there have been many questions raised in my mind about political structures. Visits over the last couple of years to places such as Peru, China, India, and Malaysia, as well as observing some of the areas of international tension have amplified these questions:   

·         Is democracy right for all societies?

·         What are the pre-requisites for successful democracy?

·         Is it essential for freedom of the press, a free-market economy, human rights, an independent judiciary and democracy to co-exist?

·         Does democracy work when society has big problems that need to be solved?

·         What is the relationship between corruption and different political systems?

·         Is the appropriateness of democracy related to stages of social development?

·         Have we been sufficiently creative in coming up with variations on democracy to fit circumstances?

I don’t pretend to understand the best answers to these questions, but I do appreciate that, like religion, we often fall into the trap of assuming that our system is right … simply because it is our system.  We grew up with it, it has worked well for us and our ancestors, and our nation prospers. It is easy and common for North Americans to fall into the trap of assuming that we have a monopoly on truth as applied to political systems both for our own futures as well as those of the other nations of the world.

There is an interesting conversation among educators about the oft-used used phrase ‘critical thinking skills’. There is a broad consensus that it is one of the most important skills for success in the next 50 years, but what exactly do we mean by it? In part, it is the ability to ask the tough question; to challenge conventional wisdom; to keep an open mind; to use evidence and creativity to fully explore all aspects of a big question or issue.

Is there any better example for the need for critical thinking for global citizens than defining the best systems to allow our communities and our nations to govern themselves?