Five Miute Friday :: Deliberate

• Five Minute Friday :: Deliberate Linkup


Deliberate the adjective, deliberate a verb. Deliberate is almost the opposite of last week's soon prompt.

In Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, speaking for the unanimous SCOTUS decision that separate is inherently not equal, Chief Justice Earl Warren instructed states to desegregate schools "with all deliberate speed." Whatever the historical source of all deliberate speed, and even taking a retrospective assessment of the near countless negative ways "move slowly" affected actual implementation of integrating schools and other public facilities, in many situations deliberate is a much better option than thoughtless haste.

Whether it's morally necessary for everyone's wellbeing and safety, or because of shifting tastes and preferences, change happens most thoroughly and stays put longest when it happens in society's mainstream. New ideas and behaviors usually start at the edges, or at the edges' edges (also known as fringes) with a small number of individuals. Likewise, not all that many offer extreme resistance to change.

I'm writing about change because when a person or group deliberates (together!) and then acts, it's almost always thoughtful action coupled with a sense of purpose and resolve.

I love our FMF host Kate's request:

As we move into another week soon, let's consider: In what ways might you need to be more deliberate this week in the ways you interact with others?

Purpose. Resolve. Mindfulness. And possibly some change from our usual, hasty, ways?

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