How the people works through disagreement and what manner of communication it holds to
This document is derivative. Where it diverges from the Charter, the Charter applies; where the Charter diverges from the Declaration, the Declaration applies.
This document establishes no grounds for any measures. The closed list of such grounds is contained in Articles 22 and 22 bis of the Charter and is not subject to extension - neither by this document, nor by a decision, nor by settled practice.
What is set out below falls into two parts, and the difference between them is material. The rules for resolving disputes describe a procedure the people adheres to. Everything else is what the people aims at and helps others learn; failing to match it never carries consequences.
Disagreements between people are inevitable and arise from differences of experience, values, and interests. The conflict itself is not the problem - the problem is not knowing how to work through it.
The Earthlings people chooses a restorative approach rather than a punitive one: the aim of a proceeding is to restore relations and repair the consequences, not to punish.
The first step is a conversation between the parties directly. Most disagreements are resolved here.
What helps: hearing the other side out without interrupting; stating your position through facts and your own feelings rather than through accusations; looking for the common interest behind opposing positions; proposing solutions that take account of both sides.
If direct dialogue has not led to resolution, the parties are entitled to turn to mediation.
Mediation is a voluntary process in which a neutral intermediary helps the parties find a mutually acceptable solution. A mediator hands down no decision and makes no finding on who is right. Their task is to create the conditions for a conversation.
Who may be a mediator. Any earthling whom both parties trust and who has no interest in the outcome of the dispute. The people keeps a register of those who have trained in mediation; choosing from the register is not obligatory, and the parties are entitled to agree on any other participant.
Procedure:
The agreement has moral force: the parties take on a voluntary commitment to carry it out. The people has no means of enforcement, and none is contemplated.
Confidentiality. The content of a mediation is disclosed neither by the mediator nor by the parties. Only the fact that it took place and the outcome are published: agreement reached or not reached.
Period. Thirty days from the second party's consent; by mutual agreement the period may be extended.
Declining mediation entails nothing. Unwillingness to take part is not a breach, is not assessed, and is not taken into account in any subsequent proceeding.
If mediation has not led to resolution and the dispute affects the interests of the community or calls for a decision of principle, either party is entitled to refer the question to the Assembly.
This is a last resort. It is appropriate when a conflict concerns the interpretation of the people's rules, when a decision setting a pattern for future cases is required, or when one of the parties systematically acts contrary to the principles adopted in the people.
Consideration proceeds under the procedures of the Charter. The Assembly cannot expel a person from the people under any circumstances (Declaration, Article 10); the applicable measures and the procedure for applying them are laid down by Article 22 of the Charter.
Mediation does not apply:
What is set out in this section is what the people aims at. It creates no duties and entails no consequences.
Respect for the person. Everyone has the right to their own opinion, faith, choices, and way of life. Discrimination, humiliation, and persecution are inadmissible in the Earthlings people.
Criticism of ideas is separated from one's attitude to the person. Discussion on the merits does not turn personal.
Honesty. Everyone is entitled to ask questions and to receive clear answers. Using the people for manipulation or personal gain at the expense of the common good is inadmissible.
The extent of participation is for each person to judge. There is no obligatory activity, and its absence means nothing.
Active listening - hearing not only the words but what stands behind them. Speaking in the first person instead of accusing. Admitting one's own error without loss of standing. Gratitude for feedback. Specificity: a remark about one action is more useful than a judgment about a person.
Refraining from sarcasm and barbs in a shared space makes conversation more productive.
Threats, defamation, and coercion are incompatible with belonging to the people. If such conduct constitutes a ground provided for by Article 22 of the Charter, the measures and the procedure it lays down apply.
Sharpness, irony, disagreement, and inconvenient criticism never entail consequences - neither directly nor under the guise of another ground (Declaration, Article 10).
Trust in the Earthlings people rests not on an appeal but on verifiability: openness of procedures, the impossibility of accumulating power in secret, the visibility of any departure.
Such trust lowers the cost of control and speeds up decisions. It rests on three things: a person understands how the system works; actions and decisions are predictable; mistakes are admitted.
A mistake does not destroy trust if it is followed by admission and correction.
Within a Cell, equality, trust, and a shared contribution to the result are the rule.
Decisions are taken jointly, taking account of the views of all participants. Forms of participation vary - from conception to execution - and all of them are valuable.
Everyone is entitled to change the format of their participation or to leave the Cell without giving reasons and without censure. Commitments taken on earlier remain a matter of one's word, but are not a condition of leaving.
Contribution is assessed by open criteria known in advance. A shared result is valued above individual pre-eminence.
Everyone has the right to a space where they will not be belittled or attacked for a thought expressed.
The Earthlings people aims at an environment in which it is not frightening to propose an idea, to be wrong, and to change one's mind. Information about a person's private circumstances is not disclosed. Cells of mutual support are provided for in the design of the community.
An earthling speaking publicly speaks in their own name, unless the Assembly has given them a different mandate.
The people takes no part in propaganda, the spread of knowingly false information, or the incitement of hostility.
As the people grows in new regions, respect for the local context and traditions is obligatory. Joining is always voluntary; cultural differences are treated as enrichment, not as an obstacle.
Care for humanity and the planet, regard for the interests of future generations, and the renunciation of violence are grounds set out in the Declaration; this document does not add to them.
Participants' personal data are not used for commercial, political, or manipulative purposes. Consent to processing is informed and voluntary, and the volume of data is minimal. The details are in the Privacy Policy.
Common funds are allocated under the rules laid down by the document Treasury, openly and verifiably. This document establishes no allocation rules of its own.
The Earthlings people offers the opportunity to learn what makes working together easier: non-violent communication, conducting discussions, critical thinking, and recognizing one's own state of mind and that of others.
The people does not require these skills, does not check that anyone has them, and ties no one's rights to them. No skill is a condition of belonging, participation, or the vote (Declaration, Article 8).
Mistakes are treated as part of learning, not as an occasion for a penalty.
The Council helps the community with difficult ethical questions through public recommendations and takes no binding decisions.
Its opinions are advisory and are published in full. The Assembly is entitled to disagree with them, and this entails no consequences. The Council does not block decisions, has no right of veto, and takes no part in managing funds.
Its composition, the procedure for its formation, the grounds for recall, and the conditions of its work are laid down by the Charter, Article 4 and by the document The Earthlings Independent Council.
What is set out here is not dogma. Any earthling is entitled to propose changes, and they are made through open discussion in the manner laid down by the Charter.
The limits are unchanging: nothing in this document may contradict the Declaration, narrow the guarantees it gives, or create grounds for measures it does not provide for.
Where a provision of this document is unclear, it is construed in favour of the person.