Something powerful happens when political communities engage in a deeper level of dialogue about tough issues with topics that go to the core of a group’s identity and values.

When Nelson Mandela challenged his country to move beyond the pain of apartheid and be filled with grace, it was a defining moment in human history. The journey of great advocates for peace, change and reform will always filled with a central question of how to engage the people in a deeper dialogue.

The argument for courageous honesty about how government works, what type of systems we need to build, what efforts we should embrace as we stumble into the 21st Century may seem esoteric. But imagine for a moment if we had the courage to ask very, very tough questions about our state government in a politically safe way? Imagine if we had for a time a Renaissance Weekend attitude toward our political dialogue? Imagine if we rewarded those in the street and the boardroom who raised bold, systematic, thoughtful and important questions and did not judge them?

Here’s a specific example of someone tackling a tough issue, within a small community, that shows deep moral courage and honesty. Imagine how his colleagues feel? Imagine how hard it was for him to write this column? Imagine the impact of his words on the conscience of an organization?

On October 20 of this year Robert L. Bernstein, founder of Human Rights Watch, published this extrarordinary guest column in the New York Times.

The founder and 20-year chairman called his own organization to task for losing it’s own moral grounding. I admire that type of deep, meaningful conversation.

Let us find the courage ourselves, in our time and place, to elevate the level of dialogue in our state about the role, values, effectiveness and place of government.

Let us ask real questions and courageously talk without judgement or righteousness. Let us learn from the dialogue itself.

Systems change isn’t just about policies and programs. It is about courageous honesty to engage on a new level about our most pressing public challenges.

My great hope as a citizen legislator is that many of the meaningful conversations about systems reform so many of us have in private can come out in the light of day.

Let’s find the courage together to elevate our own level of dialogue, in a gracious and transparent way, about the pressing issues of our day.

I would like to see a deeper dialogue about tomorrow.

Your partner in service,

Reuven.