One of my favorite statues is The Thinker by Rodin. Here it is.
First I can say "it" because to me The Thinker represents all thinkers in the midst of thinking. While The Thinker is certainly a man, and a brute of a man at that, if you get up next to one of the 13 original bronze casts, one is struck be the process of thinking as much as the person doing the thinking.
I have the good fortune to live near one of the 13 and have gone to stand or sit next to it many times at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Sometimes for 30 minutes, or even an hour. It's in a large atrium surrounded by columns. There is often fog, but because there are walls on three sides surrounding the massive statute - it's much larger than your average human - the place takes on a pensive serenity.
At times I just sit there and think, others I write. One thought that has struck me in this mix of the two is to marvel at how humans think and write, interacting in a unique way that is different than all other species. It is this mixture that enables us to build Hydrogen bombs (one of the few weapons built that have never been used) that are a thousand times more powerful than nuclear bombs. But this ability to read and write also empowers us to reach an agreement to live together and craft a social contract built on the security of well being rather than weapons.
The Thinker represents all thinkers and all views: So does Unite for Rights (UfR). I ran today with a great thinker, Larry Siskind, who, if we are to use worn out labels, has conservative views. You can check out his blog "To Put it Bluntly," which I recommend. Read "To Put it Bluntly."
The mission of UfR is to bring people, businesses and governments to focus together on the IDEA of a Global Bill of Rights. The draft on the website is only a starting point. Today's in depth discussion with Larry is what I long for most with Unite. Not outcome, but thoughtful contemplation. Unite is "drafting through dialogue" and as with The Thinker, all thoughts in the marketplace of ideas are welcome.