OURTWOMOSTCOMMONwaysoftryingtoaddressourtoughestsocialchallengesaretheextremeones:,usingourgunsormoneyorvotes,topushthroughwhatwewant,stasitis.
Theseextremewaysareextremelymon,,,wecanbebossyor"goalongtogetalong."Inourmunities,wecansetthingsupsothattheyarethewaywewantthemtobe,,wecanmakedealstogetourway,aderulesorpeaceintheMiddleEast-wecantrytoimposeoursolutionsoneveryoneelse,,monwaysoftryingtoaddressourtoughestsocialchallengesusuallyfail,ftheseextremeways,,unmonwaysofaddressingsocialchallenges:waysbeyondthesedegenerativeformsofwarandpeace.
AcharacterinRent,JonathanLarson'sBroadwaymusicalaboutstrugglingartistsandmusiciansinNewYorkCity,says,"Theoppositeofwarisn'tpeace,it'screation!"[1]Toaddressourtoughestsocialchallenges,weneedawaythatisneitherwarnorpeace,?
TWOFUNDAMENTALDRIVES
Toco-createnewsocialrealities,wehavetoworkwithtwodistinctfundamentalforcesthatareintension:"power"and"love":theydealwithwhatandwhypowerandloveare,practiceisrequiredtoaddresstoughchallengesatalllevels:individual,group,munity,society.
Tillichdefinespoweras"thedriveofeverythinglivingtorealizeitself,withincreasingintensityandextensity."Sopowerinthissenseisthedrivetoachieveone'spurpose,togetone'sjobdone,"thedrivetowardstheunityoftheseparated."[2]Soloveinthissenseisthedr,ratherthanthemoremonideasofoppressivepowerandromanticlove(representedonthecoverbythegrenadeandtherose),areatthecoreofthisbook.
OURFULLWORLD
Wecannotaddressourtoughchallengesonlythrougyworld:anopenfrontier,awhitespace,
Let',BritishsettlersarrivedinAustraliaandencounteredtheindigenouspeoplewhohadarrived40,eoplewillingtotravelacrosstheglobetocreateanewsocialreality,butalsothehu,theconflictbetweensettlersandaboriginalpeoplesinAustraliawasframedintermsofthedoctrineofterranullius,aRomanlegaltermthatmeans"landbelongingtonoone,"or"emptyland."Itwasnotuntil1992thattheHighCourtofAustraliaruledthatthecontinenthadinfactneverbeenterranullius,andthatthemodern-daysettlershadtoworkoutanewwayoflivingtogetherwiththeaboriginalpeople.
,,strong,,inordertoaddressourtoughestsocialchallenges,weneedtoemploynotonlypowerbutalsolove.
Achallengeistoughwhenitisplexinthreeways.[3]Achallengeisdynamicallyplexwhencauseandeffectareinterdependentandfarapartinspaceandtime;suchchallengescannotsuccessfullybeaddressedpiecebypiece,rspectivesandinterests;suchchallengescannotsuccessfullybeaddressedbyexpertsorauthorities,nfamiliarandundetermined;suchchallengescannotsuccessfullybeaddressedbyapplying"bestpractice"solutionsfromthepast,butonlybygrowingnew,"nextpractice"solutions.
ers(andwhatothersdodoesnotaffectus),,orthatourdifferencescanberesolvedpurelythroughmarketorpoliticalorlegalpetition,,orthatwecanfirstfigureoutandthenexecutethecorrectanswer,butthisisnottrue.
Whenwepretendthatourworldisemptyratherthanfull,andthatourchallengesaresimpleratherthanplex,,weneedtoacknowledgeourinterdependence,cooperate,,
TWOPITFALLS
,a,embodyingmasculinepower,goesouttowork,kthathedenieshisconnectiontohiscolleaguesandfamily,andsobeesarobotoratyrant.
Themother,bycontrast,embodyingfemininelove,,ndembracingofherchildandfamilythatshedeniestheirandespeciallyherownneedforself-realization,andsostuntstheirandherowngrowth.[4]
,,sotooisthepopperspectivethat"allyouneedislove."
PsychologistRolloMay,afriendofPaulTillich,warnedofthedangersofdisconnectingpower(whichhereferredtoas"will")fromlove."Loveandwill,"hewrote,"s,molding,forming,,inaninnersense,"[5]May'sconjunctiveprocessesalsooperateonasociallevel,andwecaneffectnonviolentsocialchangeonlyifwecanengagebothourpowerandourlove.
Oneofthegreatestpractitionersofnonviolentsocialchange,MartinLutherKingJr.,ndaggressivewarandsubmissivepeace,therebycontributingtotherence,King-drawingonhisdoctoralstudiesofTillich'swork-emphasizedtheessentialplementaritybetweenpowerandlove.[6]"Powerwithoutloveisrecklessandabusive,"Kingsaid,"andlovewithoutpowerissentimentalandanemic."[7]
MyownexperienceofthepasttwentyyearsentirelybearsoutKing'ognizingthatweandothersareinterdependent,theresultwillatbestbeinsensitiveandatworst,,butdosoinawaythathobblesourownorothers'growth,theresultwillatbestbeineffectualandatworst,deceitfullyreinforcingofthestatusquo.
Powerwitho
Inhisspeech,Kingwentontosay,"Thiscollisionofimmoralpowerwithpowerlessmoralityconstitutesthemajorcrisisofourtime."[8]This,andwithineachofus,weusuallyfinda"powercamp,"whichpaysattentiontointerestsanddifferences,anda"lovecamp,",politics,andsocialchange,amongothers-impedesourabilitytomakeprogressonourtoughestsocialchallenges.
ANIMPERATIVE
Purtoughestchallenges-wemustunderstandandworkwithbothofthesedrives.
Ratherthanachoicetobemadeonewayoranother,powerandloveconstitutstinthesameperson:"Wherelovereigns,thereisnowilltopower;andwherethewillpowerisparamount,"[9]HisstudentRobertJohnsonsaid,"Probablythemost,andonefindsmanymorefailuresthansuccessesintheattempttoreconcilethem."[10]
Ihaveseenmanyexamplesofrecklessandabusivepowerwithoutlove,
Ifwearetosucceedinco-creatingnewsocialrealities,