For the past weeks, I've been writing with a growing sense of urgency on the rising levels of fear and divisiveness evidenced in our political process here in the United States and around the world.  It occurred to me that I was witnessing a beauty pageant for demagogues.  What is a demagogue? This piece is a result of that reflection and concludes with the suggestion that we do not have to be passive participants.  The demagogue's cry for polarization must be our call to hon

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<p>The following exercise was developed by Marty Kaplan:</p> <p><strong>Collective Wisdom:</strong><br /><strong>Activities for Attunement, Discernment and Calibration </strong><br /><br /><strong>Name:</strong> Hula Hoop Activity<br /><strong>Number of People</strong>: 6-10<br /><strong>Materials Required:</strong> Hula Hoop<br /><strong>Space Requirements:</strong> Sufficient space for 6-10 people to stand in a circle<br /><strong>Time Requirements:</strong>&#0160; 25 - 35

Part One of the Tea Party series is already catalyzing response - witness this exchange begun on FaceBook by Michael Harkins with a reflection about the imagery that accompanies my post: Michael said: "Alan, you put into words many of my same thoughts. I must say I too enjoy the satire of Colbert, but also worry about the fragmentation of America. I can't help but wonder about the image you displayed with your thoughts. It appears to be ...a threshold guardian. These images

If you have to ask what a picture is worth, then you probably can't afford this column. In The Power of Collective Wisdom we wrote "seeking collective wisdom is a conscious attempt to elevate group life from its history of fighting tooth and claw to reach the top of the hierarchy or achieve dominance over others."  And we referred to the human capacity for empathy, compassion, and the role of mirror neurons in allowing for the permeability of emotional life. So check out thes

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<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="asset-img-link" href="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/01/6a0134809b7f05970c017616cbca6e970c.jpg" style="display: inline;"><img alt="Alan_header" border="0" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0134809b7f05970c017616cbca6e970c" src="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/01/6a0134809b7f05970c017616cbca6e970c-800wi.jpg" title="Alan_header" /></a><br /><br /></p> <hr /> <p><em><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A

<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="asset-img-link" href="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/01/6a0134809b7f05970c017616cbca6e970c.jpg" style="display: inline;"><img alt="Alan_header" border="0" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0134809b7f05970c017616cbca6e970c" src="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2000/01/6a0134809b7f05970c017616cbca6e970c-800wi.jpg" title="Alan_header" /></a><br /><br /></p> <hr /> <p><em><span style="font-size: 10pt;">A