Sitting in a workshop on inclusion and diversity, author Fredrick Miller commented on his forty years heralding change. “I came to see my belief in fundamental change happening during my lifetime as a form of arrogance.” His comment, almost an aside, demonstrated a different kind of faith. It recalled to mind a tenet of Martin Luther King’s essay on non-violence, “An Experiment in Love.” King’s sixth and final principle declared that “nonviolent resistance … is based on the c

In this new post, I write about a meeting with one of my first mentors, whose study of authoritarianism awakened my interest in the subtle interplay between personality and social system.  With a nod to Mel Brooks, a salute to Daniel Goleman, and a bow to Maya Angelou, I explore a new generation of thinking about the role authoritarianism plays in our current social and political climate. Read my latest Huffington Post article. And please LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE, and DISCUSS wi

ALAN JONES WRITES IN THE SOUL’S JOURNEY: “We need to go to hell by entering that place where our longings and desires are trapped. What particular hell do we need to confront? What or who in us is lost and crying out for help? James Hillman implies that going to hell is vital for the soul because 'the cure for the shadow is a problem of love'. How far can our love extend to the broken and ruined parts of ourself, the disgusting and perverse? How much charity and compassion ha

<p style="text-align: center;"><a style="display: inline;" href="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/6a0134809b7f05970c0147e2c51277970b.jpg"><img class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0134809b7f05970c0147e2c51277970b" style="border: 3px solid #333333;" title="Aikido" src="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/6a0134809b7f05970c0147e2c51277970b-800wi.jpg" border="0" alt="Aikido" /></a> <br /> <em><span style="font-size: 8pt;">Aikido World Headqua

<p><a style="display: inline;" href="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/6a0134809b7f05970c0133f59587a8970b.jpg"><img class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0134809b7f05970c0133f59587a8970b" title="Africa" src="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/6a0134809b7f05970c0133f59587a8970b-800wi.jpg" border="0" alt="Africa" /></a> <br /><br />In the late 70’s, I learned about the research of Nevitt Sanford.&nbsp; He was my professor and founder of the g

<blockquote> <blockquote><em>&quot;Rally Mohawks, bring out your axes!</em><br /><em>Tell King George, we&#39;ll pay no taxes...</em><br /><em>On his foreign tea!&quot;</em><br />~ Chant in the streets of Boston <br />on the night of the Boston tea party</blockquote> </blockquote> <p>Amid colorful signs and often in costume, the self identified tea baggers of today hold the celebratory energies of that revolutionary spirit.&#0160; At a rally in New York City, Lou Dobbs, amid

<p><a href="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/6a0134809b7f05970c0134882b412e970c.jpg" style="display: inline;"><img alt="Moon" border="0" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0134809b7f05970c0134882b412e970c" src="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/6a0134809b7f05970c0134882b412e970c-800wi.jpg" style="border: 3px solid #cccccc;" title="Moon" /></a> <br /> <br />Recently, I became acquainted with the concept of hauntology – a philosophy of h

<p><a href="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/6a0134809b7f05970c0134882b2c2e970c.jpg" style="float: left;"><img alt="Temple-guard" border="0" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0134809b7f05970c0134882b2c2e970c" src="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/6a0134809b7f05970c0134882b2c2e970c-800wi.jpg" style="margin: 0px 15px 5px 0px; border: 3px solid #cccccc;" title="Temple-guard" /></a> One of the fundamental questions for those who believe

<p> <a href="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/6a0134809b7f05970c0133f3123624970b-800wi.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href,&#39;_blank&#39;,&#39;scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0&#39;); return false" style="display: inline;"><img alt="Zion b&amp;w 2" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a0134809b7f05970c0133f3123624970b " src="http://www.alanbriskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/6a0134809b7f05

<p>A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking to an evening class at San Francisco State in their Wholistic Health department. The course, A Season for Non Violence, focused on applying principles of love and wisdom to daily life and the particular class I attended was on “mending the social divide.” I wondered what social divide could they mean, but then I woke up, made some coffee and braced myself for the morning paper. </p> <p>As I prepared my talk and discuss

<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