by Alan Briskin | Collective Folly, Conflict, Politics, Self Awareness
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 with friends. It is through generous acts of sharing the ideas you value that our collective conversations deepen and bear fruit.
by Alan Briskin | Collective Folly, Collective Wisdom, Politics
One of the core practices of collective wisdom is seeing whole systems. This requires us to step out of our particular bubble and ask essential questions, to diagnose critical relationships within a system, and to work in subtle realms, including what is not immediately apparent. Most significantly, seeing whole systems asks us to embrace both the light and shadow of human interactions, having faith that greater coherence and healthy functioning communities can be a result.
On February 1, Iowa voters will cast ballots in caucuses throughout that state. Political and media pundits will be making grand pronouncements and throwing confusing percentages around like darts in an English pub. In the context of seeing whole systems, I question whether the Republican caucuses are a valid reflection of our democracy or a dangerous distortion. The national consequences are significant, as is our own ability to make sense of the chaos. Please share with friends as a healthy dose of medicine during feverish times. Read More.
by Alan Briskin | Collaboration, Collective Folly, Politics
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 honor what we value. Read, like, comment, and share as you please. Read my new Huffington Post piece:
Demagogues: Leaders of Collective Madness.
by Alan Briskin | Business, Collective Folly
Mixing in Leonard Cohen, Fortune Magazine, the Amida confession on Yom Kippur, Pope Francis, Volkswagen, and metaphors involving apples, I cooked up a hearty stew published on Huffington Post that I hope you will enjoy.
by Alan Briskin | Collective Folly, Collective Wisdom, Politics
I just published an article on Huffington Post called The Politics of Intolerance.
It’s being appreciated by many and … ruffling a few feathers. Have a look!
by Alan Briskin | Collective Folly, Collective Wisdom, Conscious Capitalism, Leadership, Politics
There are consequences to avoiding our fate, especially at the collective level and especially when we have been given stark warning. In this case, the warning came from Franklin D. Roosevelt and it is as much about the interior domain of the collective as well how it manifests at the highest corporate and government levels. Clothed by interest groups shaped by fear and greed, the ensuing garment hides self-interest while emphasizing the fine fit of those who have prospered. The warning Franklin delivers is about ignoring our social responsibility at the same time we scapegoat those who have not succeeded. The consequence is a putrefaction of our thought process, a shrillness to our emotional responses, and a fatalism about a better future.
From Becoming Conscious of Capitalism:
The economic bill of rights highlighted a scar in the American psyche. Roosevelt’s time in office, which included a failed coup d’état directed against him, deepened the resolve of factions opposed to government intervention. From this moment on, a widening split would cleave those who believed in federal intervention from those who perceived arrogance in a government that addressed questions of economic distribution.
Read more…
Filmed presentation of FDR’s speech on an Economic Bill of Rights:
