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The Center
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News, Views, and Reviews
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| Every month we will have a new book review or post an important editorial, news report, speech, or other item relating to our mission: the shift from domination to partnership. You are invited to submit pieces for this page and tell others about it. | |
"Peace index" misses
domestic violence
For the full article see The Christian Science Monitor
When it's about women, you've gone too far By Joan
Chittister Try to remember
this: It is possible to go too far. I got another lesson on that one recently. Last week, in Ireland, Trocáire, the official overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland, began its regular Lenten ad campaign. The interesting thing about the campaign -- which is not uncommon to most churches in Lent -- is that it is about more than "charity." It does not ask for alms alone. It asks people to contribute to movements that seek justice. It puts its resources to the service of social consciousness and social change. It always calls for change in the system that is creating the oppression, contributing to the poverty, or justifying the discrimination. So, in previous Lenten campaigns, for example, it called attention to apartheid in South Africa and channeled money to organizations there who were working to develop a democracy in that country. The Irish government and the church supported that campaign. Then, in another year, Trocáire concentrated on the liberation of child soldiers and Ireland supported them in that campaign, too. Finally, Trocáire turned the light and the money on the plight of slave laborers around the world and were applauded for their efforts there, too. In all their Lenten drives Trocáire uses public information spots on Irish television. It mounts a poster campaign across the country. It publishes public information brochures throughout the republic to focus attention on issues that are at the base of oppression or poverty and collects money to be used to change the system as well as to alleviate the effects of the oppression. All of these campaigns have revolved around clearly political issues. And all of them have gotten widespread support. Until this one. This one features an unending grid of diapered babies, black and white, all infants, all charming and bright-eyed and lively. Finally the voice-over says, "These children will have less education, live in more poverty, contract more disease, suffer more violence, face more disadvantage than if they had malaria or HIV. They will never even be given a chance. Why? Because they're female." Bingo! This ad, on gender equality, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has decreed, must be removed from its commercial airwaves because it is "political." Oh, give us a break. Racism isn't political. Child soldiers aren't political. Slave labor and human trafficking aren't political. But gender equality is? The ad is "political" and contrary to the Radio and Television Act of 1988, BCI argues, because it "calls upon the Government to produce a National Action Plan and seeks public signatures for a petition in this regard." Protests about the ban are coming from everywhere, true. RTE -- Radio Television Erin -- refuses to comply, for instance. They will show the ads, but they will confine the ads to noncommercial television and public radio channels only. The kind that don't have sponsors, apparently. The implication seems to be that sponsors would -- at least could -- withdraw their own advertising support from programs that are 'political,' meaning in support of gender equality. The campaign itself has also not been withdrawn. And in columns and Letters to the Editor everywhere, the Irish are raising some very pointed questions. They are asking things like why Trocáire doesn't focus on the Catholic church itself, its sponsoring institution, as a justifying agent of female discrimination. (/Irish Times/, Saturday, March 10, 2007, Patsy McGarry, "Trocaire's young girl without a chance lives far closer to home," p. 13.) They want to know how it is that a government commission can dare to question the need for this ad in a world where two-thirds of the poor are women. They are pointing out that 66 percent of the illiterate of the world are women who are being denied the right to an education. They are not unaware that 70 percent of the refugees and internally displaced population of the world in war-torn countries are women. They know that women, even in Ireland and in developed countries in general, are still earning only 69 percent of male wages for the same level of work. A people in an agricultural country who have known desperate starvation themselves, realize in a way most don't in our part of the world, that women produce 80 percent of the planet's food but get less than 10 percent of the world's agricultural assistance and aid, even from nations like the United States. (/Irish Times/, Thursday, March 8, 2007, Mary Raftery, Trocáire ad deserves an airing, p. 16.) And, finally, they are acutely conscious of the fact that women who are the backbone of the church everywhere, including in Ireland, are barred from the theological formulations of the church. They know that, however much women serve the church, they are nevertheless left out, even of its restored diaconate -- "not even given a chance" -- simply because they are female. Best of all, the questions are getting more numerous, more pointed, more revealing every day. Why the problem with only this campaign and not with any of the others? Is it because this campaign is so much closer to home for all of us than malaria and child soldiers and apartheid will ever be? Is it because down deep they -- and maybe even we -- know that this is discrimination in our own society that is hiding in plain sight? Is it because a change in this social issue would turn both society and church upside down? Or maybe, more to the point, would a change finally turn society and church right side up? From where I stand, the objection to the ad is far more to be contested than the subject matter of the ad itself. Gender discrimination enslaves or suppresses the development of half the population of the world. The very idea that the attempt to focus on the issue of gender equality can be gagged, can be denied public consciousness, on the grounds that it is a "political problem" -- for whatever reason -- is itself the real problem. The very idea that we cannot discuss the questions of women in church and society without facing either theological or social recrimination is the issue behind the issues. And we have the nerve to question the treatment of women in other cultures of the world? Now that's going too far. March 8 is International Women's Day, the day for highlighting the urgent need for equality between women and men globally. Here is a letter from the President of the United Nations Assembly on the terrible prevalence of violence against girls and women worldwide, which is also the focus of the Center for Partnership Studies' Spiritual Alliance to Stop Intimate Violence (Please see www.saiv.net ). Following the
message from the UN Assembly President is a message from the
Women's Forum Against Fundamentalism in Iran, an
organization trying to stop the public stoning of women in Iran
for sex-related We must support these courageous women in their struggle for human rights in whatever way we can -- starting with bringing attention to how "women's rights" must no longer be relegated to secondary place by government policies and the press. Riane Eisler
Message by
H.E. SHEIKHA HAYA
RASHED AL KHALIFA
ON THE OCCASION OF
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Violence against women and girls is widespread in all societies. The United Nations Charter affirms faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women. The right to live without fear of violence is a basic human right for all people, including women and girls. The right to seek equal justice, without discrimination, is a basic human right. We have a moral and political duty to uphold these rights. The comprehensive study on violence against women issued during the 61st Session of the General Assembly includes strong recommendations that can end the impunity of violence committed against women. We have made huge advances in setting global standards to prevent, punish and eradicate these heinous crimes. Our efforts have gone far to reverse what used to be the traditional lack of response. But progress in ending violence and impunity remains insufficient and inconsistent in all parts of the world. States have binding obligations and can be held accountable. The failure to comply with international standards or to exercise due diligence is a violation of the human rights of women. Sates cannot abdicate their international obligations to punish perpetrators and prevent violence against, and the exploitation of, women and girls. Neither can they hide behind cultural and religious reservations to international treaties condemning this violence. We must demonstrate by our actions that we intend to keep our promises. We also need to recognize that ending violence against women and girls is not only the responsibility of the State. It also requires a change of mindset. It requires us to demonstrate, once and for all, that there are no grounds for tolerance and no tolerable excuses. If we are going to stop violence against women and girls – we must begin by speaking out. We must ensure that women and girls enjoy their basic human rights without discrimination. Criminal impunity must end. Every crime must be prosecuted. When the Charter was being signed, Eleanor Roosevelt said that universal human rights begin in small places, close to home. Most violence against women and girls happens at home - not only physical, but sexual and psychological violence too. To change attitudes, to prevent and prosecute violence against women and girls we need to begin in the home.
Tehran's
Fundamentalist Regime Launches a Pre-emptive Crackdown and
Arrest on the Eve of BOSTON, MA - More than 32 Iranian women have been arrested in Tehran for protesting in front of Tehran's Revolutionary Court. The protestors declared solidarity with five women on trial over their roles in a demonstration which was broken up by police in June last year. Those arrested yesterday are believed to have been taken to the notorious Evin prison. Among them are: Noushin Ahmadi Khorasani, Parvin Ardalan, Sussan Tahmassebi, and Shahla Entesari. According to Javad Montazeri, spokesperson for the families, none of those arrested are allowed to communicate with their families. Montazeri's wife, Assieh Amini, is among those arrested on Sunday morning by some 200 security officials. According to Montazeri, family members are now gathered in front of Evin prison since "we weren't able to get any information and were only told that the Revolutionary Court was not authorized to give any statement nor information on their case. At no time have we been told officially where these women are nor what they are accused of." Thousands of Iranian women plan to hold a rally on Thursday to mark the International Women's Day on March 8, 2007. Montazeri insists the arrests on Sunday was a pre-emptive measure "in an attempt to dissuade other women from taking part in a rally organized to mark the day." According to lawyers on this case, women were violently beaten on their arrest, are likely to be charged with subversive activities and taking part in an illegal rally. Attorneys say "In the Islamic Republic fighting for equal gender rights is considered a subversive act threatening national security". Rally participants report the police chief was "using obscene words and describing us as 'misfits'". Others also say police and plain-clothes security men chased away journalists and onlookers and then loaded the women onto a curtained minibus and drove them away. Women's Forum Against Fundamentalism (WFAFI) reminds the world community that last June's *demonstration* in Tehran city center, some 200 women protested against the violation of women's rights in Iran. After clashes with police, over 40 women and about 30 men were arrested. It is unclear however how many of them are still in prison. The state-sponsored violence against women and widespread political and economic suppression under this regime has escalated greatly with Ahmadinejad in the office. Yesterday's reactions show once more that there is no respect for the basic principles of human rights. None of the demands of those arrested are against Islam. The weakened theocracy in Tehran can not tolerate even the slightest opposition. WFAFI applauds
the courageous women of Iran who actively oppose the gender
apartheid and call upon the international community, the human
rights and women's rights organizations to hold Tehran
responsible for its crimes against women. WFAFI urges the United
Nations to call for immediate release of these women and all
other political prisoner held by Tehran's fundamentalist regime. A Life of Courage and
Compassion Professor Bettina Aptheker has been known as one of the most charismatic characters on campus, and her introduction to feminism class has drawn large audiences for nearly a quarter century. Bettina also was one of the founders of UCSC's Feminist Studies program. Besides teaching, Bettina is the author of six books. The latest, Intimate Politics: How I Grew Up Red, Fought for Free Speech, and Became a Feminist Rebel, is an memoir, where Bettina talks about fighting for justice, the emotional turmoil of abuse, and the enlightening realizations of healing and moving on. Communism and
Intellect From a very early age, Bettina was surrounded by famous and interesting people, artists, and political figures such as well known actor and civil rights activist Paul Robeson, African-American civil rights activist W.E.B. DuBoise, and playwright Alice Childress. "I grew up in that sense in a very privileged intellectual and artistic environment," she said. "Not everybody was a member of the Communist Party. But they were all people who were sympathetic of it." Bettina added that her belief system was significantly influenced by these early experiences. "I was very aware of it. I thought it was very special," she said. "My father testified in the McCarthy case. A lot was going on it was the late '40s and '50s, the time of intense political repression." In 1953, the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for passing nuclear weapons secrets to the Soviet Union also deeply affected Bettina's life. "Growing up, I never went to the trials. I was too young," she said. "But my parents often took me to meetings, demonstrations. I was very much involved." Her early involvement in politics now makes her look back those days and cherish the uniqueness of her life. "Ultimately, I was proud of the fact that this is how I grew up, and also a little fearful about it. There was a lot of surveillance. People were being arrested. There were a lot of trials." Bettina joined the Communist Party when she was 17. After she moved to Berkeley to study to become a doctor, she became actively involved in a Communist student club at the Berkeley campus. She soon realized that her calling wasn't medicine. She started focusing her studies on history and anthropology. However, it would be a long time before she would reconcile her family life. Abuse and
Forgiveness When I asked how she now feels about her father, Bettina answered without any hesitation. "We talked to each other. And in that conversation I completely forgave him," she said. "He apologized profusely. He said he had no memory of it. Very close to the end of his life it was clear that he did remember." Besides her conversation with her father, Bettina also found help through her Buddhist practice. "It cultivates compassion," she said. "And a certain kind of training of the mind, a certain understanding how feelings are ephemeral, so they can change. I really think if once they really love you and express real remorse it is possible to heal from the hurt." Talking openly about her own experiences, Bettina hopes to help others in a similar situation. "I know that child abuse is rampant in our society," she said. "In general there is a good deal of violence against women. In describing my life and the instances of violence, it shows people it's possible to break the silence and talk about it. One can overcome shame and self-loathing. I was trying to be helpful." The Feminist
Rebel Feminism from
that moment on has been one of the defining elements of
Bettina's life. She wrote her first Her first research concerned African-American women's history. "Then I tried to reconcile Marxism and feminism, but I couldn't do it," she said. "I came to the conclusion that it can't be done." Her book, Academic Rebellion in the United States, was an in-depth study of the student movement. "It was very Marxist," she added. Bettina left the Communist Party in 1981, after they refused to publish her book Woman's Legacy: Essays on Race, Sex, and Class in American History. "There was no way I could stay in the party," she said. Bettina says that her teaching career is just as significant in her life as the other activities she has been involved in. "I love both teaching and writing and research," she said. Besides her current introduction to feminism class, she also mentors many undergrad and graduate students in their teaching and research. In her free time, Bettina attends baseball games, frequents the opera, and travels as much as she can. She also spends time with her three grandsons. She lives with her partner of many years, Kate Miller.
Child Honoring: How To
Turn This World Around
Book review by David Loye Ever since Jesus, people with what has seemed too simple, but is actually a profoundly on-target view, have been trying to tell us the key to the better life lies in how we treat our children. Pestalozzi tried in the 1700 and 1800s. Montessori and Piaget again in the 1900s. Now history — or better still, evolution — has come up with a fascinating successor for the 21st century. Raffi, who brought us "Baby Beluga" and award-winning recordings and family concerts spanning thirty years. Long probably the world's single most beloved children's entertainer, Raffi is now Raffi Cavoukian, founder of the eternally revolutionary concept of Child Honoring. As the book title Child Honoring: How to Turn This World Around (Raffi Cavoukian, Sharna Olfman, ed.) makes evident, this is no light-weight, feel-good idea cooked up out of blindly optimistic New Agism. Today we honor Freud as the heavy-weight founder of psychoanalysis, or Marconi as the founder of radio. In the contemporary deep thinkers that Cavoukian and Olfman pulled together for this book—and particularly in Raffi's own introduction and closing essay—it becomes clear that in the concept of Child Honoring as he's developing it, Raffi Cavoukian is becoming a new founder of urgent global importance. Chapters by leading thinkers in the fields of psychology, education, economics, business, governance, and religion — for example, Fritjof Capra, Riane Eisler, Matthew Fox, and David Korten — flesh out the concept in the body of the book. These chapters have the impact one expects from such deeply and well-grounded folk. But I am particularly impressed with Raffi's own contributions in the introduction and closing. This is a man who has thought through the challenge facing us with the rare kind of vision and grounded practicality needed if we are ever to move beyond lip service to Jesus, Pestalozzi, Montessori and Piaget. Here's a quick list of the Child Honoring principles he develops in the introduction to reverse "the deterioration of natural and human communities, thus brightening the outlook for our children and the world we share." Respectful Love. Diversity. Caring Community. Conscious Parenting. Emotional Intelligence. Nonviolence. Safe Environments. Sustainability. Ethical Commerce. It is in his closing essay, "Onward! Making a Vow: Living the Covenant," however, that Raffi surpasses himself. In nine and a half pages here he literally explodes with inspiring capsule reports on what some well-known movers and shakers of our time are doing and his own fresh ideas to advance the Child Honoring revolution. In these very dark days for all of us who have worked so hard for so much of our lives to make things better, this book is a welcome fresh breeze. It's only in hardback so far — and well worth buying. But with the need of the world for the message it trumpets so effectively, I look forward to the paperback that will more rapidly spread its "original blessing."
Compassionate Thinking,
An Introduction to Philosophy
Werner Krieglstein’s Compassionate Thinking provides a historical introduction to major philosophers and philosophical concepts in the Western world. The distinct novelty of the book is that it traces the beginnings of Western philosophy back to the rejection of an earlier partnership culture exemplified by the Minoan model. The book places Riane Eisler’s work of partnership education and feminism in the larger context of a philosophy of practical action and liberation. In this light the book presents Greek philosophy as the systematic attempt to recover the lost harmony that ruled during the so-called Golden Age. The reader learns how early human beings lived under the rule of the goddess and why and how male domination got started. The overrriding purpose of the book then is to analyze philosophy with the intend to build a better future. At every turn Krieglstein asks the questions: What did this philosopher do to create a better, more egalitarian world? How did this philosophy contribute to domination and oppression not only of human beings, and especially women, but also in regard to the natural world? The book is written from a distinctly personal perspective. It recounts the author’s path to liberation, feminism, and a truly democratic vision of the world. The following is a letter written by Juliana Vazquez, one of Krieglstein’s students at the College of DuPage: Dear Professor
Krieglstein, I finished reading your new book a couple weeks ago and found it to be a thought-provoking and very worthwhile journey. I particularly appreciated how readable the text was, making even complex scientific and philosophical ideas palatable and understandable to the general reader. I also enjoyed the interweaving of intensive academic research with recounts of rich personal experiences. Under the category of philosophies of the "new" or "third enlightenment," I think that Transcendental Perspectivism is a viable alternative to some of the New Age concepts that are currently floating around. In contrast to the somewhat illogical, commonly contradictory, and too loosely organized theories of New Age philosophies, Transcendental Perspectivism follows more reasonable lines of thought and is outlined in a sufficiently formal fashion on your website as well as in your recent publication. Because I am in the process of considering a career in education, I read your chapters on the latter subject with special care and found your description of Riane Eisler’s "the partnership way" to be in perfect harmony with my ideal method of instruction. Thank you for that insightful contribution to the field of education! I also appreciated your work's continuous challenges of traditional, Western dualities -- i.e., mind vs. body, soul vs. body, reason vs. emotion, etc. Helping people truly perceive themselves, the world, and life as whole is an extremely important educational and personal mission to pursue. Book
review: Women
with a Mission 34 Million Friends of
the Women of the World
Why is it that some people hear that clarion call for justice louder than others? Some see injustices and choose not to act, while others move forward with zeal. Jane Roberts is one of those movers! I met Jane in 2002 and recall that encounter with great fondness. Jane bubbled, was unabashedly relational and was, and is, without question, a woman with a mission. Her new book reveals her exuberance, spirit and compassion. Jane, and her partner in crime, Lois Abraham, founded the organization 34 Million Friends in 2002 in response to President Bush’s de-funding the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a long-standing agency dedicated to providing family planning and reproductive health information and services, plus HIV/AIDS prevention. Lois and Jane’s dream is to restore the $34 million to UNFPA and they are count on US citizens to make their dream come true. Women in the developing world, with little to no access to power, health care, education and economic sustenance, are the beneficiaries of 34 Million Friends. These women are the disenfranchised, the “throw-aways,” the ones who suffer and die due to, in this case, misinformation and ideological extremism. It all began when the US Congress passed a budget bill that included $34 million for UNFPA, representing 13% of the agency’s budget. The president signed the bill, and then reversed his decision in response to political persuasion by those who claimed that UNFPA was, by its mere presence in China, complicit in China’s coercive family planning policy. (This connection was disputed by the president’s own fact-finding team and, subsequently, by at least two other teams.) To this day, President Bush continues to deny funding to UNFPA. It is estimated that the US contribution could prevent 2 million unwanted pregnancies, nearly 800,000 abortions, 4,700 maternal deaths, nearly 60,000 serious maternal illnesses, as well as over 77,000 infant and child deaths each year. (Source: UNFPA) Jane’s newly published book shares an action-packed journey of activism that reads like a personal journal. One finds stories of tragedy and hope interlaced with Jane’s Erma Bombeck-style of humor. 34 Million Friends is replete with statistics, information on how the money raised has been spent, illustrations of how to build a constituency base for action and challenges to engage the media. Readers receive a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the challenges and joys of such a movement. Lives of courageous women are highlighted throughout the book, one such woman being Kakenya Ntaiya. Kakenya is a young Kenyan woman who defied the cultural tradition of child marriage to secure an education. Kakenya now serves as a role model for young girls in her village. The heart-wrenching story of 22-year-old Sissoko from Mali aptly illustrates the plight of many women in developing nations. Sissoko gave birth to a dead baby and suffered an obstetric fistula—a condition rarely experienced in the United States. Obstetric fistula develops when the blood supply to the tissues of the vagina and the bladder (and/or rectum) is cut off during prolonged obstructed labor. The tissues die, and a hole forms through which urine and/or feces pass uncontrollably. Women who develop fistulas are often abandoned by their husbands, rejected by their communities, and forced to live an isolated existence. (Source: Fistula Foundation) Today over two million women live with fistula. The book’s final chapter includes a quote from Lois expressing frustration over the plight of millions of poor women: “Why aren’t we screaming?” And Jane responds: “Well I hope this book is a gentle scream, a gentle push to say ENOUGH!” 34 Million Friends bears witness to the power of two people who want to make the world a better place. Use of this resource for small group discussions in local congregations or other settings is highly recommended.
Linda Bales is the Program Director of the Louise and Hugh Moore Population Project and Children's concerns at the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church in Washington, DC. .
Book
review: I confess I came to this book not as an expert of evolutionary theory, but as a person with a deep passion for futures and the development of the human species. In particular, my personal research relates to educational futures and the futures of consciousness. Thus the critique that follows cannot stand as that of an “impartial” expert’s opinion, but merely as the considerations of a relative layman in the field of evolutionary theory. Considering my particular research foci, I found much in the volume to enthuse about. The contributors to this volume are all members of the General Evolution Research Group. This was formed in 1986, and its purpose is “to bring together a small group of scholars from a variety of disciplines and nations to explore possibilities for the development of a general...evolution theory”. Ervin Laszlo is its primary founder and leader, with World Futures: the Journal of General Evolution being its mouthpiece. Let me begin by stating that this is not only a well-written volume, but a necessary one. As Loye points out in the concluding chapter regarding the idea of “evolution,” the mindsets of most scientists (and indeed the layperson), have been seized so thoroughly by the concepts of natural selection and blind chance that anyone challenging this idea with suggestions of “normative or developmental goals and ideals as well as standards and benchmarks for what constitutes evolution” is confronted by the reaction that “this is not only heresy but naı¨ve and stupid”. Yet most futurists are all too aware of the limitations of a purely biological and mathematical depiction of evolution. As Loye himself points out, conceptions of “ideal goals” are routine in futures. In futures there is generally an implicit representation of development and evolution which incorporates conceptions that exist above and beyond the merely physical and biological. And this is where this book is most valuable for futurists. Each of the contributors adds an extra dimension or two to the idea of evolution, until the total picture is one that is inclusive not only of the cosmic, chemical/Physical and biological dimensions that currently dominate the neo-Darwinian hegemony, but also includes developments in brain science and psychology, as well as cultural, social, economic, political, technological, educational, moral, spiritual, and consciousness evolution. To this is added the necessity for an action-oriented approach. The tools that are offered to move us forward are also somewhat heretical: including love (Eisler, Loye, Goerner, Bradley, Bausch and Christakis); partnership (Eisler, Goerner); communication and creativity (Goerner, Montuori, Combs and Richards); human agency (Bradley, Loye);creative action (Eisler, Goerner, Loye); and spiritual and consciousness evolution (Bausch and Christakis, Eisler, Goerner, Loye). There is not room here to comment upon all 11 articles individually, but Loye’s “Darwin, Maslow, and the Fully Human Theory of Evolution” is worth mentioning, as it encapsulates much of the spirit of the book, and will be an eye-opening piece for those unfamiliar with Loye’s work. He argues that Darwin has been almost completely misrepresented by the neo-Darwinists. He points out that Darwin only wrote of “survival of the fittest” twice in The Decent of Man, whilste writing of love, moral development, and mind/consciousness hundreds of times in total. Yet the latter are totally ignored in mainstream evolutionary theory, a case of what Loye calls “the mind-binding and blinding power of paradigm.” Loye goes on to argue that Darwin actually presaged the development of transpersonal, positive and humanistic psychology, and indeed the relevance of moral development and “a spirituality freed of deism and dogma”. This book is aptly named. It contains an exciting array of research at the frontier of evolutionary theory. It may annoy purists of mainstream evolutionary theory for the same reason it excites the more speculative and adventurous amongst us, especially at the times that it moves into the explorative domains of evolutionary theory. Bradley’s contribution stands out here, with his piece “Love, power, brain, mind, and agency.” His endogenous construction of human evolution, heavily influenced by Pribram’s holographic theory of perception, is predicated upon the rather prolix notion of a “principle of organisation that governs any whole (which) is non-local, distributed throughout the system and enfolded into its parts”. Yet as Loye points out in the introduction, Bradley’s contribution is worth persisting with, despite its broad scope of theory and difficult language. Other contributions in the volume, it should be pointed out, are far more layman-friendly. The contributors generally manage to convey their understandings in easy-to-comprehend form, and considering the cross-disciplinary nature of the volume, this is a key component of its value to its potential audience. As Loye argues, evolutionary theory “requires a massive updating, integrating and streamlining if it is to meet the needs of the 21st century, if not our survival itself over the long run.” This is no small task, but Loye and his colleagues are doing an invaluable job of getting the ball rolling.
Marcus Anthony
The Fall: The Evidence for a Golden Age,
6000 years of Insanity and the Dawning of a New Era Steve Taylor has produced a major work that recasts the story of human social evolution. The main argument is that developed humanity has been suffering from a collective psychosis for 6,000 years, following serious drought in the near east and central Asia that drove people out of their original habitat and led them to disturb and conquer other societies that had hitherto been living in harmony with nature and at peace among themselves. Psychologically, this shift was due to an 'ego explosion' producing a sense of psychic insecurity resulting in war, patriarchy, inequality, child oppression and alienation from nature (including the body and sexuality). It also produced spectacular technical advances, but based on a separation of head and heart. Taylor thinks that there are signs that we are emerging from this dark period into a 'trans-fall era' with a corresponding new psyche where ego-separateness is transcended: 'we will no longer be separate, and so we will no longer be afraid - afraid of death, afraid of the world, afraid of God, afraid of our own selves, afraid of other people. The disharmony of the human psyche will be healed, and the insanity to which it gave rise will fade away.' It is a powerful message and a beacon of hope in a world in which fear still rules supreme.
Desertification and World Security By Brian Griffith In Libya recently, Muammar Gaddafi informed the ministers of 50 European and African nations that cross-border migration is “inevitable”. “God”, he said, “commands all human beings to migrate on Earth to seek a living, which is their right.” For Europe, trying to restrict the tide of migrants from Africa would be “like rowing against the stream.” 1 This reminds me of similar concerns in the Americas, where the United States is building a wall along its border with Mexico. It is not only people, however, who are crossing this border without official sanction. For at least a century desert trees and bushes have been spreading northward into the U.S. Southwest. The authors of The Changing Mile Revisited capture the picture in Arizona clearly. By comparing photos of the same places taken decades apart, these botanists track a dramatic shift in plant species over time.2 As the cool-weather plants retreat up the mountain slopes or off to the north, the desert plants move in like a tide from Mexico. It’s just one of the faces of global warming, along with advancing deserts and migrations of more or less desperate people. It is a global theme with a deep history.
Western and Indigenous Approaches to Ecology and Economy: Can They Mix? By Glenn Aparicio Parry More and more people are becoming of like mind in recognizing that the important issues of our times are ecological. Will we be able to provide a sustainable source for clean water, healthy uncontaminated food, and clean air for our children and grandchildren? Yet, for many of the people who wish to change our ways and create a sustainable future, the pathway for how to do this is murky. Ecological choices are often shunted aside for the short-term benefit of the economy. The ecology and the economy have become like oil and water - we believe they cannot mix. We think we need to make either/or choices – either the spotted owl or the loggers, water for the cities or the minnows. Yet, the words economy and ecology are actually joined at the root, "eco" coming from the Greek "oikos" - and are both about taking care of our house - our environment. If we are to move forward to a sustainable future, we must repair the artificial split between economy and ecology. In order to do this, we have to change the way that we think, for it is our thinking in opposition to nature that has given us our own self-fulfilling prophecy of a fragmented and ecologically imbalanced world. It is sometimes difficult to understand, but a Western worldview has become deeply embedded in our consciousness in a way that is invisible. It is hidden in our language and our science, so that without knowing it, we have created an inherent separation from the natural world. We have a subject-object view of the world. Because we carry this view in everything we do, we encounter frustration when we try to solve ecological problems with the same structures of awareness that created them. Our language is top-heavy in nouns. In order to understand anything, we have to stop the world and take measure. That’s what nouns do. This way of thinking works very well for most of the science that gives us the benefits of modern society: for instance, building automobiles, or the bridges, roads, and tunnels to drive the cars on. The outward successes of the West act as feedback loops that encourage us to keep going with our way of manipulating and controlling the natural world. We have begun to think that our way of doing things is the only way – an inevitable consequence of being human. But is that really so? With the advent of quantum theory, Western science rediscovered what indigenous people have always understood: that all is interconnected and always in flux. What they taught us in school isn’t so. Inside an atom, there isn’t a fixed nucleus. There really aren’t any things at all inside an atom; just process and relationship. When our scientists found this out, they didn’t even know how to talk about this in English. The great physicist David Bohm realized that the only way to talk about this was to create a language of only verbs. He created his own experimental language which he called the “rheomode,” “rheo” coming from the Greek “to flow.” What Bohm didn’t realize until the last year of his life is that languages like this already exist: in fact, New Mexico is full of them. All the Native languages in New Mexico; Tewa, Keresan and so forth, are rich in verbs and not at all dependent on nouns to communicate. So what does this mean for our ecology? Many people understand that indigenous people are good stewards of the earth. But why is this so and how is it relevant today? In today’s complicated and interconnected world, there is a lot to learn from indigenous wisdom. These days, Western ecologists, permaculture and sustainability practitioners, and so forth, are all seeking to take a systems approach to understanding the bigger picture of the interdependence among the world’s ecosystems. Yet, too often, indigenous voices, which offer a rich storehouse of wisdom - a tried and true practical means toward being in balance with our environment – are ignored or marginalized. Indigenous elders are enormously proficient systems thinkers. Their languages and worldviews are of integral participation with the natural world rather than as a force that affects Nature – something “over there” apart from us. Indigenous knowledge comes from paying close attention to the natural rhythms of nature to move with nature rather than to oppose nature. That is the very essence of reuniting economy and ecology. Nature has her own economy, her own way of balancing her “books.” The West can learn a lot from this approach. Buckminster Fuller, the inventor of the geodesic dome, and one of our greatest inventors in the twentieth century, used to say that you can’t invent anything unless nature lets you do it. There really is no way to fool Mother Nature. Native ways of knowing are very empirical; they are based on real experience as much or more than Western science. And because Native knowledge is based on close and ongoing observation of nature, it never becomes irrelevant or old knowledge. In the West, we tend to think of ourselves as the only initiators of progress, but another way of looking at it is to see that it is actually we who are uncomfortable with change and seek to control Nature. Conversely, indigenous people are, as a general rule, very comfortable with change because their worldviews are tied to an ever-changing natural world. So, in coming to grips with the ecosystemic changes in the world and complex interconnected problems such as global warming, indigenous approaches could be very valuable. In short, as
Einstein understood, we can never solve anything with the same
level of thinking that created the problem. Our ecological
problems are rooted in our imagined separation from the natural
world, which we are actually very much a part of. If we look at
humans as apart from nature, or any aspect of nature as apart
from any other aspect, we can never really solve anything, but
only shift the burden from place to place. In order to learn
original ways of addressing the same problems, we have to come
into dialogue with others that don’t think like we do, and learn
to let go of what we think we know so that we can take in new
knowledge. This October
28-Nov 1st, at La Fonda in Santa Fe, there is an extraordinary
gathering of thirty plus Native elders and Western scientists to
discuss “Oil and Water: Can They Mix? Western and Indigenous
Approaches to Economy, Ecology and Community.” The Oil and Water
conference, sponsored by SEED
www.seedgraduateinstitute.org is about bringing indigenous
wisdom together in dialogue with Western approaches so that
fresh and original thinking can be brought to bear upon today's
complex issues. Glenn Aparicio Parry is President of SEED
Graduate Institute.
We face a
defining choice between two contrasting models for organizing
human affairs. Give them the generic names Empire and Earth
Community. Absent an understanding of the history and
implications of this choice, we may squander valuable time and
resources on efforts to preserve or mend cultures and
institutions that cannot be fixed and must be replaced. A turn from
life The primary
institutional form of Empire has morphed from the city-state to
the nation-state to the global corporation, but the underlying
pattern of domination remains. It is axiomatic: for a few to be
on top, many must be on the bottom. The powerful control and
institutionalize the processes by which it will be decided who
enjoys the privilege and who pays the price, a choice that
commonly results in arbitrarily excluding from power whole
groups of persons based on race and gender.
Editorial Toward a
Spirit-Friendly Science of People
Workshop presentation at Spiritual Activism Conference, Washington, DC, May, 2006 One of the widely recognized signs of the spiritual crisis in Western society is its over-reliance on quantifiable technological and scientific progress at the expense of concern about meaning and values. This has been a theme in the writings of our most articulate current chroniclers including Michael Lerner, Riane Eisler, Matthew Fox, Theodore Roszak, and John Saul among others. Yet none of us wish to throw away the scientific advances that have enabled many of us to live longer, healthier, and more comfortable lives than did our ancestors even a hundred years ago.
'Code'
and the sacred feminine The plot of The Da Vinci Code turns on the revelation of a "sacred feminine" core to Christianity — a secret supposedly so shocking that it might overturn the Catholic Church. The story line is well known: Jesus married Mary Magdalene and intended for her to succeed him as leader of his church; she was pregnant when he was crucified; their child, Sarah, was first in a bloodline that continues to this day. Powerful churchmen connive and kill to deny women their rightful place in the church. And after a thriller-killer cross-continental chase, the heroine is declared "the last living descendant of Jesus Christ." But how much punch does the Code's woman-power premise have? Is there really a feminine aspect to God? A theology that's been sub rosa, hidden for centuries beneath the feminine symbol of the rose, the flower reminiscent of a blossoming womb? Author Dan Brown says one reason his book is popular with women is because it confirms their sense that Christianity has kept women in secondary roles to downplay or disguise the feminine aspect of God, maintain male religious authority and stamp out rival beliefs, such as goddess cults. Our world today is based on "outdated male philosophy," Brown said recently on New Hampshire Public Radio. So he countered with a heroine whose very name, Sophie, means wisdom. It's a salute to Gnosticism (gnosis is Greek for knowledge), a first-century sect some claim was more feminine-friendly. That makes some critics and scholars sputtering mad. "God does not have a feminine aspect. He doesn't have a masculine aspect. He doesn't have a body," says Barbara Nicolosi, a former nun who founded and directs Act One, which trains Christian screenwriters to work in Hollywood. "I'll give it a hearing that the church has discounted or devalued the contributions of women in the past," she says, "but the church is always of its time. Looking back through a 21st-century lens is wrong." And yet, says the Rev. James Martin, he is constantly asked why the church "is hiding proof that Christ had sex." Martin waxes sarcastic at celebrating Mary Magdalene "just because she's Ms. Jesus, known by her womb, not by her brains, as the mother of Sarah Magdalene-Christ. It's disparaging her all over again because her only power comes through a man." But, more seriously, Martin, author of My Life with the Saints, frets when people swallow Brown's version of early church history because "they think it is purer, less complicated, with no rules or doctrines, just because it was an earlier time. In fact, it was a much more contentious scene." However contentious, scholars say, there was no conscious, long-term strategic effort to suppress the feminine in early and later Christianity. "The patriarchal coloring that the church later acquired has little to do with Christian theology and much to do with the brutal military nature of society in the late Roman Empire," says Carl Raschke, professor of religious studies at the University of Denver and author Engendering God: Male and Female Faces of God. Still, the "sacred feminine" has drawn attention for decades. Brown draws some of his imagery from Riane Eisler's 1987 book, The Chalice and The Blade: Our History, Our Future. Eisler presents the inverted triangle as a woman's womb or chalice, and the pyramid as the blade or phallus — an image alluded to in Code. Eisler calls for balance between the two to create a cooperative, non-patriarchal society. Other scholars say Brown's presentation of the sacred feminine is a form of nouveau Gnosticism. The ancient Gnostic gospels were excluded from the Christian canon because they argued salvation through spiritual knowledge rather than the teaching authority of any church. And they often gave this a feminine cast, says Katherine Jansen, an associate professor of history at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. But for some spiritual seekers, this philosophy, free of gender, is appealing. Jehanne McQuillan travels the USA as a teacher and priestess in a "tiny, little-known women's Gnostic tradition" called Laconneau. Laconneau is an oral tradition, stressing inner spiritual growth and devotion to the "divine feminine" that has been passed from teacher to students in small, first-name-only groups since the 13th century, when they hid to escape persecution in France, McQuillan says. "The Da Vinci Code is certainly a fiction. We do think Mary Magdalene fled to France," she says, citing clues in Revelation, the Bible's final book. "But we believe there was no child. The child of their union was actually their teachings. Mary Magdalene had a role in the foundation of the Gnostic church from the first century on." Laconneau, she says, draws people from every denomination "because nearly everyone has a growing undercurrent of feminist spirituality, a concept that humanity is in God's image, an image that doesn't leave out 50% of the human race."
Editorial
Riane Eisler will be
appearing as a special guest on RadiOrbit Riane Eisler has been described as a modern renaissance woman due to her far-reaching insights as a cultural historian. She is the author of The Chalice and The Blade, which the eminent anthropologist, Ashley Montague has hailed as "the most important book since Darwin 's Origin of Species. " Her latest work, The Partnership Way--written with her husband David Loye is a handbook for applying the partnership model for which she has become renowned. Riane was born in Vienna, Austria, and at the age of six she found herself a refugee of Nazi Europe. She sailed to Cuba, on the last ship before the ill-fated St. Louis was refused sanctuary by the United States and she emigrated to North America when she was fourteen. Her early experiences with the dark side of human culture led her to pursue studies in sociology and anthropology and she went on to obtain a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law She has taught at the University of California and the Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, and she is a member of the General Evolution Research Group. She has pioneered legislation to protect the human rights of women and children and founded such organizations as the Los Angeles Women 's Center Legal Program and the Center for Partnership Studies. Message from Riane: "Human Evolution is now at a crossroads. Stripped to its essentials, the central human task is how to organize society to promote the survival of our species and the development of our unique potentials. A partnership society offers us a viable alternative."
Riane Eisler Partnership is a commitment to a way of living, it is a way of life based on harmony with nature, nonviolence, and gender, racial, and economic equity. It takes us beyond conventional labels to a future of flourishing untapped human potential. It is part of our human nature to be caring, sensitive, and creative, to seek pleasure and avoid pain. During much of our prehistory, humanity was rooted in the partnership model. This is our lost heritage. Through a cultural shift, history became the familiar tale of violence, injustice, and domination. We need to restore our Earth and renew our communities. We need social and economic inventions based on partnership. This is the mission of the Center for Partnership Studies. Based on the groundbreaking research and writings of authors, Riane Eisler and David Loye, CPS offers everyone a new hope for the future.
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