SHE Speaks: Riane Eisler on Awakening from the Dominator Trance SHE speaks with Riane Eisler on SHE LivingTV, author of .Chalice and the Blade., and .The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a ...
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"Under my thumb"- The Rolling Stones
"Keeps you punching till you are drunk with power!" - Firesign Theater
Why Power?
Why discuss power and why now? It is, of course, an election year in the U.S. Many people believe that democracy itself is on the line as one candidate's dictatorial ambitions become ever more obvious. And, there's even more at stake.
Whether we recognize it or not, humanity is poised over a precipice. Reality: the phase into which we are heading involves an interrelated system of problems that now threaten the existence of our species and the Biosphere.
These problems include climate destabilization, the depletion of fresh water, the rapid and massive extinction of animal and plant species, overfishing the world's oceans, intensifying disparities between the rich and the poor, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, waves of climate refugees that can be expected to destabilize entire nations, an unsustainable, growing world population, and much more.
If we remain aware, we can't help but conclude that a multitude of systems which have sustained life on earth in the past are stretched to the breaking point. And solutions that may have worked before are now part of the problem. We desperately need the kind of creativity that is now essential to deal with the crises that threaten basic survival.
We human beings have become the dominant species on planet Earth. With our large brains and prehensile capacities, we have ascended to the top of the food chain. And we are power - full.
What have we done with this power? And, to begin, what is power?
The Nature of Power
The word "power" has been defined as "the ability to do or act;" "capability of doing or accomplishing something;" "political or national strength;" "the possession of control or command over others."
In reality there many kinds, flavors and gradations of the phenomenon we call power. A few of these: control, prestige, influence, authority, charisma, fearsomeness, tyranny, power in joining with others, creative power.
These days we speak of power plays, power lunches, power trips, that "power corrupts - and then there's the creator of the Gestapo, Hermann Goering's line: "Guns will make us powerful; butter will only make us fat."
Common parlance often has it that power is itself is contaminating and people who seek power are often maligned.
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