Deep democracy
Deep Democracy's Updated Dreamworld
Working on the problems of New Orleans at our recent “New Orleans Facilitator training” taught us something we knew about roles and ghost roles, but had not yet sufficiently practiced. About 1700 people died in connection with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in New Orleans. That is about one half the number of US soldiers alone who have died in the Iraq conflicts. Those 1700 people are literally, a huge and painful “ghost role”.
Until now, we considered firstly the issues of everyday people in all conflicts and always thought about those who died. But for the first time, we actually focused on an imaginary experience or projection onto someone who died. The effect was monumental. Specific deep and publicly unrecognized dimensions of feelings arose. This made us certain about the need to focus not only on the issues of the living but upon those who have died. Remember: Listen to the living and listen (or imagine listening) to the dead.
A brief summary
Deep democracy is not only a political program, but
also a way of working with people, a feeling skill, or "metaskills" as Amy calls such
skills. After many seminars in the 80's, Arny's term "Deep Democracy" first
appeared in book form in his, 1992/2000 book, "THE LEADER AS MARTIAL
ARTIST, An Introduction To Deep Democracy, Techniques And Strategies For
Resolving Conflict + Creating Community." (See the Publications
page on this web site). Today, many politicians, activists and writers
often use deep democracy. We want to restate what we mean by the term here.
We conceive of deep democracy as an elder's/facilitator's multi-leveled
awareness experience. Let's think of three levels of such an experience.
1. Consensus Reality (CR)
In everyday community reality, deep democracy deals with facts, figures,
issues and people. Imbedded in everyday conflicts, lie power struggles
and issues of rank. Hierarchy is often at stake.
a. Whenever you feel inflated, or depressed, powerful or terrified,
more or less than someone else, rankism and power prevail.
b. Rankism is the overt, but more often subtle background to the various
feelings in a given situation. Rankism, that is, the conscious or unconscious
use of power over others-- without feedback -- is the mother of all (CR) "isms".
For example, nationalism, capitalism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, and
ageism, strongly differ in content, but are similar in the hurt they cause.
c. Unconscious use (or conscious abuse) of rank is the core of all internecine
struggles. We all need more awareness of rank issues.
2. Dream Level.
In dreams and "dreamland", you move in and
out of being yourself as well as other people. In dreamland, roles are
non-local (--that means,
spread out everywhere in the universe at any given moment--). Therefore
in dreamland, rank no longer has absolute significance. Rather, fixed CR
rank and power become exchangeable, entirely relative and momentary, almost
insignificant.
With awareness, we notice how what seems like real people and facts in
everyday reality, are actually spirits of the times, roles and dream like
figures. By playing these roles and switching roles, the background to
everyday reality can become clear.
3. Essence Level
Finally at the non-dual essence level of experience,
at the common ground within each dreamland figure and behind everyday
reality, we sense a kind
of oneness, as if there were a kind of creative "stardust", call
it what you want-- which gave birth to everything else. From this viewpoint,
there are no separate things, only oneness. This sense of oneness is a
common experience, not a fact in consensus reality.
Deep democracy, or the elder's multileveled awareness is typified
by a special feeling; accepting the simultaneous importance of all voices
and roles, and the three levels of experience. Everyday reality and its
problems are as important as those problems and figures reflected in dreamland,
and are also as important as any potential oneness or spiritual experience
at the essence level of reality where rank no longer exists.
As long as there is a sense that one person or level is more important
than another, deep democracy is not at hand. As long as the essence
or the dreamland level is given more importance than the CR level, deep
democracy is not at work. In deep democracy, rank and no rank exist simultaneously.
The attitude of deep democracy embraces our being both guilty of something,
and at another level, innocent -- at the same time.
Understanding the simultaneous and paradoxical nature of all levels
is what distinguishes deep democracy from ordinary democracy, everyday
politics, mainstream psychology and some religious viewpoints that feel
one reality may be more important than another. We don't mean to hurt
anyone's feelings but want to stand for the idea that, spirituality and
mundane events, individual and collective processes are --from the viewpoint
of the totality of a process -- all equally important.
That is why we suggest that; deep democracy is an elder's multileveled
awareness process.
Deep Democracy
websites
August 2006
We are happy to see the term Deep Democracy being used in
many places today. With the increasing number of authors and
activists using the term “Deep Democracy” we were
pleased to see its inclusion in the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_democracy
.
January 2006
We are very happy to see the new “Deep Democracy” website
devoted to the political aspect of our work - www.deepdemocracymovement.net
Deep
Democracy in US politics
Deep Democracy played an important role in US politics during the US Presidential
elections in 2000, (-and will possibly do so again in 2004) Deep Democracy
was basic to Ralf Nader's campaign.
RALPH NADER (U.S. Presidential candidate
from the Green Party who "upset the elections" in 2000 , and is again a candidate
in 2004 said on public television) "I think I'd issue a proclamation
for a deep democracy. I think what I would say to the American people..."
JIM LEHRER (Public Television Newscaster): A deep democracy?
RALPH NADER Right. I would say to
the American people is "it's our responsibility as your representatives
in government to facilitate your political and civic energies."
(see
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/election/jan-june00/nader_6-30.html for
the whole dialogue from which this interview was excerpted)
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