In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

KimE — University of Nebraska Press / Page 157 / DEC . 14 . 2005 / Fascism and Democracy in the Human Mind / Charny 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 [First Page] [157], (1) Lines: 0 to 55 ——— 14.0pt PgVar ——— Normal Page PgEnds: TEX [157], (1) chapter seven Democratic Mind as the Healthy Alternative to Fascist Mind The Joy of Life Process and Opportunity In political terms, the alternative to fascism (totalitarianism) is democracy ,and I propose that the same alternative awaits us in the management of our minds. democratic mind is characterized by acceptance of complexity, diversity , process, contradiction, and paradox. democratic mind is open to reevaluation and change based on information from reality; it is based on empiricism, and in that sense is like a continuous process of scientific experimentation checking out what does and what does not contribute to healthy living, and uses the information to modify habits and choices. democratic mind is based on freedom to think, feel, and be as one really wants, but always with responsibility for protecting human life. The founder of the Alexander Technique for postural uprightness and flexibility had a concept about the freedom and responsibility each of us has in our options to make choices.1 Just as students of the Alexander Technique learn to move their backs and overall bodies flexibly instead of locking them into the rigid positions that cause back pain and other skeletal problems,so democratic mind stretches toward increasing flexibility in its thinking and openness to new ideas rather than dogma. democratic mind stands for feelings of equality with other people in contrast to the superiority position taken by fascist mind. But when democratic mind experiences feelings of superiority worming their way up inside, it uses checks and balances to say,“Stop! – don’t be such a schmuck.You don’t have the right to take a superior position. Be humble. You have so much to be humble about in yourself, and so much to 157 KimE — University of Nebraska Press / Page 158 / DEC . 14 . 2005 / Fascism and Democracy in the Human Mind / Charny part two 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 [158], (2) Lines: 55 to 68 ——— 0.0pt PgVar ——— Normal Page PgEnds: TEX [158], (2) appreciate in the leadership and skillfulness of others from whom you gain so much.” In contrast to power strivings, democratic mind is committed to equality with other human beings. This does not mean not being a leader, a mother or father who is a positive authority to one’s children, a chairperson of a department or an organization, or any of the other leadership roles that are needed in our family and community lives. Nor does it mean not enjoying being in these leadership roles. It does mean that while being a leader we simultaneously need to hold ourselves in check against excesses of power and remember that we are intrinsically equal to the other human beings we are leading. democratic mind is nonviolent and operates according to an injunction of caring for human life, one’s own and others, and not doing harm to human life. In fact, human life is sacred. And when inevitably one discovers that one is nonetheless doing some degree of harm to life – one’s own or others – democratic mind is able to accept responsibility for its errors, stop the harm, and follow up with appropriate corrections and regrets, apologies, and perhaps compensation. democratic mind is not afraid to feel tense and anxious. Contrary to popular opinion, anxiety is not perceived as an enemy, and one does not rush to take medication to stop anxiety. Insofar as possible, one accepts anxiety as welcome stirrings within us signaling that something potentially valuable is trying to come up in our “aliveness.” Of course, beyond a certain degree of upset and distress we all have the right to reduce the pain to a workable level. But when we are psychologically healthy, we are not anxiety-free; in fact, we are free to enjoy being somewhat anxious. I believe that if I am not anxious for a significant period of time, it is time to be afraid, because it means I...

Share