YES. Every fiber of my being resonates with the essence and specificity of this potent essay. It’s what I both profess and practice with equal measures of heart and inner conviction, both essential to the cause. Thank you for lifting us all up - and challenging us - with this piece.
Thanks for this essay, and thank you for explaining why we become addicted to outrage. My thoughts are that the violent response to outrage emerges from a kind of groupthink...you know the characteristics: suppression of dissent by group members; rationalizing the group's decisions even if there is some doubt among individual members; illusions of invulnerability and belief that the group is morally correct; pressure to conform; and ultimately the failure to consider other alternative actions. I believe that transformation has to begin on the micro level, at the level of the individual. Once the individual comes to terms with his or her own prejudices, delusions and closed-mindedness, then and only then can that individual become a part of a group of others who have also come to terms with theirs. As Jane Goodall so famously put it, "“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."
I was inspired by this conversation! This spiritual revolution that is occurring is at the level of families and communities. One of the topics that came up is the effect of the digital revolution is having on humanity. I recently read a book by Douglas Rushkoff titled “Team Human” . His thesis is that the digital world comes down to a binary system of zeros and ones. Humans rely on interactions with each other that are not binary. The love between us depends on a lot of grey between the black and white.
Mark uses the word “ethos” many times during the episode. As a lifelong athlete and coach, I have spent many years focusing on how to build and create ethos at a team level. Focus on the transformation of an ethos on a humanity level is the order of the day.
I loved the analogy made on the process of giving birth. It is painful and chaotic, but the result is maybe the most beautiful things we humans can experience. We just need to focus on what is on the other side of this pain and chaos, and create a loving, human ethos worldwide.
I am a pastor of a Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation in Newberg, Oregon. Thanks for your wisdom. Our congregation is seeking to cultivate a spiritual community of grace, hope, peace, and love. We have a peace garden with a labyrinth. We are teaching people how to love one's enemies and make them, when possible, friends. I love your podcast and book. You might want to check out our church at newbergfpc.org . It would be cool to connect sometime by Zoom. One vision I have is to see people of Christian faith join with other folks who identify with a faith or who are non-religious in efforts of deep spiritual value, such as peacemaking, love, compassion. We need a spiritual movement that celebrates inclusion of religious and non-religious folks with values of peace, love, and unity. Thanks for all you do!
Hi Chris! Thanks for sharing your work and your vision. It's a beautiful one. In the coming year we will be launching efforts with our Soul Boom non-profit and we hope to have community engagement. We'll share developments through the Dispatch as they unfold. Thanks!
Largely relevant to the present social and political turmoil, both domestically and abroad, are the words of American sociologist Stanley Milgram (1933-1984), of Obedience Experiments fame/infamy: “It may be that we are puppets — puppets controlled by the strings of society. But at least we are puppets with perception [and] awareness. And perhaps our awareness is the first step to our liberation.”
At least as individuals, we can try to resist flawed human nature thus behavior, however societally normalized it may be, once we become aware of its potential within ourselves. Once cognizant of it, perhaps enough of us could instead perform truly humane acts in sufficient quantity to initiate positive change on a large(r) scale.
Currently, however, there’s relatively little compassion in the world when compared to the very plentiful anger or rage. I’ve noticed myself getting angrier over the last few years, especially about domestic and global injustices, or at least how I perceive them as such. Maybe my anger is largely related to the Internet’s ‘angry algorithm’ sending me the stories, etcetera, it has (unfortunately correctly) calculated will successfully agitate me into keeping the (I believe, overall societally-/socially-damaging) process going thus maximizing the number of clicks/scrolls I’ll provide it to sell to product advertisers.
Regardless, I often see the human race as perhaps desperately needing a unifying existential/fate-determining common cause; that an Earth-impacting asteroid threat or, better yet, a vicious extraterrestrial attack may be what we have to collectively brutally endure together in order to survive the longer term from ourselves.
YES. Every fiber of my being resonates with the essence and specificity of this potent essay. It’s what I both profess and practice with equal measures of heart and inner conviction, both essential to the cause. Thank you for lifting us all up - and challenging us - with this piece.
Wonderful to read this. So glad we are walking this path with you, Kimberly.
Thanks for this essay, and thank you for explaining why we become addicted to outrage. My thoughts are that the violent response to outrage emerges from a kind of groupthink...you know the characteristics: suppression of dissent by group members; rationalizing the group's decisions even if there is some doubt among individual members; illusions of invulnerability and belief that the group is morally correct; pressure to conform; and ultimately the failure to consider other alternative actions. I believe that transformation has to begin on the micro level, at the level of the individual. Once the individual comes to terms with his or her own prejudices, delusions and closed-mindedness, then and only then can that individual become a part of a group of others who have also come to terms with theirs. As Jane Goodall so famously put it, "“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."
Nailed it!
THIS... is a fantastic essay. And yes, yes, 1000% yes. 💖👏💖👏💖
Thank you! ♥️✨🌍
I was inspired by this conversation! This spiritual revolution that is occurring is at the level of families and communities. One of the topics that came up is the effect of the digital revolution is having on humanity. I recently read a book by Douglas Rushkoff titled “Team Human” . His thesis is that the digital world comes down to a binary system of zeros and ones. Humans rely on interactions with each other that are not binary. The love between us depends on a lot of grey between the black and white.
Mark uses the word “ethos” many times during the episode. As a lifelong athlete and coach, I have spent many years focusing on how to build and create ethos at a team level. Focus on the transformation of an ethos on a humanity level is the order of the day.
I loved the analogy made on the process of giving birth. It is painful and chaotic, but the result is maybe the most beautiful things we humans can experience. We just need to focus on what is on the other side of this pain and chaos, and create a loving, human ethos worldwide.
An ethos of humanity! Yes. What Soul Boom is all about!
By the way, Douglas has been on the Soul Boom podcast—and his writing featured in this here Dispatch: https://newsletter.soulboom.com/p/soul-boom-dispatch-guest-essay-by-74d?r=3p5ood&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Hey Rainn,
I am a pastor of a Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation in Newberg, Oregon. Thanks for your wisdom. Our congregation is seeking to cultivate a spiritual community of grace, hope, peace, and love. We have a peace garden with a labyrinth. We are teaching people how to love one's enemies and make them, when possible, friends. I love your podcast and book. You might want to check out our church at newbergfpc.org . It would be cool to connect sometime by Zoom. One vision I have is to see people of Christian faith join with other folks who identify with a faith or who are non-religious in efforts of deep spiritual value, such as peacemaking, love, compassion. We need a spiritual movement that celebrates inclusion of religious and non-religious folks with values of peace, love, and unity. Thanks for all you do!
Hi Chris! Thanks for sharing your work and your vision. It's a beautiful one. In the coming year we will be launching efforts with our Soul Boom non-profit and we hope to have community engagement. We'll share developments through the Dispatch as they unfold. Thanks!
Largely relevant to the present social and political turmoil, both domestically and abroad, are the words of American sociologist Stanley Milgram (1933-1984), of Obedience Experiments fame/infamy: “It may be that we are puppets — puppets controlled by the strings of society. But at least we are puppets with perception [and] awareness. And perhaps our awareness is the first step to our liberation.”
At least as individuals, we can try to resist flawed human nature thus behavior, however societally normalized it may be, once we become aware of its potential within ourselves. Once cognizant of it, perhaps enough of us could instead perform truly humane acts in sufficient quantity to initiate positive change on a large(r) scale.
Currently, however, there’s relatively little compassion in the world when compared to the very plentiful anger or rage. I’ve noticed myself getting angrier over the last few years, especially about domestic and global injustices, or at least how I perceive them as such. Maybe my anger is largely related to the Internet’s ‘angry algorithm’ sending me the stories, etcetera, it has (unfortunately correctly) calculated will successfully agitate me into keeping the (I believe, overall societally-/socially-damaging) process going thus maximizing the number of clicks/scrolls I’ll provide it to sell to product advertisers.
Regardless, I often see the human race as perhaps desperately needing a unifying existential/fate-determining common cause; that an Earth-impacting asteroid threat or, better yet, a vicious extraterrestrial attack may be what we have to collectively brutally endure together in order to survive the longer term from ourselves.
Self aware and insightful. Thanks for shining your mind light 💡 here!