Mind and Spirit
The Value of Opposition
by Jessica Paden
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There is a cardinal rule that, when drinking, one should never talk money or politics. Money is an easy enough topic for me to avoid, having none to speak of, but politics? That can get a bit tricky. With a current job on a political campaign, an article due on the topic of political identity, and an occasional craving for Sapphire martinis after work, it's safe to say that the strict “no politics” clause flies quickly out the window. Luckily, in my carefully chosen circle of people who are exactly like me, political discussions quickly turn into back-patting, ego-boosting love fests in which everyone agrees with everyone else. Talking politics can be a slippery slope, yes, but this safely agreeable company actually serves to reinforce my beliefs, ad infinitum.
Lately, this strikes me as something I may need to restructure. In an attempt to place my political identity into a broader arena, reaching beyond my comfort zone of slaphappy consensus, I decided to conduct some research. Rather unscientifically, and I confess not altogether on purpose, I found myself having drinks with two ideologically disparate characters. What would happen, I wondered, if I brought up, say, gun laws? After spending a half hour observing yelling, name-calling, and much stubborn reliance on faulty statistics, I had formed no enlightened opinions on the value of discussing opposing viewpoints. And, being genuinely afraid I had just ruined their long friendship, I decided to end the human experiment portion of my research right then and there. If anything, it seemed I had stumbled upon the most obvious conclusion possible: We remain within our insulated worlds because nothing good ever seems to come from an ideological tennis match.
Yet, as an observer of this discourse about gun laws, I actually did learn something. I discovered things about each individual's identity that I probably wouldn't have known otherwise. My friend, for instance, grew up in a family that regarded hunting as a sport. She views this as an innocent bonding ritual that people have engaged in for centuries. Her friend, on the other hand, had hit a small deer with his car and witnessed a larger deer come to its aide. From this experience, he felt it was disrespectful to kill, for sport, an animal with a complex social system. These were revelations for me, from both of them. Aside from the fact that they were screamed at high decibels, I felt much more aware of the reasoning, and the humanity, behind their positions.
Unfortunately, to bear witness to open debate is increasingly rare. There are the obligatory debates every election season, but the rest of the time communication is regrettably muted. Political arguments are frustrating, to be sure, but they are also a necessity within a democracy. But how do we encourage debate when we create these impenetrable bubbles of like-minded thought?
I recently had the privilege of hearing former President Bill Clinton give a speech at an awards dinner. Expecting to be thoroughly invigorated by his message, I instead looked around the room and noted the few hundred nodding heads of the Democrats who filled the room. We were the proverbial choir, and Clinton was preaching to us. It was a good speech, he hit all the expected points, and I agreed with his message. However, what I found sorely lacking was the energy of opposition, the chance to change someone's mind, or to reach out to that person in the room who might find these viewpoints strange and foreign, but also intriguing and new. This energy from discussion, rather than from a simple sermon to believers, is missing from politics. When people adjourn to their familiar dinner parties and every ballroom and auditorium is filled with individuals who are on the same ideological page, depth of thought is endangered, informed discourse is weakened, and democracy itself is threatened.
Illinois Senator Barack Obama, a speaker heavily in demand on the Democratic circuit, gave a speech at Brown University in October. He urged his young crowd to maintain a sense of hope in politics, reminding them “cynicism is the lazy way out.” Cynicism certainly encourages a disengagement from politics. I would argue, however, that the greater problem is our capacity to be lulled into complacency by the company we keep. In that same speech Obama said, “We are all bottled up by the incapacity to have a conversation … But when you start recognizing other people's interests and seeing the world through their eyes, and you can exercise empathy at a high level, it turns out that you can actually get more done, and meet your interests.”
When our entire circle of friends and acquaintances hold the same basic viewpoints, we become accustomed to living in a world of agreement. The world at large–in which the unknown masses have ideas that are different and therefore “unsafe”–seems completely impersonal and incongruous to our daily lives. We change the channel immediately if Bill O'Reilly or Hillary Clinton comes on the screen. We often can't stand to even hear the voices of politicians who do not mirror our views, and therefore tune out their messages. In our comfortable enclaves of thought and action, the great danger is that we have forgotten how to listen.
The avoidance of opposing ideology is, in some ways, inevitable–we are creatures of habit. In recognition of, and in an effort to counter the socially debilitating effects of this tendency, there are various attempts to promote diversity of thought. The Office of Institutional Diversity, for example, is a fund started by President Ruth Simmons at Brown University, meant to create a forum for a variety of viewpoints around campus. In an explanation of the importance for open discussion, Simmons stated, "Unchallenged opinion is a dark place that must be exposed to light.”
It is essential, then, that we make greater efforts to expose all of society to the light of challenge; that we look at the world as a large-scale institution with a massive global Office of Institutional Diversity; that we take the time to engage people in informed and passionate discussion, feel the frustration, and urge an opening of minds through expanded social contact. In our carefully insulated worlds, opposition is a valuable commodity. People have a lot to learn from each other, and we owe it to ourselves to step out from our comfortable complacency, if even for a moment, and talk. The outcome could be inspirational; just remember to make sure everyone is sober first.
Creating an Energetically Supportive Work Environment
by Phyllis Light
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Most people are unaware of the energetic impact they have on their workplace environment. You may enjoy helping others, writing computer software, or whatever your chosen field may be, but you may not enjoy being at work–that is, in the particular environment where your job takes place. There can be a number of energetic factors involved here.
Most important, what is the work atmosphere like? The atmosphere is created by all the individual thoughts and feelings generated each day while everyone works. For example, if management places intense or unreasonable demands upon employees, they feel stressed and harried, which causes them to unconsciously “dump” negative thoughts into the collective consciousness of the business. The more negativity each employee feels, the more negative energy gets dumped into the business' consciousness and the more stressful the environment feels.
When you leave work, the stress ends temporarily. However, when you return the next day, you enter into the same energy, with the same negative thought forms in the space, so essentially nothing ever changes. Unless the collective consciousness of the business and space itself are professionally “cleared,” the negative energy accumulates over time, making the workplace feel worse and worse energetically.
Some people deal with this phenomenon by “going unconscious.” That is, they disconnect more from their bodies and retreat from being fully present in the here and now. This is a coping strategy at best, allowing the person to “not be here” and thus, not feel all that is going on within the space. However, this strategy is counterproductive, and can certainly keep a person from doing the best job possible. With this mentality, the person “clock watches” and can't wait until 5 p.m. arrives when they can be free.
This is not an ideal way to go through one's entire work life. This type of mentality produces needless suffering during the eight or so hours at work, creating the concept that you can only enjoy yourself once this eight-hour stretch of your life is complete each day. Enjoyment comes by being present, not impatiently awaiting some future time when you can “get out of here.” So, how can you change the course of events at work, even in a stressful environment?
Change happens one person at a time. If you continue to have thoughts like, “I can't wait to get out of here” or constantly look at your watch you send out negative energy about not enjoying yourself. You contribute to the “negative energetic soup” already present in your workplace, created by all the other people also eager for the workday to be over.
When every employee radiates this negative energy into the atmosphere it can only accumulate and validate everyone's negative beliefs: that “this isn't where I want to be.” The way to change the collective consciousness at work is to become aware of what you energetically radiate into the atmosphere.
Change your thoughts. Be willing to transform your experience in order to enjoy the time you give your employer every day. Find a way to make peace with where you are and create enjoyment. If each employee were to become self-aware in this manner and commit to a “better way” at work, the energy would transform over time.
Build an Energetic Bubble Around You
Decide that no matter what is going on, you are willing to create your own little world that works well for you. Imagine a bright bubble of energy surrounding you, designed to keep negativity out and allowing you to create a positive and supportive work experience. This takes some conscious creating, but can be done to offset the negativity within the business collective. If everyone were to do this, the energy of the business would shift dramatically.
Deal Responsibly With Your Issues
In order to learn and grow, we continually project our issues “out there” onto people. For example, when we feel unappreciated, we will unconsciously project that energy outward, and the people in our environment respond by “showing us” what we project onto them.
We may feel our employer is unappreciative of all we've done, or doesn't notice how hard we work. We may get upset or talk with co-workers, expressing our anger at how unfair or unkind our employer is. This adds more negative energy to the work collective, and makes it more difficult for everyone to be at peace there.
Take responsibility for your experience. Notice what you perceive about others and what that says about some part of you deep down. Your issues may be unconscious, but once you see and react to them in others, they enter the conscious realm and you can deal with them responsibly.
Find a friend or counselor who can help you take responsibility for your work experience, so you can grow and support a more positive, harmonious work environment. The more you blame and find fault with those around you, the more you help create an environment that doesn't work for anyone. Make a decision to be a positive force at work, creating good will and harmony in the collective, rather than blame or negativity, and watch your enjoyment at work grow.
Phyllis Light, Ph.D. in Psychology, is an author, expert in “Telepathic Healing,” pioneer in subtle energy protection, and creator of Rejuvenizers®–protective and healing devices designed to combat the ills of life in a high-tech world. She is the owner of Stress-Free Environments, a company dedicated to alleviating stress and negativity in the workplace, creating a positive, uplifting environment. For more information: 512/301-2999 or www.lighthealing.com.