Questions to Spark Talk and Action
admin October 16th, 2007
Chapter 1: The Straightjacket
As a whole group, ask:
• When you hear the word “democracy,” what first comes to mind?
Record responses, then discuss what they reveal about the nature of democracy today.
• Do you agree that our mental “frames” largely determine our realities? What examples come to mind?
As a whole group, silently reflect on the Spiral of Powerlessness.
Then break into twos or threes to discuss:
• How would you adjust this picture to match your own sense of the unspoken assumptions driving our society and their consequences?
Reconvene the group and share insights. Then probe this question:
• How does Lappé’s framing of root causes differ from those widely accepted in our society today, especially by liberals and progressives? Consider, for example, the view that the Far Right is to blame, or Jeffrey Sachs’ (The End of Poverty) view that the problem is poor people abroad being left out of the West’s proven, successful economic model.
Activity before next group talk:
• Seek news items that reflect your understanding of the crisis of Thin Democracy and prepare to share them.
Chapter 2: New Eyes
As a whole group, share news items gathered since the first meeting. Then silently review the Spiral of Empowerment, starting from the premise of “plenty.”
Break into twos or threes to ask:
• Does this spiral of beliefs and their consequences reflect your experience of the world? Explore how you would you alter it to reflect your understanding of a positive cycle leading to greater and greater well-being.
• What do you think Lappé means by “plenty” (since if the world’s people emulated U.S. resource use, we’d need a few more planets)?
• As you mull over this positive spiral, return to the Spiral of Powerlessness to compare the two spirals, which start with opposite premises.
Reconvene the group and share insights from the smaller groups. Then silently review Idea 1: Thin Democracy vs. Living Democracy and ask:
• Did you grow up absorbing the Thin Democracy definition of democracy? What were the messages about what democracy expected of you?
• Lappé sees Living Democracy emerging as five qualities permeating a culture. What does she mean that the transition to Living Democracy is moving from a focus on fixed institutions to a focus on dynamic relationships reflecting these values? What is missing, and what would you change?
Activity before next session:
• Bring a story of Living Democracy you’ve experienced or learned about, and be ready to share qualities you find in it that reflect Living Democracy.
Chapter 3: What Democracy Feels Like
As a whole group, share stories of Living Democracy you’ve experienced or read about. Then in twos or threes, discuss:
• What stories in this chapter were most surprising and interesting to you? Which do you think are most important in shifting our culture toward health?
• What makes these initiatives effective? How do they jibe, or not, with the defining qualities of Living Democracy highlighted in the Chapter 2?
Reconvene the group for conversation:
• Discuss which dimensions of Living Democracy mentioned in this chapter are already underway in your community and which might be most likely to take root.
• Consider the four “winds in the sails” of Living Democracy the author mentions. Then brainstorm together: What big changes does she fail to mention that make possible the continuing emergence of Living Democracy?
Activity before next group talk:
• Ask friends and family to tell you the first words that come to mind when you say “power.” Consider sources of power in your own life.
As a whole group, silently review Idea 3: Rethinking Power. Then respond:
• What responses did you get when asking others to react to the word “power”?
• Do you share the negative associations with power Lappé says are common? Why or why not? Do you agree that they can limit us?
Then in twos or threes, explore one or both of the following:
• Encourage one another to tell about a moment in life in community when you have felt especially powerful. Why? What enabled these feelings of efficacy?
• Ask one another to identify one assumption about the limits of her or his power. Ask: How might you recast this limit to free you to realize your power?
Reconvene the group to share highlights from the small groups, and if time permits, respond to the question:
• What are examples of contemporary social initiatives you care about—from those in your community to the global level? How do they, or how do they not, build relational power?
Activity before next group talk:
• Look for examples in the news that clarify, challenge, or deepen your view of power and ways to enhance one’s own power.
Chapter 5: The Art of Power
As a whole group, silently review Idea 4: Ten Arts of Democracy. Then consider together:
• Which of these arts do you find most challenging? Why?
• Share stories of individuals using these arts effectively.
• Which art(s) do you most want to hone to use with your family or in your workplace or other associations?
In twos or threes, according to which arts interest participants, ask each to:
• Reflect on opportunities you have right now in your life to consciously develop one or two arts of democracy. Share your hunches about the rewards you would gain by improving these skills.
• Identify one first step you want to take, and consider a partner who might want to pursue the goal with you.
• Reconvene the group to share highlights of small group discussion.
Activities before next session:
• Pick one art you would like especially to hone, and reflect on how you practice it. Use the downloadable guide, Doing Democracy, Ten Practical Arts, for suggestions.
• One or more participants may want to volunteer to review the Doing Democracy guide and bring back stories and lessons to the next discussion.
Chapter 6: Talking Democracy
As a whole group, invite those who perused Doing Democracy: Ten Practical Arts to share what struck them as most useful. Before reviewing Idea 5: Toward a Language of Democracy, ask one person to read only the words in the left column. As they are read, participants call out the first words or phrases that come to mind. One person records these uncensored responses. Then as a group, discuss:
• What are the implications of these commonly used words? What associations do participants have with them? How do they shape our thinking without our conscious awareness?
Silently review Idea 5, and discuss:
• Do you agree with Lappé’s argument for the importance of consciously choosing new terms?
• Which common terms related to social problem solving—these or others—do you find most blocking dialogue and understanding?
In twos or threes:
• Brainstorm terms you find most problematic and alternatives.
Take notes to share with the larger group.
• Choose one or more terms to try out on friends before the next gathering.
• Reconvene the group to share alternative words and reflections on the power of language.
Activities before next session:
• Test out new selected terms before next session.
• Bring to your next session an example of language in the media that disempowers.
• Write letters to a newsmaker/commentator who has used disempowering language, and share your letter with the group.
Chapter 7: Seize the Moment
As a whole group, review Idea 6: The Inner World of Living Democracy in silence.
• Does the downward spiral of fear ring true? Have you experienced yourself or others in such a negative cycle?
• Does the upward spiral ring true? What does Lappé mean by “embrace new tribes”? And how is this possible without getting stuck in new forms of “group-think”?
In twos or threes, explore the following:
• Share moments of dissonance in your lives and the choices you’ve made in their wake.
• Discuss what the discovery of “mirror neurons” might mean for using these moments of dissonance to move from the “stuckness” of fear’s grip to the embrace of new life.
As a whole group, explore:
• Very practically, what do we need to make it more likely that you, and those close to you, can move from the spiral of fear to the spiral of hope?
Activity before next meeting:
• Discuss with loved ones moments of dissonance in our lives and theirs and where these feelings have led us.
• Incorporate into your news intake one new source of connection to positive developments and courageous action.
Chapter 8: When Fear Means Go
As a whole group, silently review Idea 7: Seven Ways to Rethink Fear.
In twos or threes, consider the seven old thoughts/new thoughts, exploring:
• Why does Lappé argue that how we respond to fear may be the most critical choice in our lives? Explore why you agree or disagree.
• Which of the seven thoughts most resonate in your life experience? Share stories that these thoughts cause to surface.
• Do you feel you can learn to rethink fear as a signal, not a verdict? What difference would this shift make in your life now?
Reconvene the group to discuss:
• How is fear being manipulated for political and commercial ends? What are ways you try to escape (and succeed in escaping!) being manipulated?
• Who and what could help you move from fear into power?
Idea 7 suggests one key is finding a “tribe” reinforcing your new insights. Discuss what this might mean to you.
• Share an empowering moment when you’ve learned that fear need not stop you.
Activity before next session:
• Be aware of and record fears that inhibit you and moments when you realize that you can “walk tall with fear.”
Chapter 9: Sanity in Motion
As a whole group, discuss Lappé’s distinction between “issues” and “entry points.”
• Does it make sense?
• What other important entry points do you see now in our country or your community?
In twos or threes:
• Review Idea 8: Living Democracy’s Checklist. Share some of the most meaningful choices you are now making to live according to your values, and apply the checklist’s questions to them. Also share actions you are considering, and explore how they might fuel the positive Spiral of Empowerment inside the back cover.
Reconvene the whole group to discuss staying in touch as a group or in twos or threes to provide ongoing support for making the changes you desire. If participants are part of a larger group, consider:
• Choosing at least one entry point the larger group can begin acting on now and deciding how to introduce the suggestion.
• Selecting participants or a team to summarize the key lessons from this series for your larger group.
In closing, reflect as a whole group on what you have learned from Getting a Grip, sharing which specific messages you will take forward.
Also, please consider offering feedback about how to strengthen the book. I welcome suggestions and will integrate ideas from readers in future editions.
