Everything Under The Sun: Addressing Deficits Revealed By This Election

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Addressing Deficits Revealed By This Election

Founder Riane Eisler.

Sometimes, we human beings turn to our wiser organizations to find answers to the puzzling questions in life, or when we strive to understand outcomes that we never meant should happen. We turn to groups like THE CENTER FOR PARTNERSHIP STUDIES (CPS). We like to look to organizations that can prompt change, that cover a broad range, leading to cultural, economic, and personal change. But it's not just any transformation that is sought, it is something that makes life better, deeper, richer. Like CPS's call to action, we want to change from control to care, from power domination to empowerment.

And so, after the shock of this election, particularly after finding out the caliber of the man that was elected, Riane Eisler, the founder and spokesperson for CPS, had to address what is being seen as a major sea change in US leadership. She said, "What happened in the 2016 election is a wake-up call to go deeper, to focus on underlying problems. If we don't, domination systems will keep rebuilding themselves. We have an opportunity to recommit our leadership to help shift the national conversation toward a more partnership framework: valuing caring work, and respecting the fundamental human rights and dignity of all people."

On the national level, it is increasingly apparent, through the choices that have been already made, that domination will be prominent in a man who tolerates no dissent or criticism. Because of the racist, white domination, and intolerance backgrounds of many of the appointees, it will become difficult to find respect for the fundamental human rights and dignity of our nation's citizens and immigrants. Caring work will remain undervalued and underpaid in a framework in which millionaires and billionaires are given the most prominence. But will this extend downward to the State and local levels?

Graduates of CPS' Leadership and Learning programs met together on December to discover how the principles of CPS can be applied at the community level. There was a call by Ms. Eisler to bring these leaders together and encourage them. As she said, "Change is happening - your leadership is needed and appreciated now more than ever. In the new year, you will have a chance to hear the Center for Partnership Studies' response to the US election: a call to leaders to support a long-term strategy to begin changing the political and economic discourse."

One of the courses offered by CPS.

And Ms. Eisler encouraged everyone to "Regroup and re-energize - Get ready to be inspired to continue our important work!" Indeed, hope is still here; it hasn't left. Organizations around the country are doing important work in big ways and small. Keeping hope alive means acting in a way to advance human rights, dignity, and the value of caring for our fellow human beings.