A politics worthy of the human spirit. Is it possible? Do we have the capacity to create it? These are questions that we as a country must grapple with now and in the years to come. It is the question Parker Palmer wrestled with in his seminal book: Healing the Heart of Democracy, first published over a decade ago. In the closing episode of this series, I sat down with Parker to discuss what this question calls us into in this political moment.

In this conversation, Parker and I discuss:

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• The importance of community building and how getting to know each other as human beings reduces fear and makes politics less toxic.
  
  
• How being aware of our own inner dynamics can help us make a positive difference in our communities and country.
  
  
• Why change has to come from “we the people,” not politicians in Washington.
  
  
• The competing impulses of individualism and community and the contradictions that have shaped our past and continue to shape our present.
  
  
• The role of heartbreak in animating political change.
  
  
• Five habits of the heart that are needed to heal our democracy.
  
  
• Pre-political spaces: what they are and how we use them to develop our capacity to engage politically in healthier ways.
  
  
• How democracy puts faith in everyday people and enriches us as individuals.
  
  
• How oppression harms the collective and the work we all need to do to address it.
  
  
• The intergenerational project that is democracy and how the call for a “more perfect union” is an aspiration that both acknowledges our imperfections and calls us to work toward our ideals.
  
  
• Why we should not give up on our country or our fellow citizens.
  

Spiritual Resources from Parker include:

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• The five habits of the heart, which can be found on our Spiritual Practices for Political Engagement Page
  
  
• Healing the Heart of Democracy book (Affiliate Link)
  
  
• The Healing the Heart of Democracy Hub which includes discussion guides, videos, and workbooks.
  

Connect with Parker through the Center for Courage and Renewal, on facebook @parkerjpalmer, and through the Growing Edge Podcast and Substack Newsletter.

Connect with me at katie@thiselection.org or on instagram @katie.m.cochran.

The post A Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit with Parker Palmer appeared first on This Election.