ECU Libraries Catalog

Healing the heart of democracy : the courage to create a politics worthy of the human spirit / Parker J. Palmer.

Author/creator Palmer, Parker J.
Format Book and Print
Edition1st ed.
Publication InfoSan Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass, ©2011.
Descriptionxi, 236 pages ; 24 cm
Subject(s)
Contents Prelude: The politics of the brokenhearted -- Democracy's ecosystem -- Confessions of an accidental citizen -- The heart of politics -- The loom of democracy -- Life in the company of strangers -- Classrooms and congregations -- Safe space for deep democracy -- The unwritten history of the heart.
Abstract "Building on his own extensive experience as a writer and activist on various aspects of inner and institutional life, Parker J. Palmer explores the soulful dynamics of American politics. What he did for educators in The Courage to Teach he does for citizens here, exploring the dynamics of our inner lives for clues to reclaiming our national unity. In Healing the Heart of Democracy, he points the way to a politics worthy of the human spirit, rooted in the commonwealth of compassion and creativity still found among "We the People." Democracy is a non-stop experiment in the strengths and weaknesses of our political institutions, local communities, and the human heart--its outcome can never be taken for granted. The experiment is endless, unless we blow up the lab, and the explosives to do the job are found within us. But so also is the heart's alchemy that can turn suffering into community, conflict into the energy of creativity, and tension into a force that opens us to the common good. Healing the Heart of Democracy names the vital "habits of the heart" we need to do the job and shows how they can be formed. Palmer proposes practical and hopeful, on-the-ground ways to learn how to hold the tensions of our differences in a manner that can restore a government "of the people, by the people, for the people.""--Provided by publisher.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 199-217) and index.
LCCN 2011014366
ISBN9780470590805 (hardback)
ISBN0470590807 (hardback)
Standard identifier# 7044358

Available Items

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Joyner General Stacks JK1759 .P33 2011 ✔ Available Place Hold