Dear Dabrowskian reader,
How wonderful it is not to be alone for once, but to explore the details of Dabrowski's theory of positive disintegration together with like-minded people. The theory or rather the frame of mind that brought us closer to our authentic selves. We listen to each other and feel more connected than ever. For which there is great gratitude.
But shouldn't we be careful not to preach only to our own community? Instead of settling into the grammar of the theory, shouldn't we be asking what we can do with these insights for others? We must work to be able to recognize the disintegrations of our fellow human beings and humanity as a whole. How can we spread hope or even faith in a positive outcome?
Dabrowski was ahead of his time. He gave us a theory for the twenty-first century!
With all due respect for technical developments, the glory of artificial intelligence at the expense of any faith in human capabilities and potential, is an aberration. Refusing to see the limits of AI's judgment leads to our disastrous submission to a psychopathic entity. Dabrowski repeatedly warned against intelligence without emotional development. I believe that getting more people interested in Dabrowski's theory could lead to a revival of our own potential.
Dabrowski gave us the key to understanding and dealing with our changing world. It is really not difficult to recognize a process of disintegration in this time of simultaneous crises. This pivotal moment is being felt worldwide. Never before has the multi-level nature of development been so well illustrated.
The demolition of the existing structures is necessary to break free from our deep-seated enslavement and to live a full life.
But... On what levels do we as humanity balance? How do micro and macro relate to each other? What is the likelihood of a negative disintegration where we fall to a lower level?
Re-read Dabrowski's description of the process of disintegration and try to find all the elements in our world view and current events. A fine thought exercise. The protest against blind authority is growing and critical people are looking for alternatives. Helas it's not a majority yet. Question: is harmony even possible in a society without a multi-layered majority?
I would like to believe that after the necessary turbulence and unfortunately with a lot of collateral damage, we will be able to see this global disintegration as positive.
But: can society handle a theory that says that not everyone has the same opportunities for development? That some have more potential than others? Dabrowski estimated that 35 percent of humanity has the potential to develop its personality towards its own ideal image. This means that the remaining 65 percent will never think or act autonomously, cannot engage in introspection, has no multilayeredness and will never break free from the social structures into which one is born. It implies they will focus all their aggression and frustration purely on the outside world and the other. Mass formation would not be possible without their considerable share.
Strangely enough, the 65 percent who will never grow out of the first and second level, isn’t labeled as deranged. It’s the 35 percent developing their personality in a disruptive way - that’s often considered problematic.
Today so many of us have what's called burnout or have been diagnosed as unstable. From a Dabrowskian point of view, I would like to believe that many of us are making a leap of consciousness today, and that recognizing this can contribute to the positive outcome of this process of mass disintegration.
But even with this perspective, Dabrowski's theory isn’t widespread and popular.
To accept Dabrowski's growth model as true would have major consequences. The economic values on which our society is built would have to change. Obedience would no longer be a virtue, but authentic and autonomous thinking would be. It would change the whole of society. Problem: right now change creates tremendous resistance.
I don't know if you've noticed, but the phenomenon of the human being can count on very little respect today. It's raining accusations, we are the instigators of all evil. Without the straitjacket of laws and rules, without control by everyone of everyone, we believe that everything goes wrong because of human nature.
There is no longer a belief in man as a moral, empathetic being. We are in a vortex of general indignation and guilt at the same time. No one gets away scot-free. It’s as if an increasingly abstract authority needs to surgically remove humans from the ecosystem, so we can’t do any more harm. Although, we fit perfectly into this ecosystem.
We are a relevant part of it and have a role to play. But there is currently no room for any theory that has even a shred of faith in humans.
I can think of so many reasons why Dabrowski's theory of Positive Disintegration is not being presented as a game changer, as a great theory like Freud's psychoanalysis or even Einstein's theory of relativity.
The question is: how do we change this?
How can we, in the next year, double the percentage of people who know and study Dabrowski's work, and perhaps find out they live the theory?
I’m counting on you.
From the heart (and also a little from Crash Baby Crash)
Chris Van Camp
Comments
Post a Comment