Ten reasons why
independents should
join the Overweight
Brain discussion
by Gwen Mandell
Director of National Outreach, Independent Voting
1. Lois Holzman, the book’s author, is a prominent psychologist who has spent a good part of her adult years taking on the institution of “knowing” because, as she says, “Being in the world as a knower keeps us stuck.” Lois says that our obsession with knowing keeps us from getting smart enough to make a better world. I don’t know about you, but as someone who is committed to making a better world, my curiosity has been piqued.
2. Cathy Stewart (in addition to being the founder of Politics for the People) is a political activist and leader who has spent her adult life developing and helping others to develop scenarios and tactics in a whole host of political situations which on the face of it seems preposterous that there’s anything we could do about them. Cathy, as a leader of Independent Voting, is at the forefront of a movement that is devoted to taking on the party system and creating a better world.
3. Lois and Cathy have been colleagues for many years, and the methodology Lois is unpackaging in The Overweight Brain is one that we have played with in our work at Independent Voting. We have been working to create a movement in advance of knowing that there is one… a new political culture without knowing what that is going to be.
4. The discussion between Lois and Cathy and members of the P4P book club has the makings of a vibrant and challenging discussion on how we can take on the institutions of politics and psychology and go to some new places.
5. It’s clear we need some new tools to build our movement and make a better world. Thinking that we know what they are just keeps us in the same place. Wouldn’t we all agree that making a better world would require us to go some new places?
6. We’ve all had the experience of talking to or listening to pundits and mouthpieces who “know everything” – it is boring at best, and sometimes downright paralyzing.
7. The “knowing” paradigm is getting us into trouble these days. We’re so focused on “knowing” and “being right” that we miss opportunities to be empowered and form new partnerships.
8. By declaring ourselves independents – whether intentionally or not – we’ve made a statement about one particularly strong institution – the two party system that asserts that knowledge is king and instills in us the notion it knows what’s best for us – even when our day-to-day experience is that we are crippled by this relationship and powerless in the face of it.
9. Lois says that we can live a happier life if we’re not so into knowing. What a great challenge!
10. The discussion on December 8 is going to be challenging, interesting and possibly unlike any you’ve had before.
Didn’t find your reason here? Join the discussion anyway. What do I know?
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Politics for the People
Conference Call With Author
Dr. Lois Holzman
Sunday, December 8th
7pm EST
Call in number: 605-313-5156
Passcode: 767775#
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The Overweight Brain
How our obsession with knowing keeps us from getting smart enough to make a better world
