Coaching Can Save Egalitarian Democracy

Democracy is a practice – just like coaching!

Democracy is not an institution. Democracy is a practice; a way of being; a set of skills and principles. AND in my experience, most people rarely if ever get to practice these skills… except for coaches and people who have a coach!!

Together we coaches can uplift the Human Family one player at a time:

Out of: Dehumanizing Authoritarian Control ~ Hierarchies

Into: RE-Humanizing Egalitarian Co-Creation ~ FREEDOM!

As coaches we have the joy of guiding our players in pursuit of their dreams by co-creating a partnership with them. AND we also are part of a much bigger movement that is essential to our shared dream for an egalitarian, pluralistic, inclusive society governed by laws with equal justice for ALL.

Authoritarian hierarchical control is anytime you are expected to OBEY the command of another person with little or no voice in the process.

When a large majority of the citizens of a state or country don’t have the skillset and mindset of egalitarian freedom, an egalitarian democratic government will be on very shaky ground and susceptible to those who seek authoritarian control.

Almost every aspect of our lives – school, business and family in particular – is organized through authoritarian hierarchical control, so we never get to practice Egalitarian Democracy. Children especially almost NEVER have the opportunity to experience and practice Democracy. As a result, it is impossible to organize any large group of people, a state or country for example, by egalitarian democratic principles; collectively we don’t know how to BE it or do it.

I need to call out school – compulsory education – as a particular experience that thwarts the needed skills for Egalitarian Democracy. For most humans, school is their first real experience of a government sponsored community. From the perspective of the young humans, ages 4 – 12, school is an authoritarian dictatorship. The participants have no voice at all in the proceedings. Both self-determination and co-creation are shamed and punished. School for young humans is primarily training in obedience. 

For example, the normalized dehumanizing practice of testing, grading and ranking young children against their peers serves ZERO educational purpose. Its only purpose is shame, fear and obedience. UGH! AND on top of that, for young children it creates an experience of inequality that thwarts the needed mindset for egalitarian democracy; that every person has equal value. 

There are some good things that happen in school for young humans but preparing for life in a democratic society is not one of them.

IMPORTANT: if you – or someone you love – is a teacher or school administrator… It’s the system, not the people, that make it authoritarian.

We could easily transform school for 4 – 12-year old’s in a way that would make it an awesome personal growth and community participation experience. But that would require trusting rather than thwarting human nature. That is a topic for a different article!

So, the BIG question is: after our self-determination and co-creation skills and desires – our human nature – are thwarted, how do we get them back?

The way of being of Coaching and Egalitarian Democracy

I do believe that coaching can save egalitarian democracy because in coaching – as both the coach and the player – we practice skills and principles identical to those needed to become an active citizen in a place with a government organized by democratic principles. And we RE-humanize each other with egalitarian co-created freedom!! 

• Each person feels that their voice has value and that they are encouraged to contribute.
• Each person has the ability to purposefully express what matters to them in a way that others can relate to.
• Each person has the ability to respectfully listen to the voice and value of ALL others; especially if or when they initially disagree.
• Each person has the ability to co-create understanding and approaches to situations based on respecting their own value and the value of all others.
• Each person has the ability to be self-determined AND care for the collective at the same time.

This is just a short list of skills to give you the idea.

Imagine if everyone in your family / business / town / state / country had these skills?

This is what I imagine every day when I dream of every person having a life coach… and MANY people becoming a life coach; at least a part time life coach.

The tipping point is 25%

According to Sociological research, the tipping point for social change is 25% of the population.

This next section is an excerpt from my ebook: “Transformation Coaching”.

As Individuals we co-create Relationships.

At the same time…

Our Relationships co-create us as Individuals.

Scaling up a level…

People co-create Cultures.

And the same time…

Cultures co-create People.

It’s a 2-way experience.

And it keeps building up…

Cultures co-create Countries at the same time Countries co-create Cultures.

Countries co-create Civilization at the same time Civilization co-creates Countries.

Thus… we have the classic “chicken and egg” (which came first?) question we debated in grade school. The answer is: we don’t know; AND it doesn’t matter because now we have both together.

Life Coaching is a purposeful form of egalitarian relating which makes it possible to uplevel everything else.

This part we know. It goes like this:

As individuals we can become proficient at forming Life Coaching (Egalitarian) Relationships.

As Life Coaches we can rise up and lead the way in co-creating Life Coaching (Egalitarian) Cultures within our teams, families, companies and communities.

This requires great courage and skill because the current dominant culture just about everywhere in the world is Industrial Hierarchical Control. It’s a big challenge to change a culture but we know it is possible; Life Coaching Cultures are happening in small groups all around the world today.

This is the leap of faith part:

People who live and thrive in Life Coaching (Egalitarian) Cultures can become proficient in co-creating Egalitarian Countries / Governments … and then Civilization.

Are you ready to take the leap? I hope so because we need you!!

Here is the BIG, BIG, BIG idea:

We humans cannot become Egalitarian Co-Creators of a country, a government, or anything else by being force-fed a Civics class in school; nor by reading books or listening to inspiring speeches.

The ONLY way to become an Egalitarian Co-Creator is to LIVE in it.

This is where Life Coaching comes in.

Life Coaching IS the catalyst for change at the individual level.

The best way is to uplift an individual to become capable of an Egalitarian relationship – to RE-humanize them – is to see them, embrace their humanity, co-create profound belonging with them, believe in them, listen to them, champion their dream, value them, provide them with a safe space to practice new ways of being. It’s personal.

As life coaches we also guide our players through the MANY fears that came from experiences of being controlled; these fears provoke their need to be “in control” and continue the chain of command.

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If you – like me – look around at the way humans are treating each other and get discouraged… even feel hopeless. RISE UP! There absolutely is something very effective that you can do. YOU can become an amazing life coach.

Every person that you RE-humanize through life coaching creates a ripple effect of good into families, communities and companies.

All we need is a great life coach in every neighborhood, business team, community, classroom and family!

Let’s go coaches… Together, we can do this!!!

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