<< EMOTIONS: KEY MOTIVATION: >>
Emotions play a key role in getting people involved in an issue. Many
people first become involved when they feel something important to
them is
threatened. Their response to that threat (Self Defense Response) often
motivates them to join with others to take action.
<< WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? >>
You're concerned and upset. You may want to talk to your friends and
neighbors about the problem, but are you willing to do something about
it? If
you are willing to do something, you may want to take some action to
feel less
threatened, but will that action have a positive effect on your situation?
<< CRITICAL CHOICE: TWO PATHS AVAILABLE: >>
Often people are `taken over' by the Self Defense Response. Driven
by
feelings of fear and anger, they begin by acting out how they feel
and spread
their outrage out into the community, alienating many potential supporters.
The more effective people are the ones who have realized the dangers
of acting out their emotions and have instead chosen to channel this
important
energy constructively to take action to deal with their situation.
YOUR PRESENT SITUATION:
You have been drawn into an issue that concerns you. You may be
considering taking some kind of action or hoping to join with others
who are
planning action. Perhaps, you're not quite sure what to do next.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE:
With a number of serious issues are facing us as a society, many
people have found themselves in your situation and decided to get involved.
WHAT HAVE OTHERS DONE?
Many groups have formed around issues. Some have been very effective,
others have not.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
Certain types of groups have been more effective than others. This
program is based on the approach used by the more effective groups
and on
observations and insights from people with experience in grassroots
work. It
has been designed to help you avoid the most common mistakes and bring
you,
step by step, through the process of setting up a group to take effective
action.
WHAT DO I DO NOW?
First, it is very important to begin by understanding how you feel.
HOW DO YOU FEEL?
Identify how you feel about what's happening to you. People often
experience feelings ranging from helplessness and fear to anger and
outrage.
YOUR FEELINGS ARE A NATURAL REACTION TO THREAT:
A potentially threatening situation triggers the instinctive Fight
or
Flight Reaction. It's the body's natural response to threat.
SOMETHING VITAL TO YOU IS BEING THREATENED:
It may be a direct threat, for example, a threat to your job, your
health, your children, your property, your neighborhood or your lifestyle.
It
may be an indirect threat, for example, a threat to your view of a
sane and
healthy world, to your sense of a free and democratic society or a
sustainable
environment.
SURVIVING THE THREAT: THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE:
Your feelings come from the basic instinct for self preservation.
In a natural setting threat often comes in the form of a physical
attack and the Fight or Flight Response is triggered to prepare you
both
physically and emotionally to meet the threat. The intensity of the
response
can range from mild (concern) to extreme (outrage). You may feel fear
(flight
reaction) or anger (fight reaction). Often there is a combination of
both.
If escape is unlikely then anger and outrage predominate as your body
prepares
for a fight.
This reaction is so intense that it involves the whole body.
Adrenaline is released into the blood increasing the heart rate and
blood
pressure. Blood circulation increases to the muscles in preparation
for
muscle activity and decreases to the skin to lessen the chance of bleeding
from surface wounds. There is also decreased sensitivity to pain. All
of your
body's resources are mobilized to prepare to survive the threat.
THE SELF DEFENSE RESPONSE: WELL ADAPTED IN NATURE:
When you are facing the threat of physical attack, the Self Defense
Response is well adapted. It allows you to react automatically to a
situation
where a few seconds delay could mean the difference between life and
death.
IN PRESENT SITUATION THE RESPONSE NEEDS TO BE CHANNELED CONSTRUCTIVELY:
In a modern setting in the context of resolving an issue, an automatic
physical response is not appropriate. You have time to consider your
options
carefully. Although the emotional and physical energy generated by
the Self
Defense Response needs to be modified in the context of resolving an
issue,
the basic goal is the same as in a natural setting. You need to use
this
energy to prepare to take action to address the situation threatening
you.
EXPRESSING OUTRAGE: OFTEN AN UNCONSCIOUS REACTION:
Without actually making a decision many groups find themselves taking
action to express their outrage. Having, in effect, taken the expression
of
outrage as their goal, they frame the issue in terms of sides and take
a
confrontational approach.
This offends and alienates many potential supporters and polarizes
people by forcing them to choose sides before they fully understand
the issue.
Resistance develops in the community to the groups confrontational
approach at
a time when the group needs to be reaching out for support. As a result
they
have difficulty making progress. This can lead to more frustration
and anger
within the group. Feeling forced to more extreme behavior to have an
effect,
they may take actions that can discredit their group with the community.
The
danger is that the important and legitimate concerns raised by the
group may
be largely ignored because people are put off by the groups confrontational
approach.
CHANNELING YOUR EMOTIONS CONSTRUCTIVELY: A CONSCIOUS DECISION:
Effective groups are the ones that have seen the need to channel this
energy constructively. They work through their emotions to realize
that their
real goal is to be effective and that being effective is more important
than
expressing their anger and outrage.
By carefully studying their situation they realize that raising their
concerns in such a way as to reach out and build a broad base of support
in
their community is more in their interest than expressing how they
feel.
Building a broad and solid base of support insures that their concerns
will
have to be taken seriously and addressed.
MAKING THE COMMITMENT:
1) DEVELOP THE DESIRE TO BE EFFECTIVE: (`I really want to.'):
Imagine yourself working with others taking effective action on your
issue.
Imagine how it will feel to take effective action. Imagine the sense
of
empowerment you will feel as you begin to effectively raise your concerns
and
appeal to a broad base of support in your community. Visualize people
coming
together in support of your concerns. I REALLY WANT TO LEARN TO BE
EFFECTIVE.
2) DEVELOP A CONFIDENCE: (`I can do it.'):
If you want to learn how to be effective and you're willing to work
at it then
YOU CAN BE EFFECTIVE. Why? Because learning how to be effective is
like any
other skill the more you work at it the better you get. The basic methods
and
techniques are here and they are based on experience and common sense.
If you
want to learn how to be effective and you are willing to work at it
then:
YOU WILL BE EFFECTIVE.
3) MAKE THE COMMITMENT: (`I will do it'):
You need to make a commitment to yourself that you will learn to be
effective.
THE COMMITMENT TO YOURSELF:
Are you willing to take the energy that you could have wasted in being
upset and channel that energy into learning how to be effective?
YES, I AM.
Make the following commitment to yourself (out loud with strong feeling):
#***************************************************************************#
# `I AM GOING TO STAND UP FOR MYSELF #
# #
# WORK WITH OTHERS #
# #
# AND LEARN HOW TO TAKE EFFECTIVE ACTION.' #
#***************************************************************************#
MAKING A COMMITMENT CAN MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER:
Once you've made the decision to make this commitment then you can
begin to feel less upset and angry because you are preparing to take
effective
action to deal with your situation. Why waste your valuable energy
being
upset? Gradually you will come to be motivated less by feelings of
threat and
outrage and more by positive feelings of empowerment as working with
others to
raise your concerns begins to have real effect.
YOU HAVE TAKEN THE 1ST STEP:
By making a commitment to learn to take effective action you have
avoided many of the most serious problems associated with groups starting
out
and you have taken the 1st step towards effective action on your issue.
< SUMMARY 1 > TRANSFORMING EMOTION INTO A COMMITMENT TO TAKE EFFECTIVE ACTION:
<< EMOTIONS: KEY MOTIVATION: >>
Emotions play a key role in getting people involved in an issue. Many
people first become involved when they feel something important to
them is
threatened. Their response to that threat (Self Defense Response) often
motivates them to join with others to take action.
<< WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? >>
You're concerned and upset. You may want to talk to your friends and
neighbors about the problem, but are you willing to do something about
it? If
you are willing to do something, you may want to take some action to
feel less
threatened, but will that action have a positive effect on your situation?
<< CRITICAL CHOICE: TWO PATHS AVAILABLE: >>
Often people are `taken over' by the Self Defense Response. Driven
by
feelings of fear and anger, they begin by acting out how they feel
and spread
their outrage out into the community, alienating many potential supporters.
The more effective people are the ones who have realized the dangers
of acting out their emotions and have instead chosen to channel this
important
energy constructively to take action to deal with their situation.