Monday, January 16, 2012

SELF-EMPOWERMENT


SELF-EMPOWERMENT

To "Overcome Powerlessness" in the  
the self- empowerment process of the "Powerless",
i.e. The People;
  
effecting a substantial CHANGE, 
first at grass-root level, 
would at "no-time"  reverberate within the whole community 
and  
ignite the BIG SOCIAL CHANGE for a genuine Democratic system.

The following 10 Theses of Professor Dr. Gerd Meyer promoting Erich Fromm's humanistic intention are very valuable in breaking the ice of powerlessness, which dominates the feelings of the masses in an authoritarian atmosphere of any social community at large...
ETHIOPIA INCLUDED!

 Ten Theses on the Inner Dynamics of Power and Powerlessness
1. 
Within and beyond
the limits of law and structures:
in personal interaction, another person
has only that much power as given to him by
myself.
2. 
Our evaluation strongly determines the status
and the prestige of the powerful as well as the
powerless and the relative impact of their power.
 
3. 
In social relations, superior power which I
suppose I have to bow to, in reality is often
based on the force of habit or on voluntary acceptance.
4. 
Overcoming powerlessness starts
in our minds:
we ourselves, by our way of thinking, we
make us dependent and hinder us to become
stronger.

5. 
Very often we think too much in a negative
and restrictive manner.
We do not see enough
the positive chances and opportunities for
change.


6. 
Every change starts inside of us. 
7. 
Every change starts in my own sphere of responsibility.

8. 
We often underestimate the impact of active
and innovative minorities, the power of solidarity
and courage at the grass roots level of society.

9. 
Productive is an understanding and practice
of power which does not strive for control of others,
but that is built and used to work together
for common interests and the well-being of as
many as possible. This is a democratic way to
combine legitimate interests of our own with social
and political solidarity.

10. 
Overcoming powerlessness needs knowledge,
patience and confidence
Any distribution or publication requires the consent of the author.
Reprinting these extracts is granted in this form by
The author:
Copyright © 2005 by Professor Dr. Gerd Meyer
Institut für Politikwissenschaft der Universität Tübingen
Melanchthonstr. 36, D-72074 Tübingen
E-Mail: gerd.meyer@uni-tuebingen.de 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

A Short Note: Ethiopian Political Change in Systemic thinking:

A Note: Ethiopian Political Change in Systemic thinking: 

Social relations and the nature of conflict  in a community (family, community or state etc. ) are, according to Alexander Wendt,  characterized by  the sense of perception as enemies (Hobbesian), rivals (Lockean), friends (Kantian)  or 

I would add "the other", which may look like utterly "new" or seems "neither fish nor fow" for all the formers!

To bring about and for
"the other" to emerge; in the system, the seeds of "the other" have to be structurally constituted.

1. Enemies: the same system, different goals, different structures and methods

2. Rivals: The same system, similar goals, similar structures and methods but different         benefits
 
3. Friends: The same system, similar goals, similar structures and methods but distributed benefits

4.
"The other": Another system, another vision, perspective and goal, another structure and methodology.

The Stalemate with no change for the last 20 years in spite of all reasons for
"the other" to emerge lies in the fact that all i.e. the regime and the opposition are all subsumed in the first three domains of systemic interactions."The other" is still in the dark, behind the curtain!

Political Change could be effected two times during the prior  30 years ( 1st. 1961-1974; 2nd.1975-1991). There had been two fundamental changes in these periods, due to the fact that, the real "
other" had indeed emerged after constituting itself for long. In both cases; first, "the other" vis a vis the ancient regime and then later,  "the other"  vis a vis the military "communist" regime.

*
But, it seems that the evolutionary logic of the State seeks to bring the players towards the reality of the systemic development in the state structure, forcing the players to differentiate themselves by instigating the sense of monopolizing violence in "the objects" of the state, who failed to be subjects and play the appropriate role of the human agency in minimizing the violence, which the state on the contrary tends to maximize, resisting the status quo towards stability.  This lies in the nature of the state, pushing towards a course of a higher system, via chaos at the edge, just before the systemic order. The new systemic order, coming through the emerging and interaction of
"the other" against the "conserving" legacy forces!

The "conserving" legacy forces are sectional, parts and units of the system. i.e. the sectional ethnic players.
The "other" is the new holistic force, integrating the sections into the evolutionary formation of the Ethiopian State, with all the Weight of its Past to form the future of the systemic whole in the region, overcoming the chaos of the present and the edge represented by the sectional forces (i.e. ethnic disintegration or alienation).

Friday, October 7, 2011

Coming "Out of the Box"

Dr. Assefa Negash's Discourse vs Ethnic Federalism.


1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2YQqF28eXo
2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNF7uBS28Vk&feature=related
3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZGbgn2nB6k&NR=1
4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbdqSl3LMYo&feature=related
5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ZnhK8G62Y
6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuGO1u7QCAg
7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc4W9yGiopw
8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq52THrITOU
9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNGsNhShd3A
10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGveUJ1AaKs
11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLBjHghA4os
12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj9z5mublZM
13
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npqnLv_inZg
14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiotPSi3SQg
15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiTREPDlTlI
16
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WNqiNh_LEo
17
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE-G1XkIc-U
18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTJrdGSVLE8
19
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu9o2U5gdXY
20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lF_VNojN5Q


*
My impression: Authentic, quite convincing and worth attention.


The first public political person I noticed in the last four decades to come "out of the suite Box":

http://brahane-matemia.blogspot.com/2010/12/still-in-box_7131.html

That was missing:
http://brahane-matemia.blogspot.com/2010/08/note-on-politics_1883.html


*


Let us hope that the process 
Will unfold in a sober manner 
So that 
WE All Ethiopians 
Will dare to encounter 
Our lost healthy Ethiopian Spirit!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Underdevelopment

A simple Logic of Underdevelopment

IGNORANCE   gives Birth to  FEAR,

FEAR   gives Birth to   VIOLENCE,

VIOLENCE   gives birth to,

Deconstruction 
&
Destruction

Cultural & spiritual    Deconstruction;

Social and material    Destruction!

These are the root causes of Underdevelopment, where no PEACE and Stability could prevail to bring about social harmony - the basis for any form of Development in all dimensions…

So to combat IGNORANCE , the father of all FEAR & EVIL,

“Make it simple but no less simple “(cf. Einstein)

To come to the BASICS  of:


BERHANE-IWKET

(Click on the above link or the picture and F11 to get big sides)