Slideshows about nonviolence and nonviolent resolution of conflicts, economic alternatives, ecology, social change, spirituality : www.irnc.org , Slideshows in english Human condition; improve personnal live; working on me; dooing my share; group cooperation; skills; well-being; spirituality.

1. Personal transformation
and social change
Étienne Godinot
Translation : Claudia Mc Kenny Engström
.17.04.2015

2. Personnal transformation and social change
Contents
- Reality of Human Condition. The means to « hold on » and continue forward.
- The 3 facets of an individual in a relation. From the Individual to the
Collective. Tri-dimensional change
- Seeking out the evil. The origins of evil according to Erich Fromm. Syndrome
of decay. Recognising the premises of evil within oneself and in others.
- To become free. How to act?
- Better know myself to live and act better. Self-improvement. Simple methods
to enhance personal life. Not falling into activism or egocentrism. Doing my
share. Simple methods to enhance cooperation within groups.
- The necessary Knowledge to become a free individual, a responsible citizen.
- A few quotations

3. Personnal transformation and social change
Sources
• Denis Cordonnier, Le pouvoir du miroir, Ed. Georg, Genève,
1998
• Michel Lacroix, Le développement personnel, Flammarion,
2004
• IFMAN (The 3 facets of an individual in a relation)
• Internet (Wikipédia)
• Texts by the author :
• « Mieux se connaître pour mieux vivre et mieux agir »,
Review Alternatives non-violentes, Summer 1995;
• « Devenir chercheurs d’humanité », (article) La Croix, 6th
June 2001;
• Estime de soi et souci de l’autre, Cahiers de la Réconciliation,
MIR, March 2008;

4. Reality of human condition
1. Incertitude : health threatened by illnesses and accidents;
economic threats (unemployment, inflation, bankruptcy);
political threats (dictatorships, exclusive ideologies); ecological
dangers (scarcity of resources, decreasing biodiversity,
pollution, climate change).
2. Solitude : an individual, even surrounded and advised,
stands alone in front of the important decisions in his/her life:
leaving country and family, choosing or leaving his/her spouse,
changing professions. He is alone in sufferance, death, in
conscience.
3. Finitude : “Life is a deadly sickness, hereditary, sexually
transmissible”… People, firms, institutions, civilisations are
mortal.

5. The means to “hold on” and continue forward
1. Identity. Knowing oneself to live and act well. Having
convictions, credibility, a reason in life. Follow intuitions and own
vocation. Establish a hierarchy in priorities and values.
2. Sociability. Become performant in self affirmation and listen to
others, in conflict management, leading a group. Be aware of ones
limits and know how to ask for help.
3. Citizenship. Knowing that human rights imply duties, that the
common good depends on our participation, that we all cohabitate
on little planet Earth.
Stop complaining or leave the feeling of powerlessness. Develop a
sense of individual and collective responsibility. Increase
awareness in stakes and evolutions in a family, a school, a firm,
society, the world.
../..

6. The means to “hold on” and continue forward
4. Spirituality : interior life, meditation and action for each
one to find a meaning to life, articulated with the collective
equivalent that will give humanity and the universe their
meaning.
Identification of one’s own reasons to live and act, accept
the idea of death in serenity, interrogate what is beyond
terrestrial life.
Openness to transcendence, to what surpasses
immediate perceptions: some call this transcendence
beauty, truth, justice, kindness; others the Absolut, the
Way; others call it God.

7. The 3 facets of an individual in a relation
1) Each one of us is a person with a story, an identity,
needs, feelings, aspirations…
Ex.: I am a women, police officer and mother; I am
sometimes depressed by my family issues and do a job in
which I am confronted with all woes of the world.
2) Each one of us is a person in a statusperson in a status, a social role, a
“costume”
Ex.: I am a police officer, representing public authority, in
charge of a mission for social peace.
3) Each one of us is responsible as citizen, conscious of the
consequences of our acts
Ex.: Police officer, I respect my superiors authority, but
must also know when to disobey sinful orders, such as the
arrest of Jews during the raid of the Vel’ d’Hiv”, 16-17 July
1942 (photo below)

8. From the individual to the collective
A striking and preoccupying tendency appears in the debate and
fight to transform Man and society : the lack of global vision of
the process of change.
- Some call for personal transformation, interiority, looking
inwards, but are reluctant to engage socially and politically.
- Others act via their association, their firm or municipality, but
forget to engage in personal transformation and/or political
action at national or international level.
- Others are engaged politically, but forget to work on
themselves or even to start their action at their own level.

9. Tri-dimensional change
But action, to be coherent, efficient and long term, must
operate on three fields at once :
- personal
- living and work spaces
- national and international politics, or social.
It is possible and necessary to act on these three levels at the
same time, each one implicating him or herself as much as
possible and depending on each one’s charisma.
That is a declination of the saying “Think global, act local”.
Personal
field
Living and Social
work spaces field

10. Articulating ecology, solidarity,
nonviolence and spirituality
Personal development that doesn’t generate a new vision of
the world or action for transformation resembles egocentrism…
Inversely, critique or social action that doesn’t take into
account personal, cultural and spiritual (quest for meaning)
dimensions might end up in :
- the will to solely improve material conditions of living
(materialism)
- or even deviances (such as the uncontrollable desire for
power or corruption).
Between those two pitfalls there is still space for personal and
collective development articulated round ecology, solidarity,
nonviolence and spirituality.

11. Seeking out the evil
The question of Good and Evil is more complex than what
might seem. To avoid doing something bad, we must first
examine what we believe is good.
The essential characteristic of Nazism was not its cruelty or
systematic organisation, murder, but its capacity to disguise
and be perceived by millions of people as the promise for a
new life based on work, devotion, courage, honour and
community.
As much can be said for the French Revolution (Terror),
communism (Stalinism, Maoism), Islamic dictatorships, etc.
Photos :
- Hitler Youth poster;
- “Arbeit macht Frei” (Work makes free) at the entrance of Auschwitz
concentration camp.

12. Interrogation and vigilance
Maurice Bellet said evil is not to be found in front or
opposition to good but within it.
The central motto in Auschwitz was “Hier is kein
Warum” (Here there is no “Why?”).
Interrogating and being vigilant are probably the only
efficient ways to prevent evil.
Photos :
- Propaganda poster glorifying Stalin, protector of all children; -
- Propaganda poster glorifying Mao Zedong, designer of the people’s
well-being;
- (above) Propaganda poster glorifying Islamic Sharia: “The solution
East and West alike. Democracy is Hell!”

13. Evil, or how a human being is treated ?
What is allowed or forbidden varies according to religion,
culture, time.
We must renounce to identify good with what is allowed
and evil with what is forbidden.
We must consider the human being as point of
reference.
According to Denis Rosenfield*, doing evil is endangering
the integrity or capacity of development of a human being
– myself or the other – physically, intellectually or
spiritually.
* Denis Rosenfield (photo), Brazilian philosopher, doctor in philosophy
at Panthéon-Sorbonne University, Paris.

14. The origins of evil
according to Erich Fromm
Erich Fromm (1900-1980), American psychoanalyst and
humanist of German Jewish descent (photo above) identified
several sources of evil :
1. Narcissism. Excessive love of oneself results in a huge fear
of the outside world. Collective narcissism, of those who
share a religion, come from the same ethnical group or have a
similar political vision to mine become a part of me and me of
them.
2. Symbiosis with maternal figure. If we are not capable of
dialogue with the hidden child within us, we risk being the
victims of our will to find maternal security again, with another
figure: the group (ex.: sect), motherland, race, religion, party.
../..

15. The origins of evil according to Erich Fromm
3. Necrophilia, a taste for death or the inanimate (to go back
to the first state where life, dangerous and uncomfortable,
did not exist), a taste for illness and negativity. It is also a
fascination for the past, violence, order, discipline.
E. Fromm estimates necrophilia to have taken over 10% of
the population without them noticing. Their destructiveness
manifests itself in indifference and insensivity *.
* This can be illustrated with Jean Hatzfeld’s (French author and journalist)
words on hutu genocide, explaining they demonstrated no sign of guilt or
remorse after the atrocities they committed.

16. The syndrome of decay
The combination of these three tendencies, or the syndrome of
decay, is always active in the unconscious of those committing high
scale violence and who are at the top of a system of evil, who plan
wars, genocides or massacres.
Among those who execute, there is a minority of sadists or
psychopaths, and a majority of people who act convinced of doing
good, or who are scared of showing opposition to their hierarchy.
If one isn’t a hero, the only way to oppose tyrants is to act before
the system is established. Therefore, we must learn how to
recognise the seeds of evil in daily life, before they have a chance
of growing into a dramatically big size.
Photos : Enver Hojda, Adlof Hitler, Joseph Staline, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot, Slobodan
Milosevic

17. Recognising the premises of evil
within and around myself
It is important to understand the links that exist between interior
despots, lies * and daily evil.
The seeds of daily evil, an often discrete and subtle evil, and full
of good intentions, is less in the lie itself, towards others or
myself, than in the refusal to recognise the lie itself.
Those who want to fight for a better world must be capable of
recognising the premises of evil within them and around them,
because there is no fundamental difference between the causes
of daily or mass evil.
* A lie is an intentionally false statement to a person or group made by another
person or group who knows it is not the truth. To lie: disguise ones thought in the
intention of fooling another. In Christian tradition, Lucifer ("light bearer") is the
fallen lying angel.

18. Dare ask the “Why ?” that can stop evil
It is in daily trivia that we must dare ask Why ?
A “why” that can stop the road of evil. It is important to
become aware of the long term consequences of each
decision and be able to point to the right direction at the
crossroad between the best and worst.
Individuals who accept to put themselves into question
gain the possibility of become truly themselves.
Evolution of societies was principally conditioned by the
fact that the huge majority of humans let others, a few,
take over and decide on a community’s destiny.
Photo : Emperor Napoleon I

19. The power of each one of us
Since the beginning of humanity, the power to change
the world was always left in the hands of leaders, heroes
and experts.
But the hypnosis exercised by Hitler, Mao or Milosevic on
their masses, just as much as the psychological imbalance
of their heroes, shows the lack of consistency of their
admirers. Hitler himself said his main weapons were
“mental confusion, contradictory feelings, indecision and
panic”.
So long as each individual won’t have understood he or she
also has the power to change the world, things will not
evolve.
Photo above : Hitler in Nürnberg (for annual Nazi party reunion, for a week,
from 1933 to 1939. The themes were : 1933, Victory of faith; 1934, The
triumph of will; 1935, The congress for freedom…)

20. To become a free individual…
- Learn to recognise the crossroads in life, the possibilities
of making a choice that will influence the rest of our life. All
of us are confronted with this type of decision, not only
choices regarding our job or life partner, but also in daily
life.
- Dare ask “Why ?” “What for?” questions that will help us
escape from routine and automatisms.
- Become less predictable, being capable of modifying
spontaneously how we think or feel in front a new situation
or crossroad.

21. How to act ?
1. As consumer, our power holds in one question: “Why
buy this rather than that product ?”
2. As citizen, our individual power isn’t primarily in the
elaboration of new laws, but in using the ones that
exist.
Be it refusing or not to obey the order to arrest Jews or
torture Algerians, or writing a letter to a person
imprisoned for having freely expressed an opinion, the
question is : Does my attitude towards laws, orders,
demands I receive, bring me closer or further from
other Men ?

22. How to act ?
3. Finally, we can act in our relations with
others close to us.
Our way of exercising power over others can
help us change the world, starting with
family, school, company, association, trade
union or political movement.
Therefore, nonviolent communication and
positive management of interpersonal
conflicts is important.

23. “ A transformation of mentalities
and personal behaviour ”
“ Freedom, legality and fraternity require, to develop is society,
at the same time a structural revolution and a transformation of
mentalities and personal behaviour, open to rediscovering the
sense of community.
Because this evolution and transformation go hand in hand
and work in the same movement, we can’t wait for one to be
finished to start the other.
By developing a personal and inner conflict management
strategy, respect for others and a sense of responsibility,
nonviolent action allows both to be started now ”.
Extract of the Manifesto for nonviolent alternatives, constitutive Charter of the
Mouvement pour une alternative non-violente (MAN), 1974.

24. Knowing oneself better to act and live better
People’s transformation cannot be the sole result of
their engagement as activists : it requires a permanent
effort of introspection and personal training that will help
them :
- develop an intellectual and moral spine,
- be more consistent and solid psychologically,
- be more in touch with deep intuitions,
- be more critical and lucid on their worries and
malfunctioning, as well as those of their families and
fellow citizens.

25. Working on me
- Know my identity, personal strengths and qualities, be stable
- Identify my vocational axis in order to be efficient and
productive in my activities (professional or not)
- Heal the psychological wounds from the past that generate
blockages, fragilities, disproportionate or repetitive reactions
(we are slaves to what we ignore about ourselves)
- Like myself and accept who I am today, be patient with
myself
- Better build my life, manage sleep, how I eat, leisure time,
affection, sexuality.

26. “Life is difficult”
Scott Peck
- Improve my daily choices, make decisions that engage my life
knowingly
- have a hierarchy of priorities and values, privilege vitalising
relationships
- Be, as much as possible, aware of how I am, what I have and
can give
* Know my limits,
* Constantly observe events in my life,
* Be ready to put into question my actions and thoughts, but
also that others will do so,
* Be an active dissident against alienations and conformism.

27. Methods to improve personal life
- Do my best to inhabit the present
- Take three minutes three times a day to connect
with myself
- Be grateful for what goes well, in order to develop
the strength to fight what doesn’t
- Take care my consciousness and heart acuity
- Develop self esteem, etc.

28. Not fall head first into activism.
Avoid egocentrism
Activism is a trap, in the sense that it can pull into direct action
in response to exterior conflicts or a worrying situation, at the
detriment of reflection or analysis of the sentiments felt with
regard to such events.
Egocentrism is a trap in the sense that : “ Some, from looking
too much into themselves, end up falling into only them ! ”
Both are threats in all fields of human activity (politics,
spirituality, religion, sports, etc.) when we stop being connected
with ourselves, our good sense, with real life, with others.
The challenge is to sustain both serenity and energy,
happiness and combativeness.

29. Doing my share
The Colibris : example of a movement where personal change
and political action go hand in hand
The name “Colibris” comes from an Amerindian tale
recounted by Pierre Rabhi.
The colibri (hummingbird), a very tiny bird, carries water in
his beak to turn out a forest fire. The armadillo tells him: “
You are ad little bird! It’s not with those little drops that you
will turn out the fire ! ” And the little bird to answer: “ I don’t
know, but I’m doing my share ! ”.
This movement reaches three conclusions:
- there are many beautiful initiatives, but because they are
often isolated, they die off;
- there is a deficit in communication and cooperation;
- there is an urgent need for convergence in order to build a
powerful movement of civil society able to weigh on
decisions.

30. Simple methods to enhance group cooperation
- share one’s own values
- explain the sense and meaning of rules
- cultivate confidence in oneself and in others
- welcome differences
- be open to disagreements
- take care of angers
- learn how to say No, and how to accept the other’s No
without submission or aggression.

31. The kind of useful or necessary knowledge a person
needs to be an autonomous and responsible citizen

32. 1 - The knowledge
- Fundamental knowledge: read, write, count
- General knowledge, culture, diversify knowledge to build a
representation of the world
- Specialised knowledge for professional use or not :
literature, law, biology, economy, electronics, botanical
studies, astrophysics, etc.
- Languages

33. 2 - Skills
• Technical, manual skills (professional, domestic, artistic, etc.)
• Skills in research of information, organisation (internet, text
editing, synthesis and recapitulative schemas, order, etc.)
• Communication skills (text editing, knowing how to speak
before an audience, telephone, interview, etc.)
• Animation skills (working groups, meetings, team management,
etc.)

34. Social skills
- Self-respect and respect of others by being polite,
decent, civil (being clean, wearing suitable clothing, etc.)
- Respect the group : arrive on time, listen, not interrupt,
avoid being out of context during meetings, not leave
before the end, etc.
- Respect collective discipline : the rules established,
partake in collective chores (clean up, do the dishes,
diverse services, etc.)

35. 4 - Well-being
1. Attitude towards oneself : acquire life wisdom
• Give sense to one’s life (sense, direction, meaning,
sensation)
• Understand oneself
• Listen to one’s body, no “over-doing”
• Live in the present
• Recognise a right to make mistakes
• Listen to good sense
• Dare admit one’s needs, emotions, feelings
../..

36. Well-being
Attitude towards oneself
Attitude towards oneself
• Recognise and appreciate one’s own qualities
• Identify weaknesses to improve them
• Know when to stop, assess, and contemplate
• Learn how to manage priorities and time
• Dare, take the risks that make us alive
• Recognise and dominate fears
• Accept age and death

37. Well-being with others
• 2. An attitude towards others :
adapt to the group while being oneself
(authenticity/adaptation)
• Know how to say yes and no
• Express needs and feelings
• Learn how to be helped
• Say out loud what is ok and what isn’t
• Acknowledge conflicts and manage them positively
• Be responsible for one’s acts (ex. : recognise own faults)

38. Personal transformation and social change
Quotations
“The fate of the country does not depend on how you
vote during elections - the best and worst of men play
that same game -, it doesn’t depend on the bulletin you
pick, but on the Man you are at the moment you walk out
of your house in the morning ”.
Henry David Thoreau
“ Be yourself the change you would like to see in the
world ”.
Mohandas Gandhi

39. Personal transformation and social change
Quotations
“ A well organised revolution starts with oneself ”
Lanza del Vasto
“ You can produce organic, use solar heating and rain
water, do carpooling and place your money in ethic funds, if
you are unbearable for your collaborators or spouse, there
is a problem…”
Pierre Rabhi

40. Personal transformation and social change
Quotations
“In spite of all goodness, if people aren’t ready, political
representatives won’t be able to do anything. It would be
like a general without troupes. To change paradigm, a
critical mass needs to be convinced. It is for society to
innovate. Politics are there to support, facilitate and
promote.”
Marc Luycxk Ghisi
“Revolutionaries around the world ! Who cleans your
socks ? ! ”
■