Defusing Polarization: Understanding Divisive Politics

Political differences divide us like never before. Or so it seems. Attempts to bridge this growing chasm stubbornly elude us. Until now.   

Realize How Political Polarization Promptly Dissolves in an Empowering Love   

By putting your needs ahead of ideology.  

By valuing your vulnerable needs ahead of hardened political talk.  

By affirming the needs in others, inspiring them to affirm your needs in return.  

Needs come first   

Missing in every previous attempt to explain political differences is the burning priority of your specific but often overlooked needs. Your needs cannot submit to the arguments shaped for the needs of another. So why should theirs agree to your need-shaped reasoning?   

Here, respect for your needs, and theirs, come first. Politics afterwards. Here, you finally get to understand how each side experiences opposing needs. Before reasoning can get its foot in the door.   

If you lean left, wouldn’t you like to better understand and perhaps appreciate those who lean right?   

If you lean right, wouldn’t you like to better understand and perhaps appreciate those who lean left?   

Or better understand and appreciate those who lean center, or not at all?   

After all, wouldn’t you like others to better understand and appreciate you? Now that’s possible.   

With this course, you can finally:  

1. Understand the deeper motivations behind political views.

2. Appreciate how political sides can slide into polarized voices.   

3. Transform political hostilities into opportunities of mutual value.  

Content and overview   

You’re introduced to an illuminating definition of politics, which you’ll only find here. This three-part definition provides the structure for the bulk of this course.   

Each section after the opener contains three video lectures packed with rich imagery, deep insight, illuminating terms, along with a sprinkling of humor. Each video lecture is further subdivided into segments, which you can find in each video lecture’s description.   

These three video lectures are summarized in a following text-based brief RECAP. No need to remember the meaning of those new words, since you get a glossary of these fresh terms in each RECAP. A 3-question quiz then takes you a step deeper into engaging the material.   

Along the way, you’re introduced to a brand new academic field, for understanding needs. This opens wide your understanding of political differences, and the tendency to slip into opposing extremes.   

You will relate deeper to your own needs, like never before. And relate better to the needs of others. Which may inspire them to relate better to yours, and stop hiding behind a mask of so-called political reasoning.   

You will see how dropping your politicized guard, to expose the vulnerability of your inflexible needs, actually opens you to more opportunities to be loved. You’ll see how love, indeed, is the answer.   

To top it off, you get a well-established communication format for dissolving divisive politics, which can help you “love thy enemy.” When used effectively, this 3-part tool can convert even hostile opposition into mutual understanding.  

• You affirm their politically expressed needs  

• You inspire them to respect your needs  

• You invite them to mutually respect each other   

You learn how to liberate your love for others by expressing your respect for their needs, before insisting any attention to yours. Now wouldn’t you like your political opponents to do that for you?   

When you do that for them first, you empower them to do much the same toward you. You will learn from experience how love truly is transformative. Even for the politically polarized.   

At the end of this course, you’re invited to join us on this transformative journey. Where we put love ahead of politics. Who knows? We just might make history together.   

Ready to get on board? A movement could unfold, and may need you to take your special part.   

We’ll hold a seat for ya. See you on the other side.

2019 Update

I created this course with the idea of gaining feedback for a book I started about it, Politics Defused: Moving Beyond Political Polarization.  Since publishing this course, I had to pivot. I realized I needed to first write a separate book about anakelogy, the study of need. That book is tentatively titled You NEED This. Perhaps I'll also turn that into a Udemy course. Perhaps I should make the time to remake that intro video.

I see myself creating something so unique and off the beaten path, that I am still learning how to bring these fresh ideas to market in various formats and platforms like Udemy. You deserve to know that what I say in the opening unit, about the Politics Defused book, remains a work in progress for the unforeseeable future. Thank you for your understanding patience.

2020 Update

While I still have yet to complete the book projects, I am focused more on creating value for you. I am packaging the essentials of this course into an interactive spreadsheet. This spreadsheet includes a process to bring this illuminating understanding to politicos (namely your elected officials and media pundits). The idea is for you to share it directly with them, to show them how your political views cannot be reduced to rational choice but stems from an inflexible orientation anchored in your particular priority of needs.

$6,000,000,000+ total will be invested in U.S. elections this year. Why not receive your fair part of it? Share this groundbreaking approach, using this spreadsheet tool I am creating, to entice candidates for office to invest in your transcendence of political polarization. I aim to create another eCourse here to show how to optimize this tool.

Eventually, this spreadsheet tool will segue into a website anyone can use. More on this later, as I build it out. Yeah, I am now staying home and staying safe, to create something amazing for your aspiration to overcome political polarization. All in the name of love. Peace out.