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Programmed for Polarization or Connection?
August, 2005
By Donna Zajonc ©2005

In my last newsletter I wrote about a now famous "hot sauce study" which provided us a glimpse of why some groups are perpetuating our current era of political polarization.

By using a group of college Republicans and Democrats, psychologists demonstrated that, when faced with the fear of our own death, we may become hostile or even abusive toward those who see the world differently than we do (read the article in the July newsletter here).

Consistent with this research, political party leaders use this fear based "fight or flight" instinct to help further the polarizing partisan wars. Certain media outlets have joined the battle by using combative language to identify many of their programs.

Listen to these names of popular programs: "Crossfire" "Firing Line" and "Hardball". It is as if they are egging us on to a fight.

Globally, religious fundamentalists are using the same tactics by declaring holy war upon those who do not agree with their views. Radical religious leaders from a variety of traditions are teaching that the end of the world is near and only those who believe as they do will live while all others will eternally suffer in hell.

So, are we innately hardwired for the "fight or flight" reactivity? Are we programmed to rush to violence and military intervention as the primary way of solving our differences? Are we hopelessly divided between those who believe human nature is basically good vs basically evil?

I am firmly convinced the answer to these questions is: No, we are not. We are more connected than we know.

There is substantial scientific evidence that demonstrates we are interconnected in mysterious ways that are not yet fully explained. Scientists are now proving there is an energetic connection between human beings. When this information is widely accepted, it will radically change our political policies and the way we approach dealing with violence and those with whom we disagree.

Science is demonstrating amazing realities of our interconnectedness in double and triple blind studies. In one 1988 study, cardiologist Dr. Randolph Byrd divided heart patients into two groups. One group received prayers from others outside the hospital and the other group did not. His study found that patients who did not receive prayers needed more medication and were more likely to suffer complications than those who did receive prayers.

Distance healing, as it is now called, was once thought to be exclusive to the realm of medical kooks and New Age woo-woo types. Now research is being conducted at Duke, the University of San Francisco, and other prestigious institutions.

The more recent research studies have been expanded to include healers from a variety of spiritual traditions including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism as well as utilizing Reiki masters and other energetic healers. In all cases patients receiving prayers survived in greater numbers, got sick less often and recovered faster than those who did not.

Research conducted by the Dr. Marilyn Schlitz at the Institute for Noetic Sciences was designed to determine whether an individual's physiological response to a light shined in their eyes might evoke a similar physiological response in another person's brain. Dr. Schlitz concluded that a light shined in one person's eye when locked inside a separate sealed room, also stimulated brain waves in a person in a separate sealed room located down the hall.

Dr. Schlitz observed a spike at the same exact millisecond in the second person's brain in response to the light shined in the first person's eye. Her results indicate that there is a yet explained interconnectedness between individuals.

These extraordinary results demonstrate that our energy is connected to the energy of others. Everyone has experienced this. There are some people we feel drawn to and simply others around whom we energetically feel drained or sick. Sometimes we can feel it the second we enter a room. Women especially are aware of these differences---sometimes referred to as "women's intuition."

So the question remains: "Are we programmed for polarization and defeating others at all costs, or are we interconnected in scientific ways that we never thought imaginable?"

I believe the idea of a new era of political collaboration is gaining momentum in part because science is documenting what many of us have intuitively known. To sustain and continue the growth of collaboration, we must learn to transcend our polarization and cultural differences. Our survival depends upon our understanding of our interconnectedness and ability to cooperate.

Science is continuing to shed light on our hidden energetic connection that has been smothered by the flight or fight mechanism of survival. The time has come to grow into a new politics that leverages the reality of our interdependence.

In my next few newsletters I will discuss how to apply these principles to the reality of politics so that, together, we can transform our political systems for generations to come!

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Donna Zajonc is a Political Leadership Coach, a former three-term Oregon Legislator and was her party's nominee for Secretary of State. She has also managed several campaigns including a highly visible governor's campaign. Donna challenges her clients to prepare for public office with the same rigor that all professionals seek.