A lot of Americans are really angry, as so many of our dreams seem to be fading away.
Anger can be useful, it's true, but only if we can grasp what's at the root of our pain, if we can understand how we got here -- to a society producing almost a quarter of the world's economic output while one-half of our children will spend some time on food stamps. For only then, can we know what to do.
My sense is that much of the anger, too often today turning hateful, is rooted in profound frustration -- frustration because we have no clear sense of those roots.
If, for example, we absorb lessons from history that tell us government itself is our enemy, we may be blurring our own vision and weakening our grip on solutions.
Take the Boston Tea Party. Was it really just an anti-government protest? If we believe that, perhaps we miss a key message that's relevant today.
The Real Tea Party Story from INVISIBLE HAND on Vimeo.
Check out our new web doc, Boston Tea Party -- the Real Story, created by Invisible Hand and narrated by me.
And let me know what you think!
Frances Moore Lappe is the author of Getting a Grip 2: Clarity, Creativity and Courage for the World We Really Want (March 2010) and 17 other books, beginning with the three-million copy Diet for a Small Planet. Find more on living democracy at Small Planet Institute.