Acquired Spontaneity

Thoughts and practices for personal and social transformation

Miki Kashtan Ph.D.

Stepping Into Leadership

I cannot and don’t even have the aspiration to become perfect. I want to be fully free from the constant stress of “working on myself.”

Transcending Barriers while Life Meets Death

I was unexpectedly nourished by an email I received from someone who is consciously, purposefully trying to live applied NVC and Conflict Transformation in work and life.

#MeToo and Liberation for All

Most people seem to believe both that punishing men is successful at protecting and supporting women, and that nothing other than punishment could be. I question both.

Life, Interdependence, 
and the Pursuit of Meeting Needs

Reclaiming our innate capacity for receiving takes us on a journey of recognizing, accepting, and embracing our needs, and re-developing trust.

Nonviolence in the Face of Hatred

The practice of nonviolence begins precisely when our actions, words, or thoughts are not aligning with our commitment. Because our capacity often lags behind our commitment.

Moving from Fault to Cause

I am confident that fighting back, name calling, shaming, denouncing, and other similar tactics recently are feeding rather than quelling this upsurge of white supremacy.

Why Patriarchy Is Not About Men

I see this as the core source of violence: the physical, emotional, and spiritual brutalization of boys and men.

Addendum to Privilege, Responsibility, and Nonviolence

After posting my recent post, I received a comment that completely surprised me, in which I was challenged about what I thought was the opposite of what I said.

Privilege, Responsibility, and Nonviolence

When enhance my capacity to hear the contents of what people from marginalized groups share about their experiences, regardless of how it’s presented, two things happen.

Staying Open to Life despite Losses

In short, the practice of vulnerability has given me peace and less helplessness; it has given me more freedom to be myself in a simple way; and it has made me more accessible.

When Effects Are Invisible: From Comfort to Freedom

What is it that makes the existing global system continue to function with our ongoing participation, when so many of us know how close to the edge of catastrophe we are?

If I Were a Rich Man, the Inner Dimension

This is something all of us can do: align our actions with our values, even when it means stepping outside our comfort zone, and reaching out to others.

If I Were a Rich Man

If I truly want to be an agent of change in the direction of a world that works for all of life, I cannot do it alone.

Working for Change in a New Era, But How?

When we approach confrontation differently, I will then have more hope that miracles of transformation can happen.

Accountability, Love, Shame, and Working for Transformation

"I have more faith in actions that arise from a context of inner peace and acceptance than in actions that are fueled by fear and anger, the hallmarks of non-acceptance."

You’re Not a Bad Person: Facing Privilege Can Be Liberating

Time and time again I notice just how simple and strong it is to own and acknowledge my privilege where I have it, and to do so without guilt and shame.

Protecting and Learning in a Time of Hatred

It’s clear to me that without seeing everyone’s humanity, we will not find a way of moving forward that will actually create change.

A Nation, Divided, With Liberty and Justice for the Few

Deriving solace from thought leaders like Michelle Alexander, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Tom Atlee and Arnold August.

The Challenge of Connecting Dots

What I realized in a moment of sharp and instantaneous insight that came from nowhere and hit me at the core was utterly simple: the Waltons and I see a different reality.

Social Justice and Theater at a Time of Crisis

At the Theatre of the Oppressed last week a group of 36 of us from across many social divides and several countries grappled together with our experiences.

Instead of Being Silent

What does love look like in the wake of violence I cannot grasp?

An Instruction Manual for and About Dissenters

All of the tips I present here are based on what I have learned on my way to being able to survive, and often even thrive, as a “professional” outlier in the world.

Who Makes the Tough Calls in a Collaborative Organization?

"Do we have to involve everyone in every decision for it to be collaborative? ... Because if we do, I'm quitting my job." I hear different versions of this question all the time.

What Will We Do if Trump Is the Next President?

In response to the intensity of hatred and separation that I see coming from Trump and his supporters, I want to find a way to meet them in an entirely different way.

Strengthening Collaboration Through Encouraging Dissent

The first time I heard that groups thrive on dissent, I didn’t like the idea. This assumption didn’t change overnight. It was a slow process of seeing, again and again...

Experiments in Gift Economy, Part 2

I look at how experimenting with the full gift economy can only take place from a position of privilege, and what we can do to continue these experiments sustainably.

Experiments in Gift Economy (Part I)

We have been trained to mistrust anything offered freely... When I envision a full, global, functioning gift economy, I see an enormous and endless flow of generosity.

Crisscrossing Layers of Privilege

Why is it so much easier for so many people to say that they are "fortunate" than to say they are "privileged"?

Starting a New Year: Why I Embrace Discomfort

My freedom depends on my willingness to step outside my comfort zone – the habits and beliefs that have been ingrained in me through socialization and trauma.

NVC, Christianity, and Notions of Right and Wrong

Why would anyone want to leave behind notions of right and wrong when they exist in most versions of most religions as well as in other moral systems? Here are some reasons.

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