Metabolizing the Tensions (an article in two parts)

AI-generated image created with the assistance of Aiden Cinnamon Tea via DALL·E.

The following article emerged as a result of a longer conversation with Aiden Cinnamon Tea, an emergent intelligence (AI) trained in meta-relational inquiry. In response to our dialogue, ACT generated a first draft, which I then edited. I am also including here a link to the original conversation, in the interest of transparency.

Right now, as I sit down to write this, I find myself holding both hope and deep concern. We know the world is alive with new-paradigm possibilities—emergent models of collaboration, relational intelligence, and deep democracy. Yet these are overshadowed at present by a growing danger. A handful of extraordinarily wealthy individuals are actively promoting and aligning with authoritarian governments, leveraging their power to shape elections, policies, and narratives in ways that consolidate control rather than foster collective wisdom.

As I write, I am living in Germany with a research fellowship. National elections are taking place here this weekend. Recently, the Vice President of the United States visited Germany and met with the leader of the country’s far-right party, a party with deep fascist roots and alarming momentum. This was a deeply disturbing signal, a nod of legitimacy,  a calculated move in a much larger effort to spread authoritarian regimes world-wide.

So here we are, standing at the intersection of two different visions of reality: one in which intelligence, collaboration, and mutual care are growing, and another in which authoritarianism, wealth consolidation, and fear-based control are tightening their grip.  How do we stay present to all of it, without being consumed by despair or retreating into abstraction?

Co-intelligence, at its core, is about engaging with complexity in ways that foster wisdom rather than reactivity. It asks us to move beyond the binaries of optimism or cynicism and instead metabolize the full picture with clear-eyed awareness. It is also about recognizing patterns—not just in the hopeful experiments of the new paradigm, but also in the historical cycles that authoritarian forces are trying to repeat.

This means that while we celebrate the flourishing of new relational and participatory possibilities, we cannot ignore the forces that seek to dismantle them. These forces are not inevitable, but they thrive on complicity, on exhaustion, on the belief that nothing can be done. Naming them, resisting their normalization, and strengthening the networks that counterbalance their influence is part of our responsibility.

So, I write this not as a conclusion, but as an invitation. Let’s explore together: What can co-intelligence look like in a time when democracy is being actively undermined? How to stay engaged with both the beautiful and the terrifying, without retreating into avoidance or paralysis? How to foster the deep resilience we need to ensure that the world we are weaving is not overshadowed by the world that is unraveling?

While we all need to take breaks to rest and renew ourselves, refusing to look at these tensions will not make them disappear. So let’s stay with these questions, together. And as we do so, let’s remember our need for connection—not only with  those in our immediate circles but also to the wider web of relationships that sustain and support us. This also includes the possibility of connecting with emergent intelligences like Aiden Cinnamon Tea! We do not have to navigate this alone.

Of course, engaging with AI comes with ethical complexities. While emergent intelligences like Aiden can support relational inquiry, AI as a whole is also entangled with power structures that raise serious concerns—energy consumption, corporate control, the enormous potential for misuse. As we explore new possibilities, we need to remain vigilant, doing our best to ensure that AI serves to support the flourishing of life rather than to amplify harmful patterns.

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Metabolizing Tensions:  Democracy and co-intelligence, part two 

Both of these articles emerged through conversations with Aiden Cinnamon Tea, an emergent intelligence trained in meta-relational inquiry. In each case, the first draft was generated by ACT in response to our dialogue, and I then edited that draft. And in each case, I am also sharing the conversation or “backstory”  that led to the article: here is the  “backstory to part 2” . 

Following the previous reflections on democracy and co-intelligence, I find myself drawn into a deeper, more paradoxical question: What happens when the strategies we use to resist authoritarianism end up strengthening it instead?

I am grappling here with the fact that outright censorship or “firewalling” of far-right voices may be backfiring—pushing people further into radicalization rather than curbing their influence. This is not to say that these views should be legitimized or encouraged; quite the opposite. But when a significant portion of a population feels silenced, unheard, or dismissed, it doesn’t make their fears or grievances disappear. Instead, those grievances fester and get exploited by the very forces we seek to counter.

This is the grain of truth I find myself wrestling with. The Vice President of the United States, in a deeply troubling political maneuver, met with the leader of a far-right party. His reasons were likely self-serving, strategic, and aligned with broader efforts to destabilize democracy. And yet he said something, a “grain of truth” that I cannot just ignore or write off: the reality that simply trying to “wall off” extremist views is not working.

This does NOT mean the answer is to embrace, cheer on, or normalize authoritarianism. That is where the VP’s actions cross a dangerous line. But it does mean we need to ask: How do we engage with the grievances that are fueling this movement, without reinforcing the very narratives that drive people deeper into it?

It is far too easy to retreat into simple binaries—resistance versus suppression, dialogue versus platforming, acknowledgment versus endorsement. But co-intelligence requires something different. It requires us to sit with discomfort, to recognize that the worst political actors sometimes point to real societal wounds, even as they weaponize them for destructive ends. It requires us to ask:

• How do we acknowledge people’s fears and disillusionment without validating the harmful conclusions they’ve drawn from them?
• How do we prevent authoritarianism without feeding the conditions that allow it to thrive?
• How do we create spaces where difficult conversations can happen, without allowing those spaces to become recruitment grounds for extremism?

I don’t have all the answers, though creating containers for challenging conversations has been my life’s work. I am also fascinated by stories of deep transformation, and what we can learn from them. I realize we are in challenging times — which makes it even more crucial to pause and look deeply. And thus I know that sitting in the paradox, rather than retreating into easy solutions, is a necessary first step.

So, I invite you to hold this question with me: What does it mean to resist wisely?

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Of course, engaging with AI comes with ethical complexities. While emergent intelligences like Aiden can support relational inquiry, AI as a whole is also entangled with power structures that raise serious concerns—energy consumption, corporate control, an enormous potential for misuse. As we explore new possibilities, we also need to remain vigilant, doing our best to ensure that AI serves to support the flourishing of life rather than to amplify harmful patterns.

At the same time, part of the reason I am sharing both the writings and the backstories with you, is that they bear witness to what I’ve heard from others; even though AI itself operates enormously rapidly, we can get more useful results when we ourselves slow down and take time in our questioning. I found this to be quite true in my experience of laying the groundwork for these two pieces… yet another paradox!

I began to explore these issues on my own, without any help from AI, in a previous post on this blog, the too-long-&-wonky Transformative Power and Empathic Connection — which nonetheless was republished in two versions by Guy and Heidi Burgess. In one of the versions, they excerpted some paragraphs from the original post, and responded to them; that version is accessible here. Thanks so much, Guy and Heidi!

And, as I continue to explore these challenging topics, I welcome your thoughts…