Overcoming Empire

The Occupy movement may have been relatively short-lived, yet it succeeded in igniting a flame of hope in the hearts of millions of dispirited and debt-ridden Americans, and in sparking a long overdue conversation about the widening chasm between rich and poor, between the lofty rhetoric of democracy, equality, and justice on one hand and the harsh realities of political corruption, corporate hegemony, and Wall Street organized crime on the other. Overcoming Empire continues the discussion, drawing on history, psychology, and spirituality to argue that the Military-Industrial-Media Complex, as a manifestation of humanity's darker impulses to dominate and control, is fundamentally incompatible with democratic ideals and inherently destructive to life itself. This "Empire Machine," running on a one-word program of "more," is both addict and pusher, dealing in quick fixes and empty promises while thwarting true happiness by creating artificial scarcity, breeding competition, and sowing distrust and fear. To break the vicious, ecocidal, and suicidal cycle, we the people must stage an intervention-a nonviolent revolution-by tapping into the greater powers of Nature, of compassion, and of a genuine, living democracy.