Healing The Heart Of Democracy Rhetorical Analysis

Author, Parker Palmer, in the prelude to his book, “Healing the Heart of Democracy,” discusses the state of our nation. Throughout the prelude, he identifies key problems with our society that create “darkness,” and he gives many ways for us to resolve these obstacles in order to “see the light.” Palmer’s purpose is to unite citizens together so that they can understand each other and create a better society. Palmer describes the “dark” of our world in a variety of ways. He begins by discussing the perils that democracy faces which lead to his own personal struggles. Palmer notes, “As our distrust of “the other” beyond our borders hardened and we began making aliens of each other( a “we” that included me), I fell into a spiral of outrage …show more content…
He began to see that people need to stop judging each other when they know nothing about them. He suggests that we “open our hearts to each other, no matter how deep our differences”(Palmer 4). By opening up to each other we can overcome the tension that divides us. When we begin this process of learning about each other our struggles become evident, and can lead to understanding. Palmer explains, “When we share the sources of our pain with each other instead of hurling our convictions like rocks at “enemies,” we have a chance to open our hearts and connect across some of our great divided”(Palmer 6). People can find common ground when they share their stories, and once they know about a person’s “darkness” it is much easier to see that person as a human, just like them. Once we develop a level of understanding we can work through our differences respectfully, just as our democracy was intended to function. It is inevitable that people with have differing views, but we can “turn suffering into community, conflict into the energy of creativity, and tension into an opening toward the common good”(Palmer 9). Our society can flourish if we work together to solve the problems that affect all of