...Real powerlessness in society as well as the surplus powerlessness we impose on ourselves, Lerner says, comes from repressing our fundamental social essence. Our desires for fullness and joy and community get repressed, but they can never be fully extinguished. The alienation in this society is overwhelming —and it cannot be ignored, he says. But precisely because denial of our fundamental human needs hurts so much, there is continual hope that we will break through our isolations and connect with each other in a deeper way and find ways to change the larger situation.

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