Take A Look inside the Book

What follows is all about each of us seeing the mistaken, failed methods of human bullies and parasites—and the kinds of bad leadership and immoral values we’ve had imposed on us. They couldn’t and didn’t work. Many people were exploited to subsidize a few, and this...

Let’s begin by carefully defining three terms, to give us consistent and common language when facing down the predators before us: Bullies take because they can. They steal openly with intimidation, physical harm and even murder in their predation, if needed. They...

We still keep slaves. This excerpt from the book is the chapter on Slaves in history and today. It is accurate and disturbing, but vitally important to know and understand—or nothing will change. It follows chapters on Bullies and Parasites, people who take because...

Some people argue that our violent human history is actually the outworking of evolution and natural selection, with the “apex predator” perched atop the less-successful predators and prey, each in its place in the ladder of power, the bullies above and their...

To begin, we must not see ourselves as the hopeless and inevitable victims of powerful people and forces beyond our control. We are not stuck and helpless. The more we know, and talk, and commit to protect each other, the more secure will be the future of those we...

False hope preserves darkness. In recent decades, technology has been widely promoted as the cure-all for human suffering—with promises to cure disease, end hunger, provide shelter, and entertain. And it does have potential. But technological advancement has also been...

Fear is virtually always the vulnerability that bullies and parasites use to manipulate us to do their will. One of their key methods is propaganda. The word is thrown around in political debate so often that it barely even registers anymore. It’s just another word...

Mutual care means sharing resources, rights and responsibilities across the whole community. This is where outrage gives way to wisdom—wisdom about how to end human exploitation, with practical intelligence, not just good-heartedness. Let’s set some foundations. These...

What follows is a brief survey of what’s often called the “Golden Rule”—the shining wisdom of mutual care across faiths, philosophies and worldviews. The count in parentheses is the estimated number of current followers, whether actively practicing or not, if known....

If we are to free each other from slavery, in all its forms and disguises, we must be clear-eyed about our own vulnerabilities. Bullies and parasites rely on them to keep us in our place—especially our fear of the other, our instinctive reactions to the unfamiliar,...

When we fully recognize the thefts, lies and villainy of bullies and parasites, we must resist and restrain them. And if we’ve in any way served their ends—through silence, complicity, or imitation—we must stop, awaken, and stand with those who care. To accomplish...

Mutual care produces abundance, not deprivation. Of course. When we focus only on our rights, then taking what’s ours seems like a solution to inequity. But it isn’t. Taking is what bullies do. Taking ensures conflict. We need to think this through more fully. When we...

Were there none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach anything better. – Florence Nightingale Imagine if only the wealthy were allowed on the roads. Or only full-time executives, or only those born in certain ZIP codes. That would be...

Let’s consider the logistics needed to create a system of universal healthcare, without a parasitic middleman layer. Is it beyond our abilities? No. We build extensive roads and complex transit systems. We have air-traffic control and thousands of airplanes in the sky...

How do we replace exploitation with mutual care? What are the essentials of this way of life? Here’s a real-life example to start, a picture to help us think clearly about where our world is today, and what it needs to be whole and healthy… We have always adopted...

The most radical thing we can do with abundance is share it. We live on a planet with such extraordinary abundance that we can easily provide every person with healthcare, decent housing, and good food. Anything short of this is evil. Instead, the poor subsidize the...

I suspect most of us don’t give authority much thought—until it fails us. We tend to assume those in charge will do the right thing, and we only notice when they don’t. Some of us seek positions of authority, some claim them without consent, some threaten or beat...

Every new regime comes dressed in new language and promises of fairness and “a new day ahead”—but it’s often the same old structure with new bullies at the top. Those who promise to be ruthless for you will be ruthless to you once they gain power. The real failure of...

The revolutionary idea of democracy was that people got a vote in who led them and what standards they would agree to. Consent of the governed. There have always been smaller and limited versions of this in history, but applying it to large populations over wide...

Bully leaders sacrifice others to benefit themselves—through ambition, theft, self-flattery, conquest, revenge and cruelty. True leaders sacrifice of themselves to benefit others—giving their talents, resources—sometimes even their lives. They model what it is to care...

Throughout history, there have always been bullies—those who stole and hoarded the abundance of others for their own gain. But for all their self-glory, every one of them and their kingdoms fell and were replaced. Predators get consumed by other predators. They are...

What You Can Do Now Bullies and Parasites Recognize that some take and hoard by force and deception. Call them what they are: bulliesand parasites. Stop honoring or celebrating them—in history or today. If you are one, stop. If you see one, expose it. Refuse to go...

If we are to free each other from slavery, in all its forms and disguises, we must be clear-eyed about our own vulnerabilities. Bullies and parasites rely on them to keep us in our place—especially our fear of the other, our instinctive reactions to the unfamiliar,...

I hate that I live in a world where I must write this book. I hate that this book needs to be written. I dearly hope that by reading this book, you’ll see what to hate—and halt it. And also see what to do, and do it, for each other, for our future together. I wrote...

We need a hard reset on who we are—and who we allow to lead us. Bullies and parasites are those in our neighborhoods and nations who steal from others and reduce them to slaves. They exploit lives to subsidize their own. This happens in dictatorship and democracy. In...