From Leadership to Empowerment
by Margo Adair

Under hierarchy, life is viewed as inherently dangerous; everything must be kept under control or chaos will reign. It is not a difficult task to propagate this perspective when wielding weapons of destruction and controlling all the resources necessary for survival. A scarcity mentality grips society, no one believes there is enough to go around. So the question becomes who will win and who will lose. Egalitarianism views life as a benevolent force, to be trusted. Given the space, healing takes place naturally. There is enough for everyone and mutuality is at the base of our security.

Harmony is about letting go. Everything that makes life worth living is possible only when we give up control, let go, and trust the process. This is true for love, orgasm, creative inspiration, intuitive insight, spiritual revelation and healing. Trust can be attained only through communion — it cannot be had upon demand. The hierarchic model is what I call the Paradigm of Control, the other I call the Paradigm of Harmony. Functioning on opposite assumptions, each asks an entirely different set of questions for any problem that arises, and therefore draws totally divergent conclusions about the sources of and solutions to any malaise. It is not that people are one way or the other — the question is which approach is being taken in any given situation. 

The following lists the tendencies of the two divergent world-views — their values, concerns, approaches and attributes.