Are we all cannibals? It’s an eye-catching question and also the name of local author David Braun’s new book.
In the faith-based tome, Braun seeks to decipher the central metaphor of social cannibalism, which he describes as “the act of stealing another person’s life for our own temporary satisfaction.” He suggests that we commit social cannibalism when we extract life from each other instead of from God.
According to Braun’s book, there are four different types of social cannibals: the hoarder, the loner, the dictator, and the slave. The hoarder hoards resources or friends. The loner lives in a self-protective way in order to avoid being hurt. The dictator tries to gain control of his or her life or others’ lives. And the slave tries to appease people in the hope that they will gain from them the security they lack.
Braun feels that many of us fall into these social cannibalism categories because of a lack of closeness to God. He says that God should be truly a “heavenly Father” to us, and not a distant force to fear.
“You can’t know who you are until you know who your Father is, and you don’t know your Father until you experience his heart,” Braun writes. “As you get to know your Father, he speaks empowering definition and heavenly identity into you, releasing deep security into your being.”
Braun feels that when one has a truly close relationship with Father God, there is no longer a need for us to cannibalize in these ways. Our satisfaction will be so complete that we won’t need to steal one another’s life.
Before beginning his journey into writing, Braun helped plant a church in Mexico City, co-founded a leadership school in Colorado, and pastored a church for ten years. He holds degrees in conflict resolution and psychology, as well as a master’s of science in organizational psychology. He also completed the School of Biblical Studies, a nine-month inductive Bible training program.
In the course of Braun’s career and education, he’s travelled to many countries and gone through all manner of life experiences. Whether through writing or speaking, he communicates compassionately and intelligently.
Braun lives in Niverville with his wife and four daughters.
