Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Book on Fauci, Vaccine Mandates, Covid Tests, and Resolving Related Family Issues

This chapter discusses the author's efforts to preserve his important relationship with a family member, working through issues related to vaccine mandates, Covid tests, and the reading of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 2021 book The Real Anthony Fauci. By being willing to read Kennedy's book on Fauci, which challenged many of the author's initial beliefs, the author describes how significant issues in his family relationship have been resolved through a mutual give-and-take with his family member, with an openness to communication and compromise on both of their parts. However, the author was also able to convey concerns that he had about Kennedy’s book to his family member, resulting in an authentic communication between them and a preservation of their relationship. The author describes his interactions with his family member as experiential democracy played out on the family turf, and as a tremendously important and timely way to put into practice the core principles of humanistic psychology. With a focus on Kirk Schnedier's experiential democracy work to bridge the political polarization divide in the United States, the author connects his experiences to the empathy and authenticity fundamental principles of humanistic psychology. In order to update and expand upon the information from the article upon which this present book chapter is based , the author included a postscript in the book chapter.