[p2p-research] Fwd: Towards A New Cultural Paradigm... initial thoughts on completely changing the game ; -)
jsmith at mosquitonet.com
jsmith at mosquitonet.com
Thu Nov 4 22:43:14 CET 2010
Dear Suresh and all ~
By far the most important book I've read on what is now needed related to global
systems change is Not-Two Is Peace: The Ordinary People's Way of Global Cooperative
Order by Adi Da. The book is available entirely online here:
http://www.da-peace.org/.
All best wishes ~
Julie
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Suresh Fernando <suresh2323 at gmail.com>
> Date: Thu, Nov 4, 2010 at 1:17 AM
> Subject: Towards A New Cultural Paradigm... initial thoughts on completely
> changing the game ;-)
> To: openkollab at googlegroups.com, envisioning at lists.worklessparty.org,
> intention at lists.tribalharmonix.org, movers-shakers at googlegroups.com,
> coalition at googlegroups.com, uk-gathering at googlegroups.com
>
>
> **
>
> Hey Everyone... some stuff I've been thinking about lately... I welcome your
> thoughts!! Apologies for the length... I will, in time, do videos to get
> this story out in a more digestible fashion. At this point it is important
> to me that all that I am closely engaged with understand that everything
> that I am working on is a part of a larger fabric...
>
>
> *Note that this is, at least in part, an attempt to place in context the
> profound importance of the systematic evolution tribal culture and
> alternative institutional and interaction models!*
>
>
>
> *Objective:* This is a call for us to take seriously the need for massive
> global systemic change at multiple levels!
>
>
> *Scope:* The following describes an outline for a book that I am starting to
> work on.... nothing more - one that we might be able to co-develop should
> there be sufficient interest.
>
>
> * *
>
> *An Inflection Point In Human History: we are at the Tipping Point*
>
> *Climate Change: a Rallying Cry:* This generation is unique in all of human
> history in that it is faced with the greatest challenge ever presented to
> our species; that of the threat of climate change. This is a threat that
> places our entire species at risk. In and of itself this is remarkable, but
> what makes our current situation unique is that we are faced with this
> threat in conjunction both with the knowledge of this threat as well as well
> as sufficient communication and technological capacity to do something about
> it. Yet we dawdle... why is this so?
>
>
> *What does this tell us about what it is to be human?*
>
> *
> *
>
> *Advancements in Communications Infrastructure: *Another important
> consideration is that simultaneous with being presented with an
> unprecedented global challenge (climate change), we are provided with the
> accelerated evolution of a communications and mass coordination
> infrastructure (the Internet) that makes possible the coordination of ideas,
> will and effort in a manner heretofore not possible at any time in the
> course of human history!
>
>
> *Values Transformation:* For reasons I outline briefly below, western
> culture is in the midst of a massive values transformation; one that
> questions the current status quo. It questions the ‘Economics Lens’; that
> which frames definitions of social good, human welfare etc in terms of
> economic concepts (financial capital, GDP, productivity etc.)
>
>
> *It is the convergence of the above massive shifts in global consciousness
> that provides us with an opportunity unprecedented in the course of human
> history; an opportunity to reshape everything!*
>
> * *
>
> *The Process of Transformation*
>
> If massive systemic change is to be a possibility, a concerted effort will
> be required on three parallel fronts:
>
> *Across organizations and Boundaries:* Between organizations and across
> boundaries of various sorts. We need to stitch together a movement, to
> connect organizations, groups, projects, people, ideas etc. in a way that
> makes it possible to massively mobilize towards better ends.
>
> Revolution requires the centralization of focus; the aggregation of many
> around a single idea in a single space! Fortunately in the world that we
> live in, space can be construed differently. In fact, in virtual space, it
> becomes possible for us all to participate in the same space!
>
> I am working on this with the Coalition of the
> Willing<http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Way-Of-The-Warrior/156574347703364>group
> that is mobilizing on the
> BetterMeans <https://secure.bettermeans.com/projects/163> platform
>
> *Within Organizations:* We need to build a bridge to mainstream culture by
> working with organizations to initiate dialogue and commence engagement.
> Since the source of the problem is the Economic Lens, systemic change is
> only possible by reframing the value system of those that give voice to the
> Economic Lens. I am currently working with some folks to figure out how to
> take a systems/network/ecosystem approach into corporate environments.
>
> *Interpersonal Level:* Since value systems become deeply engrained and are
> reinforced by the institutional frameworks of which we are currently a part,
> a change in psyche is also necessary; one that provides us with the paradigm
> and tools necessary to embrace a culture of cooperation, selflessness,
> community and the proliferation of love.
> It is for this reason that I am giving voice to the Warrior
> Paradigm<http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Way-Of-The-Warrior/156574347703364>.
>
>
> * *
>
> *The World Today*
>
> Western culture is pervaded by a deep sense that something has gone wrong.
> We are beset with a deep sense of unease...
>
> This is just an intuition, but finds its basis in the problems and
> associated discourse arising from, at the least, the following.
>
> - Climate change
> - Massive economic disparity
> - Species extinction
> - Financial collapse
> - Global conflict, terrorism etc.
> - Unhappiness and alienation of western workers
> - Lack of confidence in democratic processes as evidenced by little
> interest in the political process.
> - Many of the problems identified have been present for generations, what
> makes the current context unique is that we now realize that some of what we
> held as sacrosanct might not be so.
> - Capitalism is not the best mechanism to allocate capital if a broader
> value set is considered
> - Unfettered technological progress is not, in and of itself, something
> to be lauded.
> - Globalization and the free flow of capital across the globe might not
> be the best way to go
>
> There is a sense that we have been duped.
>
>
> All civilizations come, at some time, to a crashing halt. We can wait for
> the implosion or start charting a better course.
>
>
> In the following, I propose to introduce a few ideas for consideration...
>
>
>
> *The New Paradigm: a techno-cultural reordering*
>
> There is no doubt that we are in the midst of a radical shift. This shift is
> very wide scope and will impact all phases of human life. It finds its roots
> and genesis, however, in the emergence of a new communications paradigm.
> This change in the communications paradigm has implications for the very
> nature of interaction as it modifies the notion of space, the boundaries of
> communication, the capacity to communicate, the nature of knowledge, its
> structure etc.
>
> Here are a few areas where I see lots of work being done. They key will be
> find ways to piece all of this together.
>
>
> *New Perspectives*
>
> A systemic approach to the relationship between organizations, projects,
> people etc. This is the move away from a perspective rooted in
> individualism and fragmentation. It is the explicit realization that we
> belong to an interdependent system; that we are fundamentally connected. As
> such, why can we not develop our infrastructure and support models to
> reflect this reality?
>
> This is the basis for the notion of an
> ecosystem<http://docs.google.com/View?id=dc4gbgsj_1480ns63fcdp>that I
> have developed and the Ecosystem
> Pooled Funding Model<http://www.slideshare.net/sureshf/ecosystem-social-ventures>
> .
>
>
> *New Economic Models*
>
> - Alternative currencies
> - · Local
> - · Virtual
> - Alternative Financial Models
> - · Ecosystem Pooled Fund
> - · Chris Cooks work, for example
>
> *New Interaction Models*
>
> - Open infrastructures
> - Interoperabilithy
> - Peer Production
> - Collective Intelligence
> - High visibility
> - Mass collaboration
> - Strategic Confluence
>
> *Values Transformation*
>
> - Sustainability
> - Holism
> - Healthy lifestyles
> - Return to Nature
> - Cooperation
> - Collaboration
> - Openness
> - Transparency
>
>
>
>
>
> *Renewed Spiritual Context*
>
> Western culture has lost any sense of the sacred or the divine. We have been
> consumed by materialism and have lost touch with ourselves, our community
> and any deep sense of higher purpose.
>
>
> This, however, is beginning to change. The roots of this change can be found
> in a new generation of ‘hippies’ or counter-culture revolutionaries. They
> find their roots in a wide range of disciplines. They are artists,
> musicians, open source computer programmers, permaculture enthusiasts,
> social activists etc.
>
>
> In many ways it is a techno-social revolution that we are seeing emerge. One
> that is driven by values transformation as well as sense that much is
> possible if we focus on community formation and coming together in different
> ways.
>
>
>
> *New Communal Models*
>
> - · Localization
> - · Intentional Community
>
> *New Organizational Models*
>
> · Open Organizations
>
> - Open
> - Transparent
> - Highly scalable
> - Permeable Boundaries
>
> · Cooperatives: new form of value exchange
>
> · Tribes: new form of institutional model that accounts for our
> ‘humanness’
>
>
>
>
>
> *The Old Paradigm*
>
> *Misguided Values*
>
> *Economics is the lens:* Human welfare equivalent to GDP growth
>
> - Humans are commoditized in the work world: are merely ‘workers’.
> - Workers are gauged on ‘productivity’.
> - Organizations are evaluated based on ‘efficiency’
> - Progress is equivalent to technological advancement and the ability to
> control our environment
> - Progress is equivalent to the advancement of financial/material
> capability
> - The result of the Economics Lens is that we have institutionalized the
> following values
> - Individualism
> - Greed
> - Competition
> - Hierarchy
>
> *Specialization, personal identity and the fragmentation of Western Culture*
>
> *
> *
>
> The Economics Lens is the result of a long historical process the result of
> which is the transition from hunter-gatherer communities to agrarian society
> to industrialization. This process lead to the invention of money. This, in
> turn lead to the need for people to specialize; to develop a trade that they
> can exchange in return for money.
>
>
> Specialization now becomes a requirement for survival. Specialization thus
> results in a change in the nature of the relationship between personal
> identity and community.
>
> Personal identity takes on a greater level of importance; at the expense of
> community.
>
>
> The culmination of this process is that Western culture is highly
> fragmented. The importance of personal identity in conjunction with
> individualism, greed, avarice and the like has lead to the creation of walls
> around ourselves. This has been reflected in the very nature of the
> communities we develop. We now have much less of an emphasis on living in
> community, deeper levels of connection with more people etc.
>
>
>
> *Outdated Institutional Models*
>
> Corporations, societies, charities etc.
>
> - · Are not appropriate for networked world where information
> flows freely across boundaries
> - · Have fixed boundaries. What is needed are organizations that
> have more permeable boundaries
> - · Clearly demarcate the scope of ‘work’ as being distinct from
> ‘play’. This is to say that it is assumed that when one is working, it is
> with a co-worker and not with someone you love. The distinction between work
> and play is clear.
>
>
>
> *Spirituality*
>
> Largely missing from Western culture
>
> * *
>
> *Tribal Models*
>
> *I close this piece with a brief discussion of tribal models because I
> believe this is the model that that provides the best opportunity to drive
> the transformation at the three levels identified above (across
> organizations, within organizations, at the personal/spiritual level)*
>
> *
> *
>
> I am still working through the development of tribal models. As can be
> expected this is not something that can be developed in the abstract. It is,
> therefore, being developed in the context of my participation in a series of
> tribes in my local area. These tribes have slightly different focuses, but
> there are common overlapping themes:
>
>
> *Intentionality*: there is some primary focus, be it an event or something
> else that binds the group
>
>
> *Intimacy:* those that gravitate to tribal environments see their future as
> being secured by the relationships they form not by the amount of money the
> accumulate (or at least this is reflective of thie spirit).
>
> *Bridging Work and Play:* In tribal culture we prefer to work with those
> that we have personal relationships with. We see no reason to clearly
> demarcate the work and play domains as independent.
>
> *Group Process:* Tribal decisions are largely made in larger, open, group
> contexts. Decisions in this contexts are therefore more a function of
> fluidity within that context.
>
> *Energetic Spaces:* Tribal energy is developed and maintained in different
> energetic spaces. This includes meetings, collaborative food preparation,
> music, dance etc. Characteristic of each of these spaces is that they have a
> different vibrational frequency.
>
> *Energetic Balance: *Tribes take into account a range of different forms of
> diversity and the need to account for balance across such diversity. This
> includes; gender, age, culture, skills, interests, emotional types etc.
>
> *Deep Human Relationships*: We see the need to build deep relationships with
> a number of different people of both sexes. These relationships for the
> basis for mutual interdependence and support.
>
> *Interaction Across A Range of Activity Types:* In contrast to the work
> environment where patterns of interaction are clearly demarcated, in tribal
> culture we understand that it is essentially important to interact with each
> other across a range of activity types; to get to know each other in
> different contexts, This is what is required to develop a deep sense of
> knowledge of each other. This is the basis for the formation of deeply
> trusting relationships.
>
> *
> With Love in the Spirit of Community*!
>
> --
> *Suresh Fernando *
> BLOG <http://sureshf.posterous.com/>,
> YOUTUBE<http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhum>,
> OK WEBSITE, <http://openkollab.com/>OK FAN PAG
> <http://goog_1343289408/>E<http://www.facebook.com/openkollab?ref=ts#%21/openkollab>
> , OK GROUP <http://groups.google.ca/group/openkollab>,
> OK-WE<http://www.wiserearth.org/group/openkollab>,
> PHILOSOPHY, <http://sureshfernando.wordpress.com/> TWITTER,
> <http://twitter.com/sureshf> FACEBOOK,
> <http://facebook.com/suresh.fernando>WOTW FAN
> PAGE<http://www.facebook.com/tedxvancouver?v=wall#%21/pages/The-Way-Of-The-Warrior/156574347703364>
> LINKEDIN<http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=412718&authType=name&authToken=GrUl&locale=en_US&pvs=pp&trk=ppro_viewmore>,
> SLIDESHARE <http://www.slideshare.net/sureshf>
> *
> **'The counter cultural revolution was a rhizomatic meshwork of
> loosely-coordinated, loosely-affiliated struggles. The goals of these
> struggles weren’t always complimentary, but the struggles were aligned and
> together they staged a mass offensive to shatter the status quo'*. - from
> The Coalition of the Willing
>
>
>
>
> --
> P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
>
> Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss:
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>
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>
> Think tank: http://www.asianforesightinstitute.org/index.php/eng/The-AFI
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