Since
I began my weblog in 2003, I've shifted my topics and the vocabulary of
my articles from those associated with a traditional 'Civilization'
social worldview (i.e. mostly articles about the prevalent political
and economic regimes, the existing social structure and culture) to a
more holistic (and some would say idealized) 'Natural' social worldview
(i.e. mostly articles about more natural political, social, economic
and education systems -- see graphic above, lower left).
Recently,
as a result of many conversations (almost all with women) about the
subjects of love, conversation and community*, I've come to realize
that this 'Natural' social worldview has two flavours: a 'masculine'
analytical one and a 'feminine' integrative one (lower right graphic),
with different vocabularies and different understandings of how change
occurs in the real world -- the feminine integrative understanding
being one of one person at a time Letting-Themselves-Change, rather
than the evolutionary/revolutionary change process espoused by most
male progressives.
This article is an attempt to explain how
these masculine and feminine 'Natural' social worldviews are
consistent. I originally wanted to synthesize them into one, but they
seem to be as irreducibly binary as yin and yang.
When there is
love, conversation has purpose, context, engagement, trust (while,
without love, conversation is sterile and selfish). The best
conversations are in fact a form of play. Good conversation entails
listening and paying attention, and it is through this that we learn
(unschooled), discover, develop capacity to understand how the world
works and how to make it better. The best conversations are a form of
'making love' -- empathetic, collaborative, even erotic. One could even
argue that sex is a form of wordless conversation.
The best
conversations are also polyamorous (all participants love and trust
each other) -- this provides safety from hurt and cruelty, and this
safety encourages openness, honesty, courage, and true innovation.
We
are constrained in our ability to change by our inability to envision
different ways to do things, see things, live, make a living. We can
overcome these constraints, and Let-Ourselves-Change, only when we see
a demonstration of other, more intuitively sensible, working models.
How are such models created? As experiments, as play, by the right,
loving people, conversing in community about the right issues, using
the right methods. Not communities of practice or communities of
interest. Communities of passion, of love.
Intentional
Communities (and communes) are examples of models of a better way to
live and self-manage our political and social affairs, an improvement
over the corporatist-dominated and disconnected state politics and the
atomized nuclear families that characterize our lonely and
dysfunctional civilization society.
What I have called Natural
Enterprises -- non-hierarchical, joyous, customer-responsive,
responsible, sustainable, community-based businesses, are similarly
models of a better way to make a living, compared to the destructive,
acquisitive, competitive, oligopoly-prone corporatist businesses.
Natural Enterprises are a form of Intentional Community, and both are
products of their partners' shared passion and love, created by
self-managed communities through conversation with the larger
communities in which they operate.
Natural Enterprises exist in
a Gift/Generosity Economy, one of sharing, giving away in love in the
expectation that others will give generously in return. The work of
self-management, consensus, self-creation of such communities are acts
of love which evolve through conversation.
Conversations could
be seen as a form of Open Space event. Like other Open Space events
they begin with a generous invitation, and their success depends on how
well the invitation is crafted, who it attracts, the love and passion
of participants, and their capacity to listen, pay attention,
Let-Themselves-Change, and converse. (The word 'converse' comes from
the Latin meaning 'to move with'; the word 'community' comes from the
Latin meaning 'shared, unified'.)
Do you see how these masculine
and feminine Natural social worldview models and vocabularies relate to
and complement each other? They are different 'languages' saying the
same thing -- about a better way to live, perceive, understand, relate,
and make a living. Since I've learned to use the 'feminine' language
(with the help of my suddenly predominantly female commenters and
e-mailers) I've found it a more powerful, intuitive, grounded language
than the analytical 'masculine' language. But boy it's tough to learn a
new language when you're so comfortable with the old one!
Life's meaning emerges from conversation in community with people you love.
This
pretty well says it all, doesn't it? Just about anything important you
have to say about politics, economics, education, society, technology,
art etc. can be couched in the language of these three magic words: love, conversation, community.
Take
Knowledge Management for example. Forget trying to explain it in terms
of content, websites, sharing and social networking. KM is simply the
art enabling trusted, context-rich conversations among the
appropriate members of communities about things these communities are
passionate about. That's it!
Whether you want to change
the political or economic system, save the whales, stop global warming,
reform education, spark innovation or anything else, the answer is in
these three magic words, in how meaning and understanding of what needs
to be done emerges from conversation in community with people you love,
people who care.
Now you know how to save the world.
Category: We need a new one for this!
* I credit Nancy White and her colleagues, Juanita Brown, Nancy Margulies and Amy Lenzo with getting me on this three-word jag; they 'got' this long before I did. |
MADE IN CANADA
trust your
instincts 
