Entrapment or Intelligence?

Entrapment or Intelligence?

In some cases one might consider having a bunch of letters behind their name a sign of accomplishment. In others it only validates an old adage of 'the more I know the more I realize I don't know.' At times the letters create more boundaries to knowledge than they share, limiting the mind's peering into further depths because of the constraints of the 'degrees' that separate. How separate we get before we begin to learn how to come together for a common purpose is an aspect of intelligence.

Is there a potential of bridging boundaries or of finding some harmony in the chaos we witness in the world today? Certainly we can agree that our planetary civilization is evolving, even though it may only appear as pockets of progress currently.

Man surely is realizing there is much more to our nature than has been nurtured by and through our intellectual and spiritual development. The two often create vastly different approaches to resolving common issues we all face. We look out into the cosmos and can confirm there is indeed one creation that we can all witness, yet there are a plethora of postulates and projections as to how it operates and who is in charge.

Some have no desire to explore such matters and focus on doing what is deemed 'best' for the daily activities of supporting their family and performing their job, Others obsess over conspiracy theories about control and dominance of the human race and loose sight of what matters in the moment.

Sometimes the advantage of intelligence keeps one dancing around the circle of perspective and exploring each of the points along the line to the point of entrapment. The observer gets caught up in the process and stifles the ability of the participant to engage life. This seems to happen across the gamut of human experience from personal to professional, community to corporate. Now it is easy to see this when one remains in the eye of the storm. However, life is spinning around the observer in the storm itself.

An old favorite, Aurobindo Ghose, presented the notion that it is easier to enter the chaos and find one's center, then to choose when and where to re-enter with a sense of direction and/or purpose. In today's world the deeper one looks into the nature of his/her life and the purposeful direction of it, the more one is confronted with the conflicting notions of dominance and submission to a variety of 'wills' and the management of attention to them.

Can we find balance and/or harmony within the dominant culture or do we need a shift to the submissive side?

As we begin to realize there are some natural patterns the appear throughout creation, maybe there is good cause to pause and reflect on the mathematical precision present in them. It would seem to make sense that the pendulum would begin to swing toward finding ways to become aligned with these patterns instead of dominate our environment and society through forced behaviors.

Just how is our intelligence going to release us from the entrapment of our ill-fated dominance and near destruction of our planet?

In the author's opinion, we have to first agree collectively that there is a need. Decades of data-driven decisions (depending on who's data) have driven us to the brink of global annihilation, not because of weapons of mass destruction but because of poor planetary resource management and use. Like it or not, we're driven by a fossil fuel economy. 

Good or bad isn't the point now as it seems apparent we need a change. How we engage that change will determine how quickly we move beyond the entrapment and demonstrate intelligence as a human specie instead of a human race.

Critical Self Reflection

Critical Self Reflection

The process of critical reflection of assumptions empowers one and many to view influencing details that determines the ability to find consensus and harmony in any situation. Harmony does not mean the absence of conflict, merely the creative use of it to resolve issues that inhibit cooperative and collaborative relationships in professional and personal environments.

The article presents perspectives of human patterns and the avenues available to establish collective understandings of beliefs, intentions, values and feelings to facilitate a ‘common’ reality that is workable for everyone. Critical reflection of assumptions is used to enter into a discourse to assess alternative beliefs, predicated on universal principles. CRA is used in Transformational Theory, Assimilative Learning, Objective Reframing, and Subjective Reframing for adult learning.

Transformational Theory

Transformational Theory (Mezirow, 1991,1995, 1996), which uses reflection, maintains human learning is promoted in communication through assessing intentions, values, moral issues, and feelings which requiring the use of critical reflection of assumptions. Transformational Theory holds that CRA is not a panacea or provides some transcendent experience to resolve conflict. Rather, it presents the process as a ‘best practice’ compared to other options that have been used in the workplace.

Assimilative Learning

Assimilative Learning, as used by psychoanalysts, pertains to adjustment or accommodation to a difficult situation by accepting it as conforming to one’s desire. This process moves one to act according to regulative principles, a way of thinking or behaving deemed more functional or acceptable. This seems to characterize the way adults learn to adapt to change, using tacit judgment to move forward to constructive results.

Objective Reframing

Objective Reframing examines established definitions, theories, and practices to better understand the paradigms influencing decision-making. Using critical reflection of a premise and defining a problem can lead to transformative redefinition and ‘problem posing.’ The objective of this process, in the all its facets, is to improve performance.

Subjective Reframing

Subjective Reframing examines psychological or cultural assumptions to reveal conceptual and psychological limitations.

In all of the above situations, critical reflection of assumptions is used in discursive groups to assess and manage flow of communication relative to outcomes desired within those same discursive groups that are commonly found within the workplace environment. The task for a manager is to creatively translate the use of critical reflection of assumptions and discourse to effectively facilitate conflict resolution in the workplace.

Questions:

What are the tools available for creating an atmosphere where critical reflection of assumptions can be used effectively? How can one facilitate the use of such tools in environments where human communications are predicated on form, fit and function of critical path assessments?

Potential Answers:

Human resource development programs using a combination of psychoanalytic assessment tools and facilitation training for employees are one possibility. Cultural diversity and sensitivity training for managers is another, as they can then affect communication in their respective departments. Team building or collaborative alliance training outside of the company’s environment is yet another possibility that offers professional development through reliance on others as well as self.

Critical path assessment, defining the basic fundamentals of production, can be introduced through various scenarios involving critical reflection of assumptions. One such opportunity would involve discovering the logic path used to streamline production processes, eliminating wasted resources and labor costs as a functional goal. Another would use interpersonal skills development to better affect communicating goals and objectives to a diverse population within the workforce.

Personal ethics statement: I will to do good for all, desiring to serve humanity in the highest and best use of my mind/body/spirit complex, in the facilitation of a new world order of harmony among people and planet through the development of a state-of-the-art model community and website that promotes this endeavor.

Master Teachers

Today there are more and more people looking for ways to connect with their spiritual path. "What is my purpose?" The quest for the zest in the cosmic conundrum of our evolution towards some kind of harmonious mutual living space begins in our understanding of pedagogy. Because of many changes in the presentation of information, it is the opinion of the author that pedagogical constraints are only compounded by the existing delivery systems for education. Quantum relationships in humans form the process of our evolution rising to the level of collective Beingness. Now, what does that really mean?

We will be reflecting on this process from the ideal place of a master teacher, one who empowers the students to use critical thinking skills to self-assess and grow into the new living awareness that integrates the data of discussion, whether classroom activities or life in general, into a cohesive usable knowledge base. In the face of pedagogical changes, and important question about change in general arises: What keeps us afraid, angry, ignorant, and immobile? Education has some relevancy in the discovery and exposing of answers. The balance of this paper will explore the process of pedagogy and potential advantages of a holistic educational shift.

In the most accepted delivery system developed by Madeline Hunter, an educator uses a defined set of instructional behaviors. This begins with the introduction of the ‘anticipatory set’ to the students. This includes the concepts and ideas that will be learned in this class, session or whatever. In our case, it is the introduction of the concepts of God/Goddess in human form. The concept is a simple premise that seems to be the 'goal' of nearly all major religions. Of course our assumption is that sons and daughters of God do eventually grow up.

We know that as with any learning process, there will be resistance and reluctance toward change. In this type of education (drawing out of knowledge), the anticipatory set could evoke very strong resistance due to the pre-patterning of most Western minds. This is human nature based on the belief systems at the root of the culture, which is unfortunately mainly fear, guilt, and shame ridden. We view the world from our previous databank of experience and knowledge. How has this view served our society to make it exemplary of our belief systems? What needs to change to evolve the society to where we believe it needs to be in order to achieve a standard of healthy relationships?

This flows into the next piece of the process of education, recalling past learning. We all have it, yet it is obviously not all the same. So how do you draw out all this past knowledge to serve our current purpose? There is a databank deep within the depths of human consciousness and the psyche that can drawn out. Examples of this are past life regressions on one hand and a more recent 'new' presentation such as John Edward's bridging communication between worlds. In a classroom environment we process so that it is all on the table, so to speak, and each one has the opportunity to listen to, or observe, each other’s database. In this way we all see where each other is, with no conditions as to the ‘rightness’ or ‘wrongness’ of the learning to date. It simply IS.

This is similar to Dale Carnegie's method of idea development. It could even be adopted for use within the realms of DeBono's Six Hats as well. So, we can delve into the depths of our past knowledge to seek the understanding of how things relate in a common language like Science, for example. The leaders in this educational process are saying that science does prove our ability to grasp the capacity of changing our reality through choice; simply choosing to change and doing so. It is a gross understatement to say that this choice is not easy nor clear as we confront old worn out patterns that no longer serve the greater good.

Now, the ‘essential question’ is asked. Our assumption is that a creator is one with their creation. In this case let us ask, “How does one become aware of their ONEness?” There is an accepted ‘knowing’ that each one of the students has some understanding or experience of their own path to enlightenment. Sometimes we have to dig deep into the recesses of our memories to find instances. However, most people have had an experience of such serendipitous synchronicity and connectedness as to be undeniable in critical reflection of assumptions. So each shares the most pertinent piece of their journey in recognition of the awareness of their connectedness, however great or small.

The mind usually wants to obsess over this for a while while the heart consciousness (said to be much the greater of the two) remains open to further confirmations. All of the information is shared without criticism, condemnation or judgment. It simply IS. Opening the door to this kind of sharing of information would probably trigger some deeper reflections as well, facilitated by the instructor (master teacher) who is already prepared to usher them into their seat for this particular movie. A recently released movie creates a bridge for a layman to understand quantum physics, science and mysticism, explained through fact and nonfiction fantasy. The mind is awakened to the presence of I AM within. Supposedly we knew this long ago and have forgotten the way home.

Elemental Essence of Energy
It is all-visible to each 'presence' within our entire population, however the effect of each choice in the filter of their own consciousness is often one of the ‘hidden’ processes that takes place, regardless of the external activity. These are processes that one internalizes and rarely offers in reflection to the group. Now that we have this collective database, we begin to realize the similarities in each individual contribution, as they are virtually the same in the evocation of feelings. What I mean is that they have the same intent or purpose in achieving greater harmony as reflected in the expressions of shared feelings, exemplary of a greater synergy of experience. However, sometimes it is not clearly communicated due to using individual dictionaries of personal data to explain individual perspectives.

A master teacher will facilitate the group toward understanding that they are saying similar things in different ways. Once this process is comprehended, the next phase is to begin to inquire as to the ‘categorization’ of importance in the list of priorities that provide the greatest good for ALL. Now even Senge recognizes that a learning organization evolves at its own speed and needs to be treated like a garden rather than a machine. The gardener doubles as an edutainer in the classroom; tilling and teasing the seeds to grow by being able to keep their rapidly moving attention engaged in relevant learning.

From the perspective of Godhood (non-gender/genre specific) we begin to filter each of the reflections through the participation facilitated by the instructor, teacher, our internal observer, or whomever. This one has already done his/her homework and compiled a list of information that has been derived from a much larger data pool. In this particular instance the information comes from comparative religious studies as well as modern psychological documentation available today. We're evolving. Our senses are expanding. Children are learning at near light speed. A master teacher is well prepared to facilitate their classroom experience, having begun with the end in mind.

How can we assess or test for this learning? To explore these relationships further, an organized effort to establish some kind of model environment is appropriate. Spectrum Academy, a concept crafted by Robin Engel and Zen Benefiel, is a potential answer to evolving a learning environment. It is not intended to produce Gods and Goddesses. What it will produce are young people capable of emulating the qualities of righteous leadership- care and concern for people and planet.

Let’s look at Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences for a moment to illustrate the growth and unfoldment of a natural order within a construct of consciousness. This appears to be a result of simply observing patterns to reveal process. Multiple intelligences were discovered through observation. It has been widely accepted that these multiple intelligences provide the essence of classroom students’ experiences, and for students of life as well. Life is just a bigger classroom with greater risks and potential outcomes. Intelligences that Gardner has revealed so far are: Verbal-Linguistic, Musical-Rhythmic, Logical-Mathematical, Visual-Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Intra-Personal, Inter-Personal, and Naturalistic.

There are no definitive tools to assess exactly what percentage of each intelligence we individually manifest in order to provide instructional materials to empower these intelligences as of yet. There are types of learning centers developed to utilize activities that nurture the various intelligences. These intelligences are usually only truly observable by a trained eye in the actual classroom environments. I believe there is one more intelligence that remains to be revealed. That is Spiritual Intelligence, which imbues every intelligence with a connectedness to all the others and a holistic model of life that is understood by the individual at very deep levels previously inaccessible by planes, trains, and automobiles. What kind of environment would we need to nurture our Spiritual Intelligence? Are there any present examples?

Before the proverbial ‘knee-jerk’ starts happening, let us address our momentary definition of Spiritual Intelligence. Spiritual Intelligence is the ability to respond to any given situation through the use of pure intuitive logical thought to empower the best use of our mind/body/spirit complex. Simply, everything is connected in the holistic view of the world. Pure, meaning without resistance; intuitive, meaning you already know the answer/response; logical, meaning it has identifiable repetitive patterns; thought, meaning that it is a function of the ONE MIND.

It has already been proven, scientifically, that life is made up of sets of fractals, each having its resonant core of the self-replicating pattern. Quantum physics has unveiled the mathematical understanding of our ability to change our patterns. We have yet to comprehend that this self-replicating pattern exists in its purest organic form (Naturalistic Intelligence) in our carbon atom. Its scientific reference would be 6 protons, 6 neutrons, and 6 electrons. If we look at the examples below, we see that there are some very interesting patterns that evolve from the carbon atom’s configuration.



Now, what does this all mean? It means that this Spiritual Intelligence is at the core of our genetic fiber. It is locked in to the very building blocks of our physicality. The understanding science is now offering helps us to move beyond subjugated religious superstition that promotes separation of mental and emotional intelligence. Organically we are able to use this intelligence to activate Bloom’s taxonomy to the next level. In his work, there are six basic areas of focus in our educational processes: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation.


Through the use of Spiritual Intelligence, we are able to observe the categorical changes necessary in our world environment to align with the natural organic patterns of an interdependent civilization. We can all imagine what a world like this might be like. Or can we? There is so much information about the pieces of such an environment, a new world order if you will, that it would seem our duty to utilize our knowledge to apply the best practices of Spiritual Intelligence throughout society. We've found the key that eliminates all boundaries, making us truly one people and one planet.


Comprehending the change takes time. Our current outer stimuli keeps our mental focus so busy on trivial circumstances that we are unable to quiet the mind. We have the direct-connect to the inner knowledge and wisdom, yet the voice is muffled by all the outer activity. Those able to recognize the internal connections from the stillness within become the patient agents of perfected patterns that balance the scales of iniquity currently present on our planet, without placing undue focus on them. Our ability and knowledge as a unified people has been ignored for some time, or maybe it has not.


The chaos created through the media may indeed have another purpose. We already know how to evolve mental constructs into physical form. We also understand that it requires not a ubiquitous desire for change. Only a few are necessary to begin the process. Our job is to craft the wheel of change for the greatest safety, the most sustainable comfort, and the greatest joy. How do we do that? Analyzing each of our alternative choices, and the risk of loss in each, we can assess the outcome of the choices and synergistically reveal the best choices to serve the greatest good, locally and globally.


This leads us naturally to the application and implementation of the processes necessary, as our synthesis of solutions was developed as a natural evolution of the analysis of our choices. Evaluating these results demonstrates a natural progression of consciousness. Again, it falls into the realms of pure intuitive logical thought as the entire process evolves naturally through the parameters of the foundational structure. We have nearly transcended the fear, anger, ignorance, and immobility. What is left is to take action and grow beyond our current frustrations.


How does this reflect on the process of education? By definition the process of education is organic: to draw out. Ignoring an old scientific axiom of 10% brain usage being 'normal,' is it possible that we have many more senses, or levels of sense, with the other 90% of brain capacity? Could the 'junk DNA' be the access points into a greater realm of experience and understanding?


We now have the tools to draw out our map for our journey toward ONEness in perfectly acceptable order; a ‘new world order’ that acknowledges our past with honor and dignity, yet is concerned with the sustainability of our future. We harvest our past by bringing forth those tools most useful for our future, including the undesirable lessons learning the art of war. Now we can apply the same conceptual frameworks, used by the masters of manipulation of time and space, to create an atmosphere conducive to our ultimate need in the call toward Divinity: to be love and be loved.


We can begin to acknowledge the obvious in our daily lives, expanding to our local communities, and even spanning the globe once we can agree on simple principles of commerce (interactive exchanges), education, and community. In this regards, there is also a process toward building community that empowers a genesis in the living awareness of the individual and collective simultaneously. We can help the world receive an evo-leap of sustainability in environmental and social responsibility. Together we can change the world.
Check for Understanding


We can look back through each of the premises that evolved into the understanding presented. Essentially, we considered the effects of viewing ourselves as potential change agents for the 21st Century. We presented the premises from which our logic was drawn and showed cause for and a path toward changing a mindset and active role in one's life and community. Master teachers are the capable crew who lead the way, assisting the creation and formulation of questions that guide a person or class to self-discovery and Self-discovery, former being the understanding of their own patterns and the latter being God Consciousness, Christ Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, et al..


A great philosopher once said that Creators want playmates, not subjects or dominions; they want to have fun. They want to play. Think of how you felt as a child, or even adult, when you were at the height of 'play' in your life. Remember how it felt? Educationally fulfilling, entertaining and maybe even exhilarating, right? Now the rest of the story is up to you. Do you have concerns or questions? What have you found what really works for you?
Please share....


In Lakesh and Namasté(In Lakesh - Mayan for 'I am another you'; Namasté - Brahmi for 'I worship that which is within you.')

Personal Ethics and Fresh Choices

"Personal conviction and ethics statement: I will to do good for all, desiring to serve humanity in the highest and best use of my mind/body/spirit complex, in the facilitation of a new world order of harmony among people and planet through presenting alternative solutions to community service delivery, participating in local socio-economic and environmental service programs, development of a solutions-based state-of-the-art model community, and developing a website that promotes these endeavors and more in the change of consciousness necessary for sustainable living on Planet Earth."

It has been said that values, morals and ethics are inextricably tied together. Values are what we learn from childhood; the 'stuff' we absorb from our parents and immediate surroundings. Morals are the intrinsic beliefs developed from the value systems of how we 'should' behave in any given situation. Ethics, on the other hand, are how we actually do behave in the face of difficult situations that test our moral fiber. In his book, "How Good People Make Tough Choices," Rushworth Kidder notes four basic paradigms of ethical decisions: justice versus mercy; short-term versus long-term; individual versus community; and truth versus loyalty.

He goes on to define the concepts further:

• The point behind the justice-versus-mercy paradigm is that fairness, equity, and even-handed application of the law often conflict with compassion, empathy, and love.
• Short-term versus long-term, or now versus then, reflect the difficulties arising when immediate needs or desires run counter to future goals or prospects.
• The individual-versus-community paradigm can be restated as us versus them, self versus others, or the smaller versus the larger group.
• Truth versus loyalty can be seen as honesty or integrity versus commitment, responsibility, or promise-keeping.
  

Expressing one’s personal grasp of ethics and life may not always be understood in the context of the world at large, the immediate environment, or even amongst the intimate others in the household. This is usually due to the fact that every person has some difference, small or great, in the development of their belief systems.

Belief systems are established early in life through environments of home, church, school, and social gatherings which help to mold and shape these beliefs. Most of these beliefs and patterns of behavior are established through the unconscious observations and experiences of childhood in the aforementioned environments. These I refer to as ‘outer’ experiences which are akin to the 'nurture' piece of the 'nature-nurture' developmental processes. Allow me to use my own 'outer' experience as an example.

I knew that I was adopted by the time I was five. My adoptive parents were ideal by some standards, demonstrating honesty, integrity, and willingness to address conflict with style and grace even in the most difficult of situations. Dad was a tool and die machinist, building plastic injection molds for General Motors optical division and was also a 32nd Degree Mason. Mom was an educator with a master's degree in Music and English and taught middle school English and Literature.

They were a formidable team for an adolescent with growing pains, encouraging me to challenge and explore my world. My parents taught me that honesty was the best policy, even when the details may not be too favorable. They taught me the meaning of trust which was not being afraid even when I felt vulnerable. Of course that does not mean that I am able to apply that wisdom always, although age does have its advantages.

I grew up in a Christian framework and didn't explore other religions until an NDE spurred me explore and hopefully discover the common thread that simply must be at the core of them all. There is a spiritual and material convergence in the fabric of life, if indeed all things are connected. Where we've [humans] held ourselves back has been the enigma, the cosmic conundrum of how to live in harmony with the natural world and therefore creation as a whole.

There are natural laws as scientific 'breakthroughs' demonstrate their reality and educators scramble to include these discoveries. Information exponentiates as millions of people share with each other through social networks, blogs, newsfeeds, etc. Where is it taking us? Or rather, where do we want to go? Do we really have to let religious confusion trump common sense?

A New Millennial Mindset

Where obvious bottlenecks occur in personal and professional environments I still tend to 'go deep' in conversations even at the risk of rejection. Paths need to be cleared of trash for solid relationships to develop. We simply must develop better relationships in our global village before it is too late.

Too often it is our own trash that we need to take out. P&Ls have taken precedence over building healthy strong relationships that encourage collaboration in life-friendly actions. Harvesting our past without judgement is the challenge of the day.

Indigenous councils have been discovered to consider seven generations previous and seven ahead before making decisions that affect the tribe. We are one tribe now, so it would make sense that we would want to grow together. Now that we have common crises to address we can rally for the benefit of the world. Is that too lofty a dream?

Being sensitive is quite the notion these days. So is misunderstanding. Without clarifying what I mean by 'sensitive' I'm sure there are numerous perspectives that could be read into the sentence. What do I mean, 'sensitive'? Conscious of the nuances of life, the view that compassion and understanding brings. In determining the need for change in our challenge for implementing new safeguards in our ways of life, it is known as metanoia - a change of mind.

Our influential predecessors marked the way to industrious albeit semi-destructive ways. The shift in paradigm is in realigning human and material wealth to serve a healthy planet and people. That's a great notion, but how do we make it a practical reality. I, for one, believe it starts with holistic education and the integration of more organic ways of learning, connecting the natural cycles, rhythms and patterns of life.

Educational requirements now are contrary to the industrial-age model of education and physical plant structure that feigned our progress. The economy is tanking, which generally could be a sign that how and what we've been teaching has limited scope and vision. We need to take a divergent move and get everyone involved in the act, not just put it on the shoulders of those whom we 'pay' to address the issues.

Ethical behavior, the evidence of our beliefs, morals and values, leads us to consideration, if not confrontation of existing systems caught in the throes of dysfunctionality. Corporations and maligned profiteers act like dysfunctional families needing an intervention. How do we begin to affect change positively, growing as a family instead of being torn apart by our indifference?