Whole Ways of Being and Learning
Dear At and co-learners,
I wrote this way back at the end of May...perhaps it may clarify where I'm
coming from. I didn't submit it because it was VERY LONG (!!!) and with
the rapid evolution of our dialogue on here, I gradually felt the need to
sit back and listen. However, I am submitting it now in response to At's
recent post (Our LO Dialogue Here LO24944 [complex]). Perhaps it will help
the two of us (and hopefully others?) in understanding one another better.
--------
Reply to Women's Ways of Learning LO24694 and others
Thank you Andrew for your entertaining post (LO24694)! I really had a good
chuckle and appreciated how creatively you interpreted what I wrote. Wow,
thanks! :-) I admit to feeling a bit buoyed up by your thoughts because
I truly felt like I was babbling.
I guess even if I was, I guess that's okay too. One doesn't need to be an
Olympic OrgLearner to contribute here. Otherwise, that would defeat the
whole purpose of learning organizations. If this list is only about
cultivating top strata elite OrgLearner practitioners, and if such people
are not able to deal with mundane questions or comments from new learners
like me (superficially or at a deeper level)--or at least allow people
like me to co-exist and maybe find dialogues with other newcomers or
'lower-level' learners (??)--then there must be a problem. Essentially,
the notion of lifelong learning (which to me is a central tenet of
organizational learning) goes right out the window. So thank you Andrew
for your humorous words and gesture towards inclusion.
Somewhat related to this point...the exchange between At and Sajeela about
being a child struck a chord for me. I, too, feel my child self is still
very much within me. That is where the spirit of some of my deeper
learning comes from--ie, trying to unwind or unlearn myself so that I may
remain open, curious, filled with wonder--and not be limited too much by
past experiences when exploring or trying to understand people, things,
ideas, situations, and environments.
It seems to be a challenging place for adults, but something children seem
to do more naturally. Perhaps this is partly why they learn faster, more
easily, and more deeply. Their eagerness, unpreparedness, and enthusiasm
opens up deeper learning. Once they start switching into automatic mode
too often, or move into the 'I know this already' attitude, the ability to
learn fully and sincerely begins to wane. I don't think it's permanently
lost, but it may perhaps become harder to rediscover over time.
'What usually happens in the educational process is that the faculties are
dulled, overloaded, stuffed and paralyzed so that by the time most people
are mature they have lost their innate capabilities. ~ R. Buckminster
Fuller ~ (1895-1983)
For myself, one challenge for lifelong learning is remaining flexible and
in touch with my inner child, finding ways to reconnect, so that rigidity,
sedimentation, and prejudgement do not become too deeply entrenched in me
as to stop my flow of holistic learning and, hence, healthy living. (To
me, healthy living implies having healthier relationships with self and
others (human and non-human), and also having the energy and desire to
live better and help facilitate better ways of functioning within a
community, organization or society.)
Yet, staying child-like is very hard to do, or seems to be. It requires
vulnerability and openness, which our human egos resist. The ego is
powerful and can play such tricks, even in our seeming vulnerability. It
is only perhaps our consciousness, as we listen to it and pay more
attention to it, which may gradually discern what is ego and what is
humble truth.
Ego is a necessary part of survival. The challenge lies in coming back to
center--integrating our mind stuff with our hearts, pragmatism with
emotions, and other aspects. To me, sincerity, truthfulness, awareness,
and acceptance of where we're presently at is important, yet far more
difficult. True learning, to me, is about finding the courage and
willingness to be open in the moment--body, mind, heart, and spirit--and
discovering things anew.
I may be falling back on the authority of another here, but I like the way
it is expressed by Johann von Goethe (1749-1832)...
"Age does not make us childish, as some say;
it only finds us true children still."
~~~o~~~8~~~~0~~~~O~
I am seeking spaces for different modes of expressing on LO. My personal
way of learning and growing is to express my personal truth first (even if
it is a contention with the dominant paradigm), in order to allow the
healing and balance to come after, then be able to hear better and more
clearly the expressions of others, and then, collectively find
constructive, practicable, and holistic solutions, or ways of being/doing.
I am therefore learning so much from all this dialoguing and occasional
challenges between folks, and around the ongoing struggle for holistic
balance.
Variety is important. So is dialogue, balance, and a million other things
[sorry, can't name them off the top of my head...]. If learning-org
functions as an LO, presumably there is space for a full range of
expressions and processes and styles and beingness to take root, grow, and
breathe. Any LO needs to be flexible enough to allow people to go through
different journeys in order to learn.
Mine just happens to be ass backwards! That would be okay, except that
people like me do seem to experience/suffer more bumps along the way
because, as I mentioned before, dominant paradigms often rear up their
heads in disapproval and work to suppress. If not, what are all the power
struggles in our communities and our world about? There are some very ugly
ones even now, that I have seen, heard about, or myself experienced. Some
of these things happen when one goes against the elite status quo.
Everything can conspire to snuff out or destroy the odd person out. It's
not very pretty. People are antagonized, ridiculed, ostracized, socially
nullified, demoted, fired from their jobs, beaten, ambushed, killed or
whatever because of these things.
Our very educational systems themselves are breeding grounds for
competition, hierarchy, domination, and one-upmanship. Between large
groups, cultures or institutions, the underlying perception becomes one of
superiority or win-lose: one must be better than the other, and that's all
that counts. Perhaps all things could be appreciated in their own right,
each with their strengths or attributes, and the key is balance. Thus, we
could work on cultivating individual paths to learning and personal
excellence, while continuing to know/re-learn/remind oneself that we are
all humble and equal before a greater force (god? creator? the cat's
meow?). Sometimes we can forget this. We often anthropomorphize (sp?) and
get drawn into a sense of human superiority. Power is intoxicating.
-----
"I do not see a delegation for the four-footed. I see no seat
for the eagles. We forget and we consider ourselves superior."
- Chief Oren Lyons
-----
I feel in a holistic paradigm that keeps an eye to more aware and healthy
ways of being, we might begin to see that all are divine and wonderful in
their own way. In a human society, whether one is the president of a
country or a street cleaner, perhaps there is such a thing as an equality
before God/Creator, or whatever one's interpretation may be.
To me, a mentally handicapped person who has Down's Syndrome is just as
glorious, beautiful and wise at their essence as a more able person. Some
of the mentally handicapped people I have interacted with have helped to
me realize how much I have to learn from them. A lifetime is not long
enough to rediscover child-like simplicity and sincerity. The common
denominator for all people is feelings. A mentally handicapped person may
not become a nuclear physicist, but s/he and I can both feel, and that is
where we are on common ground.
About our everyday ways of learning in present educational systems, they
are heavily geared towards logical, systematic, cerebral, sometimes rote
methods of learning. They often kill our natural, spontaneous,
multi-sensory ways of learning, teaching us instead to be rigid,
compartmentalized, distrustful, competitive, and even fearful.
Why else do children as young as 7 and 8 commit suicide due to either
bullying they receive from peers or even teachers, or because their poor
performance? I have never done well within this type of learning system
because I learn by doing and am more emotional than logical, yet I do not
feel I am any less intelligent than my peers (kind of like what Andrew was
describing about his early education and being perceived as 'retarded'
--one might then feel incapable of 'learning' things like math or
whatever--I myself failed four math courses and have developed a strong
mental block to digits and formulas).
I feel any system needs to encompass such differences and have both
structure and flexibility. How do we design that into our organizational
and social systems, while still allowing our own individual, autonomous
journeys towards optimal development, health, fulfillment, success,
integrity, self-realization, etc, to unfold?
My personal learning style is to have a 'safe' environment in which to
fully share, explore, and contribute, without feeling like I might be
undermined due to my inadequate experience. Or, conversely, being able to
question the dominant paradigms or assumptions that are being created,
perpetuated, or merely accepted here--without ruffling everyone's feathers
so much that we simply head into antagonism, avoidance, denial, or
outright rejection.
I've enjoyed the debate around all these issues thus far--though it may
get heated at times, and this may make people uncomfortable, or even upset
and affronted--but I just need to keep reminding myself to trust the
overall process. Everyone here on this list believes in the concept,
purpose, or practices of LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS or LEARNING COMMUNITIES,
in some way. Trying to keep this overall vision in mind and finding a
greater collective understanding through all this repartee is actually
'walking the talk.' It is like putting theories or intuitions into
practice. So a big cheer for all of us--talkers, listeners, lurkers,
teachers, learners, connectors, individualists--EVERYONE!!
To me, this is learning. Organizational Learning involves paying attention
to, or allowing space for, the voices that are calling out for change and
seeing how we might collectively (as a potential learning organization
culture) create better ways and find a balance. In other words, paying
heed and being mindful of how we can keep the spaces open, respectful, and
diverse, in order that one way or one style is not overpowering the other.
It's about inclusivity and balance. To overtly or covertly reject the
other, dissect or not hear what they are saying, is hopefully but one
stage towards eventually reaching dialogue--but hopefully the dialogue is
the thing, yes?
Ron's post really summed it up well for me (LO24718). I believe mutual
understanding builds wholeness, respect, and wisdom. This may inevitably
move through cycles of antipathy, misunderstanding, divisions,
polarizations--but then, hopefully back to wholeness once more.
Truly deep and transformative learning, which can challenge all the
personal truths that one has ever known, probably feels like standing on
the edge of a steep cliff. There's a sense of complete
uncertainty--feeling at risk and vulnerable. It can be scary. It could
even mean a type of death--egoistically, spiritually, or even in actual
physical terms (heart attack from shock, perhaps?). To be able to embrace
and learn from whatever comes one's way will likely become an extremely
deep, rich and transforming experience. Sometimes ongoing. It's a personal
choice: How ready and willing am I? And regardless of how deep one goes
into it, one needs to accept that whatever happens is one's own personal
truth and that it's OKAY--in spite of what the million other voices say
inside and out (self-blame, people's judgements, etc).
~~~o~~~8~~~~0~~~~O~
In an earlier post, I prefaced 'ways of learning' with the word holistic
because I find most people (including myself!) assume learning is largely
a mental or cerebral activity. I am interested in whole ways of learning
and being. I strive to remind myself of that, so I don't get too stuck in
the intellectual analytical realms. Not because I am trying to antagonize
others on this list, but because I personally feel I am often
overanalytical and neglect my other senses and intelligences, which have
gradually become damaged or shut-down by a controlling, highly
rationalistic, and competitive education system. To me, physical, sensory,
emotional, psychological, and spiritual intelligences--and everything in
between--also need to be foregrounded. (Says she who sits mostly prone in
front of her computer for hours on end). :-)
'Since every effort in our educational life seems to be
directed toward making of the child a being foreign to
itself, it must of necessity produce individuals foreign
to one another, and in everlasting antagonism with each other.'
~~ Emma Goldman ~ (1869-1940)
I thank everyone for the honour and privilege of co-learning here with
you. Particularly recently, I thank many of you for your courage and
abilities in addressing some of the issues that I have occasionally sensed
since joining Learning-Org last Sept. I have been unable to articulate
them in an acceptable and 'learned' way on this list, but I continue to
throw my two cents worth in.
Perhaps gradually, with this recent reinvigoration, we may be willing to
look a little deeper, search a little more, and be open to greater
dialogue. There are subtle and multifaceted issues that I personally felt
were not being acknowledged or examined in a double-loop learning way
here, and could not even be successfully broached until recently. My
sincere thanks to At and Sajeela for being the forerunners, stirring up
the pot, and perhaps breaking up the garden soil to start anew. Perhaps
there is an opening up of dialogue along certain lifelines or tension
points in this listserv. Otherwise, I wonder how deeply are we willing to
examine learning-orgs? I think improved ways of learning and being (work,
play, basic living) come from understanding the fullness of humanity
within ourselves.
Thanks for allowing me this space to share.
I apologize for the length. I seem to be trying to address something that
I sense is happening on here. I ramble in the hopes that I might find out
what my sense of unease, discontent, frustration or whatever is stemming
from.
Lana
PS -- Some points about history. In this post, I've listed the times in
which the people, whom I've quoted, lived. However, as I mentioned once
before the history that gets painted is often an incomplete distortion of
more whole pictures. I got Buckminster Fuller's dates from Encarta Online.
The write-up was contributed by: Joseph Warren Dauben, M.A., Ph.D.
Professor of History and History of Science, Lehman College of the City
University of New York. Author of Georg Cantor: His Mathematics and
Philosophy of the Infinite. Editor, History of Mathematics from Antiquity
to the Present.
Dauben mentions all the glorious points of Bucky Fuller's life but none of
the personal traumas that made him even more who he was. Dauben writes:
'Fuller, a great-nephew of the transcendentalist Margaret Fuller, was born
in Milton, Massachusetts, July 12, 1895. He attended Harvard University
from 1913 to 1915. In the early 1920s he joined his father-in-law in
developing...'. The write-up carries on in that tone. Dauben fails to
mention that Fuller left Harvard completely disillusioned about the
educational system: he dropped out.
Dauben also states that the failure of the business caused Fuller to go on
and create great inventions. He does not mention that in fact Fuller
became an alcoholic, neglected his wife and child(ren?), and attempted to
commit suicide. I cannot recall if his daughter died and that grief sent
him over the top, but I was told by someone who knew him personally (who
was conducting a workshop on creating win-win-win) that he tried to drown
himself in the river and that a voice 'spoke' to him at the decisive
moment and told him that he had no right to kill himself. He then went
back home and lived for two years in complete SILENCE, scrawling notes to
his wife and others. From this inward reflection, he began to develop a
plethora of great inventions to help humankind. And well, the rest is
history...
Love and well wishes.
Plus, an interesting link.
http://www.users.uswest.net/~freehold/geodemo.htm
~~~o~~~8~~~~0~~~~O~
--Alternative Energy <ecospirit@mail.com>
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