Peter E. Pflaum - Golden Globe - The Synergy Network http://www.wiredbrain.net/ RE: Personal responsibility: (and character) In the Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevski has the Grand Inquisitor interview Christ who has returned. He tell Jesus that ordinary people just aren't up to the challenge of making up their own minds and finding their own way to salvation. Therefore the Church at the sure loss of their own souls - is giving them the way. The Inquisitor knows he can't save souls by formulas and ritual. But this is all people understand and it would be cruel and dangerous to take it away from them. Jesus is just going to have to die again - maybe next time. Ideologies say the same thing - we know better - do this or that and all will be well. People like that. Freedom is not much fun it carries responsibilities. No one can impose freedom on another. Their is no solution from above - right - left - center - The freedom is a state of mind. I think, at the moment, it takes magic. The other text is Wallace the Death and Rebirth of the Seneca. When the current power structure doesn't work there are ghost cults and belief in magic. The way of the Sufi - is to be in the world but not of it - people need - leadership - hope - guidance - but also freedom to be stupid and wrong. The "fakir" can be different things to different people and appear to be what is not - and at the same time not have any doubts about what is real and what is "illusion". The magician know its a trick and doesn't belief in magic. This is the way to power - but it's not easy. Martin Luther King says in that I have a Dream speech - One day my little children will be judged - not by the color of their skin but the contents of their character. For those that want rights (back, gay, women, fat, etc) I say that day has come. I do not judge you by the color of your skin, who you sleep with, your sex or gender but the contents of your charter. The Rodney King (no relative) rule "Can't we just get along." The planet and our souls need attention. The moral and political system needs leaders - let's focus on the prize, folks. The current word is "Sustainable"; - In general system terms biological systems tend to exponential growth only restricted by negative feedback - (Like in Central Africa). Balance is a dynamic process of each genetic organism pushing its limits and being pushed back by environmental factors and competition. Human evolution through social technology has temporarily pushed the limits on a planetary scale. The Club of Rome report in the 1960's may not be wrong only a little off in timing. (Limits to Growth = sudden collapse of whole systems ) There are no moral problems, or political problems, or economic problems, scientific or technical problems but real problems - which come with all these considerations. For academic and technical reasons, we have divided reality up into departments. (one problem is that the liberal arts have been pushed out by specialist) The blind are feeling the elephant - with CAT scanners, satellites, remote probes, macro and micro models - but they do not understand the nature of elephants? Edward O. Wilson - Socio-biology argues that there are genetic programmed groves - like language. One major grove in the troop or clan or human group. The natural size of this group us under 80 members. Groups over a certain size become impersonal. The solution to almost everything is decentralization. A Global economy and ecology but people making decision in small groups, in neighborhoods, in regional organizations, as small as possible. This was called community action and self help projects. TRIAGE: In the late 70's the idea of triage became popular. In battle conditions those that will live and those that will die are put aside - and resources are focused on the ones in the middle - have a chance if treated. Why this is a good idea for the use of scarce resources people die but nations and problems don't. They become the walking dead - zombies. In international development there has been a stronger role for "donor committees" including the World Bank Development Fund, The regional banks (Inter-American, European etc) and the major countries involved. Associated with this committee is a NGO (Non-governmental Organization) committee. The USA has not always been a good partner because our foreign aid money is micro-managed by congress and various interest groups - and other donors have to work around our politics. In Central Africa, Haiti and other places the "family of Nations" quietly decided that the countries were "basket cases" and reduced aid. Of course, much aid was stolen. Jean Claude (Baby Doc) in Haiti is said to have spent a 50 million World Bank Loan for a Power Plant - on his wedding. Harry Truman Blvd has been under repairs since time immortal - its an iron rice-bowl for someone. The American University at Les Cayes (where I was) was just too strange to believe or explain briefly. Intervention - receivership - mandate - what ever you call it is the only answer. We do not live in and Island home - but are part of all humanity - and these problems will not go away and can not solve themselves. The General Assemble has been very shy of intervention - there are a number of members in almost as bad shape - but without the cold war a East-West agreement is hard to stop. Russia wants UN cover for intervention in areas of the USS-was that are in chaos. We want UN cover in Haiti, and international caretakers after we take over. Such a caretaking operation needs to be in place for years - Their are no easy and quick answers in a country without independent institutions - infrastructure - tradition of law and civil administration - poor - illiterate and independent. The ecological - environment conditions in Haiti and parts of Central Africa - can be the cause - The reason for intervention is not just political, or refugees, or humanitarian but to stem a ecological disaster. There are good people working today in Rwanda and Haiti - they are doing what they can - what more could be expected of them. What more do we expect of ourselves? I have suggested there are first principles and they can be applied to work toward improvements in real situations (there are no answers or solutions only some actions that do more good than harm). I would like to work on this is a non-directive group of about a dozen. Method: I create a Distribution List (DL) and papers are sent to me at FIRN. The messages are labeled GROUP or Peter. Group messages are distributed. We each keep papers in a file. New members can get a copy of the papers on file to catch up. There could be suggested reading - by anyone - but my suggestion to start is: RE: Books and materials a REVIEW: Covey, S.R. "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" Record (1991), Covey Leadership Center PO BOX 19008, Provo, UT, 84605-9925 1-800-655-6839 Audio Tapes and video tape materials Wallace, Anthony F.C "The Death and Rebirth of the Seneca," New York Vintage Books 1972 Bennett, William John "The De-valuing of America New York Summit Books 1992 Deming, W. E. (1986). Out of the Crisis. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Humankind" becoming Human Handy, Charles The Age of Unreason - Harvard Business school Press 1989 Maslow, National Training Center Higher Reaches of Human Behavior and Motivation B-values Fiske, Edward B. Smart Schools, Smart Kids, Why Do Some Schools Work (Simon & Schuster, New York 1991) Frankl, Victor "Man's Search for Meaning" Reich, Robert B. The Work of Nations: preparing ourselves for the 21 st Century capitalism (New York, A.A. Knopf 1991) The Next American Frontier(New York, Times Books, 1983) Senge, P.M. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (New York, Doubleday 1990) Sergiovanni, T.J. Moral Leadership, Getting to the Heart of School Improvement (San Francisco Jossey-Bass 1992) and Moore, J.H. Schooling for Tomorrow (Boston: Allyn & Bacon) 1989 First: The small school - human - caring - flexible - ungraded - students learn at their own style and pace. Second: X, Y, and Z - X = The factory, Y = The Human Relations (personality) other-directed IBM type - PR tries to make people feel they participate and have power (but its not quite real) - Z is letting go - in class giving up teacher talk - using free groups and active learning. Students learn what they want to learn - Teachers guide and advise students (workers) more than transmit information. Students learn to learn and find and organize and use information. Teaching students not subjects. Group theory from Mankarenko's Gorki Colony. (another reading) The Road to Life - Quality : involves that Paradigm shift in the values of caring - sincerity - honest - character - principles - a Z theory principle not another management system (MBO) but a shift in power and control. Responsibility and freedom. I think it involves "body knowledge" a focus of the mind - being in the world and not of it - higher awareness - the dancer becomes the dance - the lost of self-conscience. The still quiet voice guides us without criticism. I can visualize the perfect - - Facts follow vision - Logos, pathos, ethos - the bringing together of brain knowledge (ideas in the head - many of which are illusions ) body knowledge ( feeling safe and secure enough to explore new worlds) being in touch - and spirit - that which motivates us beyond ourselves and give meaning and purpose to all activity. The global contex - Earth values? Is This OK? Anyone not want to READ this? Do not flame! ************************************************************ Peter E. Pflaum Ph.D. GLOBAL_VILLAGE_SUFI_SCHOOL 225 Robinson Road, New Smyrna Beach * IN THE WORLD - FL 32169-2176 (904) 428-9609 * BUT NOT OF THE WORLD pepflaum@bellsouth.net * URANUS GOD OF HEAVEN HUSBAND OF GAEA, GODDESS OF A SUSTAINABLE EARTH pflaump@cfl.rr.com pflaump@cfl.rr.com ZEN IS THE ART OF GETTING YOURSELF OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY ************************************************************ Personal responsibility: (and character) In the Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevski has the Grand Inquisitor interview Christ who has returned. He tell Jesus that ordinary people just aren't up to the challenge of making up their own minds and finding their own way to salvation. Therefore the Church at the sure loss of their own souls - is giving them the way. The Inquisitor knows he can't save souls by formulas and ritual. But this is all people understand and it would be cruel and dangerous to take it away from them. Jesus is just going to have to die again - maybe next time. Ideologies say the same thing - we know better - do this or that and all will be well. People like that. Freedom is not much fun it carries responsibilities. No one can impose freedom on another. There is no solution from above - right - left - center - The freedom is a state of mind. I think, at the moment, it takes magic. The other text is Wallace the Death and Rebirth of the Seneca. When the current power structure doesn't work there are ghost cults and belief in magic. The way of the Sufi - is to be in the world but not of it - people need - leadership - hope - guidance - but also freedom to be stupid and wrong. The "fakir" can be different things to different people and appear to be what is not - and at the same time not have any doubts about what is real and what is "illusion". The magician know its a trick and doesn't belief in magic. This is the way to power - but it's not easy. Martin Luther King says in that I have a Dream speech - One day my little children will be judged - not by the color of their skin but the contents of their character. For those that want rights (back, gay, women, fat, etc) I say that day has come. I do not judge you by the color of your skin, who you sleep with, your sex or gender but the contents of your charter. The Rodney King (no relative) rule "Can't we just get along." The planet and our souls need attention. The moral and political system needs leaders - let's focus on the prize, folks.