I came across an extraordinary six-minute YouTube video called ‘ The Shift’—a
presentation that blows one’s mind with factoids about the rate of
change in the world. The Shift they are talking about is a ‘paradigm
shift’, meaning our entire worldview, indeed our whole reality, is
being turned upside down and inside out by virtue of technology,
population and the exponentially accelerating rate of change. Whether
we like it or not, our ‘new reality’ challenges our commonsense and
conventional wisdom with ideas like “Knowledge is becoming obsolete
before you learn it”. Joel Barker
sold a videotape in the 1980s called “Discovering the Future: The
Business of Paradigms™” in which he showed that the world is always a
function of our interpretation of it and that, from time to time, for a
variety of reasons, the world transforms in ways that are difficult to
impossible for people to fathom when it is happening.[ Read More]
Written by admin at Wisdom in Action
Tagged with:
change
eckhart_tolle
eldering
future
joel_barker
paradigm
peter_drucker
shift
One of the nice things about traveling about as I have been for the
past couple of years is that you get an opportunity to listen to people
in other countries speak about the state of the world. As a fair
generalization, I would suggest that we in the USA and Canada are among
the most vocal ‘worriers’ I encounter. I would say that a high
percentage of North American conversations—at least among those I
converse with and based on my take on ‘the news’ on TV—are worried
about something. From head-shaking expletives about George W to the
justice system, the environment and the state of the world to, of
course, terrorism, it is just one thing after another. Even in Canada
(which has institutionalized optimism), the “Yes, but” appeal to a
balanced account is wearing thin.[ Read More]
Written by admin at The Great Turning
Join discussion COMMENTS [0]
Tagged with:
anxiety
concern
future
optimism
paradigm
resignation
I was having a conversation recently with an old friend who is deeply
committed to a spiritual practice intended to release us from the
vicious cycle of ego and our addiction to the material world. I was
sharing about Serene Ambition and my commitment to do what I can to
encourage our generation to ‘make a difference’ and leave the world in
better shape than we found it—to leave a legacy of possibility to those
who come behind us. My friend pointed out that this is a terrific focus for service and
expression of love for human beings and our world. However, she pointed
out, take care that you aren’t trying to leave a legacy to satisfy some
ego-centered ideal.[ Read More]
Written by admin at Wisdom in Action
Join discussion COMMENTS [0]
Tagged with:
awareness
ego
eldering
legacy
paradigm
I have been thinking a bit about ‘returns’ lately. I read a blog about
‘return on energy’ that pointed to the growing awareness of our choices
and what is at stake when we make them as we age. Are we getting more
out of life than we’re putting in? This kind of ‘capitalist’ metaphor
got me thinking. Is life a transaction in which we need to measure the
return as a basis for assessing our ‘life worth’? [ Read More]
Written by admin at The Great Turning
Join discussion COMMENTS [0]
Tagged with:
capitalism
paradigm
return
return_on_investment
worth
After seeing the movie The 11th Hour, I have been thinking a lot about The Eldering Institute. The idea all along has been a strategy for mobilizing a lot of people, both retired and younger to “take on intractable problems”. The foundation for this has been the observation that most older people want to make a difference and leave the planet in better shape than we found it, and younger people are faced with a sufficiently uncertain future that most would love to have partnerships with older people if there could be an authentic relationship—one based on mutual learning, respect and appreciation for the differences between our world views. Finally, the idea of Eldering recognizes that most of the larger ‘problems’ confronting us are paradigmatic in nature. This means that ordinary thinking and attempts to ‘fix’ things won’t work. We must create a new paradigm and doing so requires that all of us participate. No one has “the answer”, but together we can create possibilities that neither of us can see without the other.[ Read More]
Written by admin at Wisdom in Action
Join discussion COMMENTS [0]
Tagged with:
eldering
environment
paradigm
relationship
shift
worldview
I came across an extraordinary six-minute YouTube video called The Shift—a
presentation that blows one’s mind with factoids about the rate of
change in the world. The Shift they are talking about is a ‘paradigm
shift’, meaning our entire worldview, indeed our whole reality, is
being turned upside down and inside out by virtue of technology,
population and the exponentially accelerating rate of change. Whether
we like it or not, our ‘new reality’ challenges our commonsense and
conventional wisdom with ideas like “Knowledge is becoming obsolete
before you learn it”. [ Read More]
Written by Jim Selman at Wisdom in Action
Join discussion COMMENTS [0]
Tagged with:
eldering
future
paradigm
possibility
shift
Today is International Women’s Day—a day to celebrate the political,
social and economic achievements of women around the world, a day to
promote political and human rights in countries where violence and
inequity still make life a struggle for women, and, in an increasing
number of countries, a day to express love and sympathy to the women in
your life. The theme for 2007 is “Ending Impunity for Violence against
Women and Girls”. [ Read More]
Written by Jim Selman at News
Join discussion COMMENTS [1]
Tagged with:
culture
declaration
paradigm
violence
women
I was talking to a friend recently who was suggesting I commit this
blog to defeating ‘ageism’ in all of its often subtle and insidious
forms. I said, I don’t want to make this about being ‘against’ ageism
for three reasons. First, if there is one thing I have learned in life
it is that we get what we resist. Even Martin Luther King wasn’t so
much against discrimination as he was ‘for’ equality. Secondly, I want
to be ‘for’ the possibility of aging and that is as much about
discovery and creating than it is about political power or ‘fixing’
the status quo. Thirdly, and probably most important, is that ‘ageism’
isn’t the problem we face as we get older. It is a symptom. [ Read More]
Written by Jim Selman at Fearless Aging
Join discussion COMMENTS [1]
Tagged with:
ageism
culture
generation
paradigm
responsibility
Today they announced that the OJ confession book won’t be published
and he won’t get the limelight on Fox Television. This is a great
example of the kind of change that can come about when enough people
‘take on’ the system or the culture and take a stand. It is to Rupert
Murdoch’s credit that he was listening.[ Read More]
Written by Jim Selman at News
Join discussion COMMENTS [1]
Tagged with:
aging
media
paradigm
spectator-society
|
RSS Feeds
