Six thousand years ago we were one. We shared the same stories, myths, mysteries and magic. Even peoples and tribes who had never communicated together due to their different physical locations, shared identical concepts, such as the notion of time being circular instead of linear. This universal oneness prevailed until two millennia ago when the “big three” of Greek philosophers, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, gave us new ways of thinking, introducing logic, reason, analysis and mathematical formulas. Aristotle was a strong proponent, for example, of the use of reason in theoretical activity. And so began our journey from oneness to separateness. In the Middle Ages, the pace accelerated as scientists and scholars developed “the Scientific Method”, a way of understanding large issues and subjects by separating and reducing them into their smaller (and therefore more understandable) parts.
Today, our culture is rooted in the concept of separateness. We organize every aspect of our lives into tiny segments of separateness. We have the tools to separate into categories and specialties in religion, politics, beliefs, gender, income, status, generations (X, Y, millennials, etc.), demographics, skin color, ethnic background, countries, medicine, education, income, and more. We deepen this separateness-thinking daily as “big data” takes an increasingly central position in our lives.
What we know, but too seldom practice, is that inclusion leads to inspiration and oneness. Separateness – when we are excluded or made to feel separate – is uninspiring and painful.
Whenever we experience pain or sadness, it is because we have become separated from what, or whom, we love. And whenever we are inspired or joyful, it is because we are one with what, or whom, we love. All human challenges and successes can be explained through this awareness.
from ONE: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership, 2006
And this also explains why some organizations are great and some are mediocre. The ability to understand the power of oneness is the single most important opportunity for the leader. When we separate functions, departments, teams, hierarchies, markets, divisions, we become uninspiring. And when we see these as one, align the organization behind one dream, remove hierarchies and distinctions, and become one team – then we build levels of greatness that are distinctive and remarkable. There is passion, magic and excellence in ONEness.
I like your essay Lance! Thanks.
Hopefully in terms of organizational trends, we are moving in the direction of being in and operating from the core, essential sense of “Oneness” and unity — toward living, working and singing out of the same individual and universal hymnal-song book in harmonious uni-verse.
A book I like which may serve as a midwife for a new paradigm or Integral world view is “Reinventing Organizations – A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage of Human Consciousness” by Frederic Laloux.
He outlines in detail the historical developmental stages which you summarize and in practical nuts and bolts terms, he describes organizations’ structures, practices and processes that are most effective in moving toward a more Integral future.
Ron Bell
P.S. In awareness of moving to a perspective beyond the rational scientific lens, I share the following poem I wrote yesterday. It’s obviously not “linear”, but rather a mytho-poetic-noetic-sensory experience.
CONSCIOUSNESS: A STRIP OF REALITY
(far out and far in 😉
The curves of reality —
energy
form
matter
time
space
spirit
Change and flow infinitely
in an august mobius strip
of Life and Love.
Wherever we go
amazingly
there we are.
Ommm-ni-presently now.
Let go
en-joy the trip.
It is a real trip you know
through inner and outer
sides of time and space
in a series of brand-new turnarounds
in and to home base —
a sort of WYSIWYG
(what you see is what you get)
real-izing
with eyes of awe and wonder
(that might melt your socks) —
that we may know Suchness
for a virginal-like first time —
Big-Bang!
Eureka!
Wow!
In-lightenments
séquential satori climaxes
time and time again.
Without such
ordinary aware-nesses
don’t fret
it’s still OK.
We might rust-out
yet no worry
we won’t burn-out.
Our Original Fire
eternally
lights our way.
Pro-me-thee-us —
come on baby
Light our fire
Mysteriously
Time and time again
Burn baby burn
Be born
again and again.
Be a See-r
see
feel
hear
taste
touch
k-now
beyond collective blind spots
the Whole Spectrum of Consciousness
in our mobius strip of realities.
You see —
there you be.
So gratefully sing
your back home
after enlightenment
Zen song-song —
do-be-do
do-be-do
do-be-do
🙂
Ron Bell
5-14-14
Wow, Ronald – What a wonderful contribution – many thanks for sharing your beautiful poem too………..Namaste!
Lance, I believe that the difference you’re describing is about whether or not the organization sees itself as a Newtonian machine or a complexity living organism.