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 Article Source: The Positive Observer
PART II:
Being Human...Community
Back, by popular demand from our previous segment: Intro - PART I .
According to Virginia Satir, noted American author and psychotherapist, a human being's strongest instinct is To Make Things Familiar. "People will die before they'll face the unfamiliar. There is a tremendous instinct to make everything like everything else." Do you find yourself entrenched in routines of familiarity? To what extreme will you allow yourself to go? Have you noticed other individuals or groups in society campaigning to maintain habitual outcomes or beliefs?
What if there is change? What happens when diversity is allowed to happen and things do become less familiar? Is it the actual change that people fear or is it the idea of change that people fear? For a fundamentalist, the idea of change is the fear. They will act within and above their means to prevent the change from actually happening in the first place. Little to no effort is granted to be inquisitive or to experience what a change might have to offer, even when obvious benefits are presented. Keep in mind, a fundamentalist's fundamentalism is their primary concern. They place their agenda before anything else and leave little room for other considerations.
"Beliefs are constructs that we make up in our mind. THE MAP IS NOT THE TERRITORY. The fact that you believe something allows you to function in the world, but it isn't the world itself." - R. Bandler
To Yell or Not To Yell...
Seth Godin states: "Those that seem to be yelling the most and the loudest seem to be the ones who seem to have the least amount of information-understanding-knowledge on the matter. Screaming ignorance gets attention, but it distracts us from the work at hand."
Consider the "yelling" individual or group for a moment. Where is this behavior the most obvious: business, government, media, abroad, community, friends...self? Do you notice it happening right now? Be mindful of the possible roots for such behavior: true ignorance, desire to fit in, desire to stand out, lack of accountability, out of fear, global shifts, sadness (underlining current of anger) or realized personal reflection. How often do you think the person or group knows better or has awareness of the causes that initiate their actions?
Fringe Theories...
In reference to a recent Los Angeles Times segment, ideologies, gossip and fringe theories thrive in the minds of people who are predisposed to believe them. The instigators merely access the preexisting beliefs and biases of the audiences they target. Clear examples of this are where economic or educational disparities exist, such as certain underdeveloped countries and even in our own backyard. People don't act on broader considerations when they cannot see, feel or have experienced the contrary. People also have different degrees of "suggestibility" on what they will accept or consider.
According to Richard Bandler, "A lot of folks already know that they want to be different, they just don't know how to do it! Understanding yourself is one way of deciding you want to do things differently."
How extreme can a person or group become to be considered a fundamentalist or not one? When is the line crossed? Keep in mind, categorizing people and things establishes limitations for growth, yet we use the term openly these days. The Associated Press recommends that the term fundamentalist not be applied to any group that does not apply the term to itself. Most entities would not choose such a title, but to what length are agendas sometimes pushed?
The Majority Report...
Christiane Amanpour (CNN) states: "Unfortunately the very vocal minority often dominates the political stage. It is the extremes, whether on the left or right, who are so committed as to be motivated and mobilized to go out and shout the loudest and work the hardest to get their points and their rhetoric across."
Fortunately, it is the vocal minority that is yelling the loudest. Unfortunately, mainstream media tends to focus on their stories and actions. But the majority of the population, both domestic and international, demonstrates less rigidity in its views and is willing to consider change and diversity. Some people are more cautious in their approach, while others are quick to embrace. Regardless, it is the majority that is welcoming change and forward momentum.
Keep in mind, a large segment of the world truly wants the United States to succeed and strengthen itself through this current economic downturn. For many populations and cultures, the U.S. represents innovation, knowledge, freedom, audacity, hope and promise. They desire to see a return to the forward momentum we have always exhibited. They learn from us and we can all learn from each other. Old, rigid ideologies and dogmas are fading, noticeably more in the West. These are inevitable transitions occurring along our evolutionary track. As mentioned, unfamiliarity has its side-effects. Just be aware of them as they pop up.
Being an educated society, we have the means to know that we have choices. We see, hear and feel experiences and can know that there are solutions and opportunities outside of each event in our lives. We can look beyond just the content of a situation and explore the contextual parameters of it instead. An educated population is a powerful one. Some populations of the world do not know the contrary of their situations due to socio-economic disparities; therefore face steep challenges in moving past conflict. Yelling exists and is effective in such pockets of the world. Openness, awareness and ideas can change those circumstances. Ideologies that strive to manipulate, justify and dictate do not.
Come on now. We know better. So do you!
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