Sunday, August 3, 2008
Should vs Why
Follow @mcphoo
Tweet
In various encounters of late, i've heard a lot of people responding to other people's ideas, not really engaging with the idea, but grabbing onto one piece and saying "you shouldn't do that; you should do this." Statements, not questions. Why do so few people ask "why"? Why do you have this point of view? why do you think making this particular observation is important?
What happened to things that make you go "hmm"?
Is it that we get too comfy in a particular point of view so that we know how to address anything in that space to make it conform to our view, and if it doesn't it's just wrong?
i dunno. i find it somewhat depressing/discouraging that a frequent response is to react rather than to pull back, go up, and ask where's this coming from? do i understand the context? if i'm feeling challenged, defensive, do am i just getting triggered? is this finding a weakness in me?
I guess perhaps in part it gets down to what are our goals in an exchange: what do we want to achieve? is it to engage with an intent to learn? to defend? to communicate?
Community can be built in a number of ways: either by re-inscribing boundaries ( driven perhaps by a little f-scale, a little impostor syndrome [1] mayhap) or by striving (and that does main making a deliberate effort) to push them.
A broad church or a narrow doctrine?
Growth, other than cancer, rarely occurs in a monoculture.
---------------------
[1]thanks Rannoch for the ref Tweet Follow @begin2dig
What happened to things that make you go "hmm"?
Is it that we get too comfy in a particular point of view so that we know how to address anything in that space to make it conform to our view, and if it doesn't it's just wrong?
i dunno. i find it somewhat depressing/discouraging that a frequent response is to react rather than to pull back, go up, and ask where's this coming from? do i understand the context? if i'm feeling challenged, defensive, do am i just getting triggered? is this finding a weakness in me?
I guess perhaps in part it gets down to what are our goals in an exchange: what do we want to achieve? is it to engage with an intent to learn? to defend? to communicate?
Community can be built in a number of ways: either by re-inscribing boundaries ( driven perhaps by a little f-scale, a little impostor syndrome [1] mayhap) or by striving (and that does main making a deliberate effort) to push them.
A broad church or a narrow doctrine?
Growth, other than cancer, rarely occurs in a monoculture.
---------------------
[1]thanks Rannoch for the ref Tweet Follow @begin2dig
PDFIf you enjoy these posts by all means you should
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
COACHING with dr. m.c. 
4 comments:
Their are some who suggest we are drawn together, not buy a common interest but by collective dislike.
Mob rule is where the cowards go when they feel threatened. No quicker way to ignite a persons ire than to shine a light on their ignorance.
But that's a gift. It often takes another to light the first torch so we can find our the way.
The minute the humourless turn up, I do tend to leve though.
Religion, Martial Arts, Excersize, Diet.
I notices similar passionate tendencies in devotees of these various disciplines.
To ones that is just searching for the "right thing" for themselves, the zealous responses discussion on these topics generate seem odd if not off putting.
But to the one committed to a particular meme, it is a plan of "security" either for the soul or body. So when someone comes playing around at the foundation of their fortress, the person inside often feel threatened. Even if the foundation shaker, is just trying to build a better fortress for everybody to share.
Though I tend not to stay in orbit around one particular meme-strange-attractor for long, I personally enjoy the slingshot effect of committing towards some strong mono-culture star, picking up some stellar dust, and cross pollinating (at least in my own understanding) another star.
It seems to me that the turbulence at of the thin film interface between two or more mono-cultures (e.i. strange-attractors) is the very birthplace of creativity and chaos. But what is sometimes forgotten is the importance of the strong strange-attractor in generating the creativity by interacting with another strange attractor.
You mention "A broad church or a narrow doctrine?" Dr. Ralph Winter explores similar polarity in "The Warp and the Woof". He argues that the church always has and always needed both. The broadly accepting church flourishes in a community. The growth into new communities or peoples, has been mostly done by missionary orders (as in societies not commands).
I hope this made some sense to those that suffered through reading it. I've always been more of a "mad scientist" that an academic.
-Rich
P.S. I envy you being able to go to CK-FMS
Rich,
"very birthplace of creativity and chaos" I like that alot.
Part of the problem is when people come into contact with such zealous commitment and opinion it can undermine their own efforts.
It's back to absorbing what is useful and discarding that which is not.
Thanks for stimulating my braincells this morning. All good stuff.
Later
Rannoch
gentlemen, just saw your comments. it's very early where i am and i'm dealing mainly with the image of richard as cross pollinating bee. i'm not sure if that's too psychodelic or utterly charming.
really appreciate the thoughts and the conversation. long live the salon. bless you both! stop by any time.
Post a Comment