When one realizes that we are applying collective intelligence via social technology UPON collective memory in order to EXACT collective influence UPON human society…well, the questions cease orienting around economic issues…and become far deeper. What is it that we are really here to accomplish, fellow sentient beings? ~Nathaniel Hansen, Athens, Greece. July 16, 2011
The following institutes provide core essentials related to leadership, the psyche, technology and the future. If you are able to attend one live event during the next 12 months, do it!
Singularity University is an interdisciplinary university whose mission is to assemble, educate and inspire leaders who strive to understand and facilitate the development of exponentially advancing technologies in order to address humanity’s grand challenges. With the support of a broad range of leaders in academia, business and government, Singularity University hopes to stimulate groundbreaking, disruptive thinking and solutions aimed at solving some of the planet’s most pressing challenges. Singularity University is based at the NASA Ames campus in Silicon Valley. – http://bit.ly/singularityU2011
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The Oxford Internet Institute was founded as a department of the University of Oxford in 2001, as an academic centre for the study of the societal implications of the Internet. The current home in a building owned by Balliol College was formally opened in July 2003. – http://bit.ly/OII_2011
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The Do Lectures. The idea is a simple one— that people who Do things can inspire the rest of us to go and Do things, too. So each year we invite a set of people down here to come and tell us what they Do. They can be small Do’s or big Do’s or just extraordinary Do’s. But when you listen to their stories, they light a fire in your belly to go and Do your thing, your passion, the thing that sits in the back of your head each day, just waiting, and waiting for you to follow your heart. To go find your cause to fight, your company to start, your invention to invent, your book to write, your mountain to climb. The one thing the Doers of the world Do, apart from Do amazing things, is to inspire the rest of us to go and Do amazing things too. They are fire-starters. – http://bit.ly/Do_Lectures2011
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The Esalen Institute was founded in 1962 as an alternative educational center devoted to the exploration of what Aldous Huxley called the “human potential,” the world of unrealized human capacities that lies beyond the imagination. Esalen soon became known for its blend of East/West philosophies, its experiential/didactic workshops, the steady influx of philosophers, psychologists, artists, and religious thinkers, and its breathtaking grounds blessed with natural hot springs. Once home to a Native American tribe known as the Essalen, Esalen is situated on 27 acres of spectacular Big Sur coastline with the Santa Lucia Mountains rising sharply behind. – http://bit.ly/Esalen_2011
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Omega Institute. Through innovative educational experiences that awaken the best in the human spirit, Omega provides hope and healing for individuals and society. Founded in 1977 by Stephan Rechtschaffen, M.D., and Elizabeth Lesser, Omega Institute for Holistic Studies was inspired by scholar and Eastern meditation teacher, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan. Together, they envisioned a dynamic “university of life” designed to foster personal growth and social change. The name “Omega” came from the teachings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a renowned 20th-century philosopher, who used the term “Omega Point” to describe the peak of unity and integration toward which all life is evolving. – http://bit.ly/Omega_2011
A COLLECTIVE REALIZATION: Humanity is collectively facing James Hillman’s dilemma in The Soul’s Code, where he says, “I can no longer be sure whether the psyche is in me or whether I’m in the psyche…” The national and personal borders that were so vital to identity are increasingly tested by swiftly advancing uncertainties. At the core is a mass realization by a culture engrossed in materialistic pursuit that perhaps, just maybe, something more is afoot.
“All great civilizations when they were flourishing had a living myth,” Marie-Louise von Franz (in above video clip on her work with Carl Jung).
The most popular films and books are stories centered around beings that have entered human experience from another realm. One only need look at the highest grossing films and bestseller lists to see that humanity yearns to be in touch with powers known by our forebears. Individuals want the pinnacle of Maslow’s pyramid and want it now. Our passage collectively will be via an alchemical and very hot journey, characterized by every emotion and, hopefully, resulting in a catharsis that leaves a handful of enlightened forefathers for successive generations. We will not fly to other galaxies until we plumb the very depths of our own collective memory and discover the wealth of psychological wisdom there.
So we are engaged in some collective projects now:
PROJECT #1: NO BORDERS – HUMANITY MIXES TOGETHER FULLY: The first project that is important in all of this is already well underway. The Internet has established itself as a borderless region, unbounded by national, religious and political obstacles. It has also sprung physical arms and legs, as evidenced in the swift overthrow of governments, politicians and other oppressors. VALUE: We advance beyond rigid religious systems that limit momentum and are violent to individuals, communities and other cultures. We overcome arrogance, ignorance and fundamentalism. There is more than one way to be a human. We are everything AND unique, all at once. In this way, we benefit from the cultural wisdom of others AND weave a powerful enough garment to absorb the heat of successive stages of an alchemical initiatory process. SAMPLE PROJECT: Can humans finalize the globalization of the planet WHILE retaining the unique, delicate and rich spiritual eco-systems of various regions? Can this unified world then identify and achieve collectively desired outcomes? Over and over again?
PROJECT #2: A GLOBAL MEDIUM & DELIVERY PLATFORM FOR ALL: The next project is also well underway, in the form of social networks and the myriad devices that social content populates. EXAMPLE: The World Wide Mind and THE Conversation Prism are perfect examples of how this rainbow wheel of social properties is animated by and animates human action. VALUE: Streamlining data analysis and action platforms facilitates achievement of the sample project above, namely collective action BY THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY toward COLLECTIVELY IDENTIFIED GOALS.
PROJECT #3: SUBMARINES INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE COLLECTIVE PSYCHE: The third project is just beginning. Via sophisticated data-mining solutions like PeopleBrowsr, Radian6 and others, as well as a deep understanding of social and human psychology, organizations are plumbing the depth of the collective unconscious.
Carolyn Kaufman describes Jung’s concept: “The collective unconscious is like psychic DNA: it contains “inherited” psychic material that links us not only to other humans in the present but also to our ancestors from the past. According to Jung’s theory, though each of us appears to function independently, in actuality we’re all tapped into the same global mind.”
Nikos Kazantzakis identifies the importance and value of being aware of the collective unconscious, “Myriad invisible hands hold your hands and direct them. When you rise in anger, a great-grandfather froths at your mouth; when you make love, an ancestral caveman growls with lust; when you sleep, tombs open in your memory till your skull brims with ghosts.”
VALUE: The goal of launching missions into the collective unconscious is that we discover what we have forgotten and link this to what we have invented IN ORDER TO reach what we desire.
PLUMBING THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS FOR WISDOM: Again, humanity is collectively facing Hillman’s dilemma in The Soul’s Code, where he says, “I can no longer be sure whether the psyche is in me or whether I’m in the psyche…” Immersive mediums of expression and relationship like social networks clue us into deeper mysteries that CAN BE PLUMBED now and then turned into vehicles for going even deeper into our collective unconscious in search of wisdom, forgotten truth and stories. These in turn feed our evolution like nothing else can. In the old tribes, a teenage boy would undergo a ritual that threatened his life. Upon passing through, he had earned the right to sit around the fire with the men, to hunt with them and to enjoy the pleasures of women and family.
Our planet is undergoing such an initiation now, passing from fear and oppression INTO an era typified by simple technologies that resolve timeless human problems. The storyteller Michael Meade has said, “As nature rattles and culture unravels, mythic imagination tries to return to the world, for endings and beginnings are particularly mythic…myth makes meaning and helps a person find the meaningful path through life.”
Again, we will not fly to other galaxies until we plumb the very depths of our own collective memory and discover the wealth of psychological wisdom there. Do you have a different historical timeline that you like? “To keep the future open to all potentials, alternatives and dissenting possibilities, it is necessary to envisage alternative futures from different civilisational and cultural perspectives.” (Sardar) It may be the only way to get free of the “fate” and “karma” that previous generations are so deeply in love with. We do not need to have an apocalypse just because such a weight of humanity yearned for it…there are other optional endings. Cultivating a Choose Your Own Adventure approach is vital to survival at this point.
MY STATEMENT ON FACEBOOK: Currently THE coolest social/brand ad game out there! http://pleasurehunt.mymagnum.com/
FOLLOW-UP ON THIS STATEMENT BY TWO FRIENDS:
FRIEND ONE: One friend replied, “Very cool… Its really interactive and connects with some great websites and services. Great idea.”
FRIEND TWO: Another replied, “I’m not sure why people would do it if they don’t get something from it. It’s not that fun and it doesn’t seem to give you anything. I’d be curious how this site did but I don’t think that something like this which isn’t great game- play would work. Different story if it is a cool game that has a lot invested in it and people want to play it and get something out of it.”
THOUGHTS ON THE TWO RESPONSES: BOTH perspectives are needed and important. OUR WORLD needs a blend of the creative-enthusiast AND the critic-refiner. Each grows the other. Creativity that grows out of the rich soil of critique is the magic this world needs! Creativity involves play, grows out of play. It’s the dance of a tendril through rock and soil into sunshine, air and rain.
The gold is IN the shadow. ~Carl Jung
Rukeyser writes, “The world is made of stories, not of atoms.”
You have your brush, you have your colors, you paint the paradise, then in you go. ~Nikos Kazantzakis
CHANGE IS HERE NOW: The world population is migrating into social networks at a sizzling pace! In doing so, individuals are increasingly relating to one another within the format of a circle vs. within top-down hierarchies. The circle is becoming the norm in terms of human organization as a result. To keep up with this change in ethos, institutions, organizations and nations are in FULL TILT change mode from hierarchies TO circular (hub and spoke) structures. Leaders must contend with this new paradigm (the circle) and encourage their partners, audiences, and niches to get educated in the circle format.
HUB AND SPOKE TRANSPORTS FROM HIERARCHY TO HOLISTIC STRUCTURE: The entire eco-system of a circle facilitates a different kind of action and pace than “getting permission from the top.” Indeed, there’s really no time for a “top” any more, it’s far more effective to have a “center” or a “hub”. And this hub and spoke is REALLY only a vessel transporting its occupants to the next form: a holistic organization (all equal). See an excellent graphic here on the types of organizations: http://bit.ly/hub_and_spoke_organizations.
BRANCHES IN THE SUN, ROOTS IN THE EARTH: Joseph Campbell writes, “To be in accord with the grand symphony that this world is, to put the harmony of our own body in accord with that harmony” Our organizations MUST be involved in a collaboration oriented around harmonizing human activity with planetary necessities IN THIS SEASON of human existence. This means dreaming BIG and celebrating the link between dream and action, the imagination and production, the working out of ideals in the context of everyday life.
So we MUST start with dreams.
THE VALUE OF A CULTURE THAT LISTENS TO ITS DREAMS: The first key to creating a dreaming culture is to open a safe space between people every day in which dreams can be shared and honored. If we can bring this about in our families, our schools, our work environments and our communities, we will take a tremendous step towards manifesting a more generous, spirited and compassionate society where we can move decisively beyond barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding. We will also bring gifts of storytelling and spontaneous healing into our everyday lives. (http://www.lucidityapp.com)
A PATH TO MAKING DREAM HAPPEN IN 2011:
1. Identify and prioritize your interests. (A journal and a pen).
2. Identify trends consistent with these interests. Also identify allies to your cause. Do this by listening to the social networks using free tools. Social Media Monitoring Tools give us the power to discover the 5 W’s of our Key Influencers (individuals, entities and organizations). The range of sophistication in this area of technology is wide and worth understanding prior to deciding which tools to use. (Research.ly + Qwerly + Twitter Lists + Listorious)
3. Create non-branded communities of interest in Twitter for research, influence and sales.
4. Do the Twit-Face two-step and discover that same community within the social graph (Facebook) and the career network (LinkedIn).
5. Create a Meetup group and invite ALL those people to it. Create something with those people in the flesh. (Meetup)
6. Gather the latest 100 tweets, latest 100 Facebook status updates and latest 100 LinkedIn updates of your Key Influencers. Mash these into stories. This involves good writing skills and story-telling skills.
7. Turn these stories into money (Kickstarter), into love (Match), and into community (GetSatisfaction).
The following quote from Jeff Dachis captures the significance of these stories for an organization in transition:
“A social business can transform the brand story from talking points, testimonials, and on-brand visual assets to a collection of authentic stories that build strong connections across all constituencies. Personal stories from suppliers can be shared with end consumers to make a product more than a product. Stories from consumers can be circulated back into the business to help everyone in the chain see how they are impacting lives for the better.” ~Jeff Dachis, The Dachis Group, Austin, TX.
A FEW STORY-MAKING RESOURCES:
1. Quora.com – http://www.quora.com/
A continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it.
2. Storify.com – http://storify.com/
Storify is a way to tell stories using social media such as Tweets, photos and videos. You search multiple social networks from one place, and then drag individual elements into your story. You can re-order the elements and also add text to give context to your readers.
3. Paper.li – http://paper.li/
Paper.li organizes links shared on Twitter into an easy to read newspaper-style format. Newspapers can be created for any Twitter user, list or #tag.
4. Trailmeme.com – http://trailmeme.com/
A trail is a (partially) sequenced collection of digital objects, such as webpages. A trail can be a straight sequence of pages or contain branches and other interesting features that allow you to construct more complex patterns and stories, such as organizing a tutorial into two branches for “beginner” and “advanced” material.
5. SPOT.US – http://spot.us/ – Spot.Us is a nonprofit project of the “Center for Media Change” and funded by various groups like the Knight Foundation. We partner with various organizations including the Annenberg School of Communications in Los Angeles. We are an open source project to pioneer “community powered reporting.” Through Spot.Us the public can commission and participate with journalists to do reporting on important and perhaps overlooked topics. Contributions are tax deductible and we partner with news organizations to distribute content under appropriate licenses. Donors can also take a survey from our one our sponsors, when available, to support the story of their choice at no cost to them.
OTHER RESOURCES RELATED TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE VIA COMMUNICATION:
ARTICLES:
HIGHER EDUCATION IS A BUBBLE: http://tcrn.ch/education_2011_change
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN ANALYSIS: http://tcrn.ch/our_schools_suck2011
JOURNALISM IS ENTREPRENEURSHIP: http://bit.ly/journalists_are_entrepreneurs2011
AL JAZEERA’S SOCIAL STORYTELLING EXPERIMENT 2011: http://bit.ly/thestream_experiment2011
SITES:
SPOT.US: http://www.spot.us/
KNIGHT DIGITAL: http://www.knightdigitalmediacenter.org/
NIEMAN LAB: http://www.niemanlab.org/
CUNY ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNALISM: http://www.journalism.cuny.edu/academics/entrepreneurial-journalism/
J-LAB: http://www.j-lab.org/
RJI ONLINE: http://www.rjionline.org/
PLACEBOGGER ANGEL FUND: http://placeblogger.com/blog/lisa/announcing-the-placeblogger-angel-fund
CHANGING JOURNALISM IN THE UK: http://www.journalism.co.uk/
IPI NEWS CONTEST: http://www.ipinewscontest.org/about-us/about-programme/
SOCIAL STORYTELLING REAL-TIME:
