Greetings!!
The evolution of consciousness brings with it an expanded 'sense of self' - to include past, present, and future generations of diverse human cultures and, beyond that, of all species and forms of life and life nurturing eco-systems up to and including the planet as a whole. Our dear friend and co-learner Matthew Shapiro give us the gift of a glimpse onto his creativity and commitment to create a better world by sharing with us his "Evolutionary Diary." Matthew has the sensibility to empathize with the cosmos, with living and non-living beings, with peoples of different times and of different cultures, and he invites us to imagine with him the implications of evolutionary turning points -- both breakdowns and breakthroughs. Eric Jantsch once said that he considered syntony as "inquiry at the evolutionary level par excellence," and Matthew certainly exemplifies this inquiry. We thank him for the wonderful opportunity for truly cosmic self-reflection in this last issue of the Path for 2002.
With our warmest wishes of Yule-tide cheer,
Kathia & Alexander Laszlo
My Evolutionary Diary
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We want to hear from you...My Evolutionary Diary: Evolutionary consciousness through imagination
by Matthew Shapiro
mshapiro@folletfoundation.org
Last year I happened to wonder about the "first" time that a human being made music for pleasure. I wondered, what was going on at that moment in the life of this early human. I imagined that until this moment, they may have been in the practice of creating sounds for purposes of communication and for hunting. But creating a melody or a rhythm simply because it somehow gave him or her "pleasure," this was a moment I wondered about. I shared this passing wonderment with others, but not in any serious or sustained way.
Several months ago, it occurred to me that this kind of self-reflective exercise could be extended to many turning points in the history of the cosmos. The idea then emerged for a "workbook" that would help the user place themselves at the moment of an evolutionary turning point. It would ask them to imagine that they were the being experiencing that turning point, and to consider its implications for who they are today. Users can try to answer the questions with their imagination alone, or they can do research to help inform their ideas.
The ultimate purpose for this workbook is to foster evolutionary consciousness. The core concept in linking these evolutionary turning points to the user in the present day is that all of them - from the beginning of the universe to today's dramatic changes in society and into tomorrow's choices - are not distant, historical events, but are in fact focused in every person. This might help to empower them for the role that they play in present-day and future turning points.
After several months of work, the workbook is in a final draft stage. It includes more than 50 turning points. Each begins with a short background introduction that aims to be as scientifically and historically accurate as possible. That said, it must be acknowledged that for many of these evolutionary shifts, there is no known single moment or single place for its taking definite form. It should also be said that some of these backgrounds are simply "best guesses" at what set the stage for the turning point. Each introduction is followed by four questions that are similar in structure for each turning point, although some vary according to the turning point in question.
The first set involves the physical aspect of existence, beginning with "the first light beam flying into darkness." The series then moves into biological existence (e.g., "first living thing," and "first sexual reproduction"), and then psychological, cultural and social turning points (e.g., "first romantic love," "first woman voting in a modern society," and "first time seeing earth from outer space.") It moves into the future with potential turning points like "first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization" and "first human clone to become aware that it is a clone."
It is my pleasure to be able to share a few representative excerpts from My Evolutionary Diary: The Story of Turning Points That Make Up Who I Am Today. I hope that you try them out and that you enjoy them.
***
First Light
It is 15 billion years ago. An explosion is racing outward from a point with infinite mass but no size or dimension. Imagine the first wave of energy, the first beam of light ever, flying into the darkness. This beam of light is not moving into space; it is creating space for the first time. Space is the track that it leaves behind, ever-expanding with its journey. Imagine that you are riding on the tip of that beam.
1. What does it feel like to be on that first beam of light? What does it feel like to be rolling out space and time like a carpet?
2. Why was this event a turning point?
3. What was the significance of this event to who you are today?
4. Can you imagine how this event continues to unfold somewhere deep inside the atoms that make up your own body, in your molecules, and in your cells?First Life
On a primitive planet orbiting a young star, energy from the star and from the molten interior of the planet warms its surface. The planet is protected from extremes of cold and heat by the early atmosphere that envelops it. In a tiny drop of water somewhere on the planet's surface or at a "thermal vent" deep beneath its oceans, a complex flow of energy is producing an unusual set of chemical reactions. Right there, a very complex group of chemical chains comes into being that re-creates, over and over again, some of the links in those chains. This self-reproducing set of reactions endures as a self-contained being. While very dependent on energy from its environment, this "unity" is enclosed within its own boundary of activity, in which it produces its own parts. It is the first living thing.
1. Imagine that you are this first living thing. At one moment, you are just chemicals. In the next moment, you are living. What was the point of cross-over? What is changing about the way that you related to the world? How do you know that you are more than a set of chemical reactions, that you are a unity, that you are?
2. Why was this event a turning point?
3. What was the significance of this event to who you are today?
4. When and how does this event occur in your own life? Can you see it happening in different ways at different levels in your self? If so, what are they?First Dream
An animal once went to sleep, or something like sleep. When it awoke, it was confused - even alarmed. It had an immediate impression, a fresh memory, that it was somewhere else, doing something else, or in the presence of something that was no longer there. The animal soon recovered and went about its normal wakeful activity.
1. Imagine that you are the organism who experienced the first dream. What was that dream about? Why do you think you started dreaming? How did you tell the difference between dream and not-dream?
2. Why was this a turning point?
3. What is the significance of this event to who you are today?
4. How do dreams affect you? Do you think they are just random and unimportant stories that your unconscious mind creates, or do you think they are more than that?First Mirror Awareness
Reflective surfaces abound in nature, primarily as surfaces of bodies of water. Animals facing downward to drink from still water would have occasion to gaze upon an image of an animal looking at them. However, they would before long learn that it wasn't anything to be concerned about. They could lean in and drink, and the thing would disappear. It was not considered further. Eventually, some animal would come to know what it was looking at.
1. Imagine that you are the first creature to look upon that image in the water and realize that it was yourself. You might even go to it more often, just to use it for reflection. What allows you to realize that this is your own reflection? What does it change about the way that you use reflection? What does it change about your self?
2. Why was this event a turning point?
3. What is the significance of this event to who you are today?
4. What do you imagine (or remember) it was like the first time you saw yourself in a mirror and knew it was you?For the sake of space, the following excerpts from my Diary include their respective "imagine" questions only.
First Humor
Imagine that you are the first early human who finds himself or herself sensing humor, and laughing because of it. What was life like before there was a sense of humor? What was it that you saw or heard or thought that made you laugh at this special moment? Did you experience this humor together with others, or was it a solitary experience? Did laughter from humor trigger something in those around you? Did you remember how to see humor, and use it more, or did you just wait for it to happen again?
First Grandparent-Consciousness
Imagine that you are the first person to be a living grandparent and to know that your children have children whom they care for. You now know that your children will have children who are not your children. How is that changing your role in life? What does it reveal to you about your family and your existence?
First Personal Naming
Imagine that you are the first person to assume a name for yourself. It may have been given to you and then you learned to identify with it, or you may have taken it on yourself and taught it to others to use when identifying you. In your absence, they use this name to refer to you. It is a symbol that evokes an image of you. What is the motivation behind your naming, and what is the origin of your name? Was it something that others gave to you before they even had names, or was it something you invented for others to use? Will you also name your children from this time on?
First Suicide
Imagine that you are the first human being to consider ending your own life. What kind of a sense of self is enabling you to do this? What is leading you to believe that you could do such a thing? What leads you to even consider it, and what do you imagine will become of you if you carry it out? Do you do it in solitude, or in consultation with others?
First True Perspective Drawing
Imagine that you are an artist in Italy in the 14th century, and you are the first person to figure out how to represent three dimensions on a two-dimensional (flat) canvas. You can now create drawings that are realistic in their display of space and objects and people. And your technique is reproducible and can be taught to others. What led you to this discovery? What is the subject matter of your first perspective drawing? When others begin use this technique on a wide scale, how do you imagine it could affect people's view of the world, their values and their beliefs?
First Faster-Than-Human Machine
Imagine that it is 19th century England, and you live near a town where a simple factory has been set up to process agricultural products. You're a strong laborer and an expert in making the most of human and animal-driven tools. But one day you see in action a steam-driven machine that can do ten times more work than you can, in the same amount of time. News of this demonstration will soon spread. How does meeting this machine make you feel? How might it change your way of life, and the way that you envision life for your children?
First Atomic Bomb
Imagine that you are a key scientist in the project to develop the atomic bomb in the 1940's, and you are watching the first test of your creation. It explodes in the desert of New Mexico as a perfect nuclear fireball. What does it feel like to have developed this weapon? Do you feel any misgivings about it? Do you envision what this weapon might lead to? [N.B. As you imagine, keep in mind that you are still you - don't act or pretend to be "someone else."]
First Self-Guided Evolution
Imagine that you are the first planetary civilization on earth that is able to guide its own evolution through the active, conscious cooperation of the people who are part of you. How did you become this way, instead of continuing as the older society that was "pushed ahead" almost blindly? Who and what takes part in your process of conscious evolution? What is your next horizon? What would life have been like if you had not emerged?
***
The full set of exercises will be modular and adaptable for people of all ages. I can envision its use in schools, wherein teachers can choose from any exercises most related to their instructional objectives or those they deem most appropriate. The introductions can be re-written for different levels of understanding, or they can even be excluded altogether. The work's value is certainly not limited to children, however. It should be of interest to all adults with a general interest in becoming more aware of themselves in an evolutionary context. If you have an interest in seeing the final work, or if you have any comments or suggestions, please contact me at mshapiro@follettfoundation.org.
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For learning and dialogue on conscious evolution and to enrich *your* evolutionary diary, join us at http://www.communityzero.com/syntonyquest
***** ***** *****
For learning and dialogue on conscious evolution and to enrich *your* evolutionary diary, please join us at www.communityzero.com/syntonyquest
By Matthew Shapiro
Did you know that Thomas Jefferson felt that the U.S. Constitution should be re-written by each new generation, or approximately every 20 years? In an 1816 letter, he reflected that "laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the times." [1] And in an 1810 letter, he wrote, "Our children will be as wise as we are and will establish in the fullness of time those things not yet ripe for establishment." [2] In these words we may see traces of a philosophy of participatory design.
[1] Koch, Adrienne and William Peden (Eds.). The Life and Selected Writings of Thomas Jefferson. New York: Random House, 1944, 1972, 1993, pp. 615-617.
[2] Lipscomb and Bergh (Eds.) The Writings of Thomas Jefferson. Memorial Edition. Washington, D.C.: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1903-1904, Volume 12, pp. 394.
If you have been part of a small organization with high turnover in participation, you may have experienced the frustration from not being able to gain a sense of the heritage of the enterprise. You may not be able to take advantage of the past experience of the organization, because the organizational "memory" relies so heavily on the memory of individuals who are not involved anymore. Or, the memories of individuals might represent narrow or partial perspectives on what occurred. Here are a few steps that might help supplement personal memory in your organization:
1. Archive your documents, including all correspondence on behalf of the organization.
2. Maintain an Organizational Diary that anyone can enter notes in. These notes could be marked as either "Private" (closed to view until they leave the organization) or "Public." They might also be classified according to the contributor's relationship to the organization, e.g.:
Entry - what they say as a newcomer to the community of practice.
Regular - normal period of involvement.
Exit - what they need to say when they leave.
3. Create a Learning Record each year, or semi-annually, by asking the question: What have we learned? ... and documenting the answer. An annual retreat might be dedicated to this experience.
4. Audio and video recording of significant meetings and events.As new people participate in the organization, they might be encouraged to look through the Diary and the Learning records.
... Just some small steps that could make a big difference in shared learning.
We have embarked on a collaboration that is sure to provide fertile ground for engaging in meaningful and significant development projects. Syntony Quest and Open Capital Network (OCN) are exploring the means to empower socially and environmentally responsible entrepreneurs in less developed regions of the world. The framework for this initiative is the research that Syntony Quest has been conducting through EDGE - Syntony Quest's international research group exploring evolutionary development as a learning, participatory, and creative process that contributes to the creation of human, social, and natural capital. Open Capital Network is a Silicon Valley organization innovating new ways of doing business, combining the best of the profit and not-for-profit worlds. Syntony Quest is poised to be the official research arm of OCN by providing models, approaches and tools that promote diverse and coherent development. Our work will catalyze this development through entrepreneurial initiatives geared to making a significant improvement in the sustainability and the quality of life of communities in need across the globe. Stay tuned to learn more about this promising partnership!
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Syntony Quest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization seeking to
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