 7 Dec 2013 @ 20:06, by Heiner Benking
Today all media are full of Nelson Mandela - I feel sadened, haunted, priviledged, at awe ! and very concerned!
We prepared „AFRICA BEYOND POVERTY“ between 1993 and 1995 [link] and Proceedings [link] so I am „all ears“ with all the „view“ and "words" comming in. Where is the difference, where have we been 20 years ago, and where are we today? regarding Africa and the World ?
I feel „we“ fail today and failed bitterly 20 years ago. Have our contributions, even well meaning and with full energies, have provided only little, or even worse, no lasting, even negative results!? Can we „bend the trend?
The ideas and insights were there, but to which ends ! ??, did we communicate well? Is this all our fault !? Or when stepping back, directly after the Wall had come down and the Politics Bureau of China initiated a meeting of UN State-Planners in Beijing in 1992 *** we had all the chances and failed miserably... People later advised the the Chinese gonvernment, but did they learn and appreciate from broader governance schemes ? And other approaches: Yehezkel Dror – ****** Ralph Siu *** ****
I feel today this looks like a global and total failure. Why I we did not speak up and words and documents where not read/received. All my / our failure? (further down I come back to my more reflecting, pondering, desperate mode at the moment)
How do I come to such strong sentiments and questionings?
I presently hear in our German National TV Nelson Mandela being quoted: Your playing small does not serve the world. - DICH SELBST KLEIN ZU HALTEN, DIENT NICHT DER WELT. taken from 'A Return To Love' (1992) by Marianne Williamson [link] This are NOT ! his original words but telling a lot and making me think..
The issue is close to what I am fumbling here tonight and for years.
Electified as I was mesmerised/focussed around „worlds of service“. Searching further I find five favourite quotes by Mandela collected by Juliet Ume, which wrote yesterday in "Honouring My Father And Remembering Nelson Mandela (1918-2013). Rest in Peace, Madiba!" her five favourite quotes by Mandela:
1. “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living…”
This is close, but not quite what is presented in the media and cited everywhere.
It leaves me with the question "When should we think and play big? and how can we serve best: Playing small does not serve the „World
Immediately, Mahelia Jackson is humming in my mind: If you go it, flaunt it but who is to speak up and when and on what subject? and who will listen when every word raised is under suspicion of self-service and fundamentalism, as wise people are silent !
Citation "Be Silent" and "Shut Up" as I learend from Anthony JUDGE. Please read his piece: The Deafening Silence of Those Who Know Nothing [link] which ends and starts with:
In one form or another, the most enlightened traditions enjoin people: To Dare, To Know, and To Be Silent We had much exchange about this being enlightened or not ! by "being Silent" and I qoted for him WISSEN _ WOLLEN _ WAGEN - (The full text below). So is it right to be silent ? or to speak up at the right time, on the right subject, to the right audience in the right situation, terse and inviting/empowering. Issues that matter to make a difference! You see me getting toughed, as this is my conern since long, as covered in [link] with our Magic Roundtables, and on the [link] website, which is focussing more on deliberation, dialog-design, and peace-making, as the next step, after lesrningbto listen, subsume, resonnate, and speak up!!
Bertrand Russell wrote, "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." "Why should the wise people of the world doubt themselves and the fools revel in their own idiocy?" I recommend: [link]
Nelson Mandela and Bertrand Russel where deep into peace-making and so it makes much sense to dig here a little deeper, and the roots cause of the SDP Peace Processes comes up: "identifying "Religious fundamentalism" as the Root-Cause of the Problematique.": check slide 34-35 in this presentation [link]
For more about Structured Dialogig Design (SDP) and Multi-Track Diplomacy and Peacemaking here: [link]
People like Bishop Desmond Tutu or Charles François with their deepness, attentiveness, and as a world of insights and friendliness have left a strong mark and provided raw-models - so attitude, ability and availability are top to judge a person or mission/scope. I often cite Charles François with his "Doing what matters most towards mount awareness. Check: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Fran%C3%A7ois_(systems_scientist) and this presentation he gave: [link] As you see I still advocate appropriate not oversimplsitic and undercomplex approaches, ways which go beyond linear, in the box, and only with one way to present and display conplex issues. See his Encyclopedia, and maybe the terms he like to include which say a little more about what I mean: [link]
Work in Progress - check - Wissen_Wollen_Wagen and Bishop Tutu, Africa and Asia, ...
About Bishop Tutu, Africa and Asia, ... Environment and Wholeness I will come back later, maybe even Smuts and Koestler, Jonas and Siu again. Check further down or ask...
I struggle since long with this topic of when to speak up, where, how and about which topic in which way ! Have to leave the trainnow but need to continue as I feel this issue is central to me and so maybe also for many others !!!
I am internally full of some tremor, how is it that we do not learn and communicate diffently, find different ways to negotiate and come to terms "beyond the need to agree" as also Anthony Judge mentioned so often. You might like to check what I mean and where I mention Judge and Christakis here: (PDF) [link] or check this site: [link]
WORK IN PROGRESS ...
WISSEN _ WOLLEN _ WAGEN
This small Rhyme we tried to dig in some other languages cultures. I need to check the endnote or emphaasis again - what to German French English have learned about this 100 or more years ago, and was there a diffence ! ? to the better or worse!?
Wissen, Wollen, Wagen war je der Leitspruch der Weisen.
Schweigen erhöhet die Kraft, es vernichtet die eitel sich preisen
I looks like that we are with the Divina Commedia (Dante) and Friedrich Nietzsche her in difficult terrain, sorry - but I have 2 of my many fovourite Quotes from Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844 - 1900), deutscher Philosoph, Essayist, Lyriker und ... [ ]. Wer die Menschen einst fliegen lehrte, hat alle Grenzsteine verrückt.
and interestingly again about "flying" and 3D from Nietzsche:
Je höher wir uns erheben, um so kleiner erscheinen wir denen, welche nicht fliegen können.
maybe I should revist my 3D and 9D:?: [link] or better start with this page - again from Anthony Judge - about POINTERS TO POSSIBILITIES: [link]
making Differences in Deepworlds: [link]
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