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Do we need/have a higher purpose?

Submitted by George Por on October 26, 2007 - 17:13.

Many trails

Submitted by Bob Stilger on October 25, 2007 - 23:27.

Much is in motion here, and in so many other networks and communities of which I am a part.

I find myself in an inquiry I have held for many years. It is around "connection."

I'm coming to believe that connections are pathways to synergy and to entropy.

Sometimes connections are made in search of a purpose, sometimes in the presence of a purpose and sometimes in the absence of a purpose.

Sometimes the conversations which are actually in search of a purpose forget the search and assume that the conversation is purpose enough. Sometimes the conversations which occur in the absence of a purpose just wander all over the place.

Does anyone else experience this confusion or find this framing useful?

I raise it because I think I am at a point in my life where I really want to be clear about what conversations I join and which ones I pass on -- without judgment about the conversations themselves, simply judgments about whether they are for me.

 

Collective and individual purpose

Submitted by George Por on October 26, 2007 - 08:56.

Healthy, self-organizing social systems and movements are not purpose-giving but purpose-seeking. (Do a search for "purpose-seeking" on this page.)

I found Bob's post very relevant to that:

"Sometimes connections are made in search of a purpose, sometimes in the presence of a purpose and sometimes in the absence of a purpose.

Sometimes the conversations which are actually in search of a purpose forget the search and assume that the conversation is purpose enough. Sometimes the conversations which occur in the absence of a purpose just wander all over the place."

As emergence passes through stages, as the community's collective intelligence and wisdom deepens and unfolds, so does its purpose. It seems that in the potential/coalescing phase a purpose that would be more specific than becoming more visible to ourselves as an emergent whole, could risk not using the intelligence of the whole.

Bob also wrote:

"I am at a point in my life where I really want to be clear about what conversations I join and which ones I pass on -- without judgment about the conversations themselves, simply judgments about whether they are for me."

I picked that up because it seems it is a common predicament for many of us. My individual purpose is to become free from everything that would diminish my availability to bring my talents and passion in service to co-evolve our world, with you all, to the next level of harmony and consciousness. The conversations I am joining are the ones that evoke a big YES! in my heart. The fledgling intergenerational dialogue and helping it become more visible to itself is a YES!! YES!!

Interesting Question...

new
Submitted by Bob Stilger on October 26, 2007 - 17:03.

Thanks George.

My experience agrees with yours. The way I would put it is that sometimes having too much clarity of purpose in advance cuts off creativity. I remember the endless debates in my citizen participation days about whether it was better to start a meeting with a list of possibilities, or to begin with a blank slate.

So what is important here is having clarity about what conversation we're in.

I want to bring in a bit of experience from the first intergenerational dialogue on leadership at Shambhala Institute in 2004. Some people felt that the purpose of having an intergenerational dialogue was itself sufficient. Others felt that the dialogue lacked substance and focus because it did not have a purpose, beyond itself. The shift which was made at Shambhala in subsequent years was to bring intergenerational energy to bear on local issues viewed from a global context. And, as always, some felt that what happened was too primary a focus on the issues and not enough on cultivating the field of intergenerational energy.

For myself, I am at the point where it is difficult for me to participate in a gathering or meeting that is not intergenerational. I am always aware of -- and almost in mourning for -- the lack of intergenerational space. With that said, however, I believe it is critically important to consciously call an intergeneration conversation in service of something bigger.

Cheers,

Bob