[Ailist] Positive Core of America -

[Roger Davies]

I think at the core of many of today's issues is the link between Liberty
and Responsibility. Whether it is bankers being irresponsible with investors
money or individuals believing that the government has a right to provide
for them. I'm not sure where I read it but I once saw a quote that when the
Statue of Liberty was erected on the east coast the opportunity was missed
to place the Statue of Responsibility on the west coast.

Does it help to narrow the focus on what a future based on personal liberty
and personal responsibility looks like?

Roger

-----Original Message-----
From: Robyn Stratton-Berkessel [mailto:robynsb at mac.com] 
Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 10:19 PM
To: John Loty; Ailist Inquiry
Cc: Roger Davies; Capela2 at aol.com
Subject: Re: [Ailist] Positive Core of America -


Hi John and others

The shift in the conversation to short-term thinking and the emphasis on
financial, material ends, brings up so many layers:  what is the value
(meme) that is lived out in the various cultures?  From our AI principles we
see value in difference and look for best with the dream to discover not
only  common ground but higher ground.  Don Beck,  
talks of sustainable cultures.   This resonates with our work.  Below  
is a segment copied from Don Beck's website.
http://spiraldynamics.net/DrDonBeck/essays/sustainable_culture_sustainable_p
lanet.htm

Quote:
Perhaps we should define terms before we launch even further into this
exploration. What is it that makes a culture "sustainable?" What are the
essential characteristics that display the full range of "sustainability"
levels in various cultures? And, might it be possible to develop something
of a S-Culture Index to measure various societies and cultures on these
dimensions? Here is an initial list of such
characteristics:

    * Sustainable Cultures develop, propagate and update a compelling
vision, a sense of transcendent purpose, and a series of superordinate goals
to create common cause for a complex culture.
    * Sustainable Cultures focus on systemic health and well-being rather
than on one-time initiatives or any magical "quick-fix."
    * Sustainable Cultures embrace the evolutionary dynamic and recognize
that the center of gravity for the culture will shift as conditions of
existence change in the milieu, either progressive or regressive.
    * Sustainable Cultures accept that dynamic tension is part of life
itself and have learned how to differentiate between destructive and
constructive conflict.
    * Sustainable Cultures disseminate self-reliance and responsible
decision-making at every level, in every function, and on every issue.
    * Sustainable Cultures mesh the four bottom-lines - purpose, profit,
people, and planet - and realize that to accomplish any one of the four they
must also experience success in the other three.
    * Sustainable Cultures develop a sense of collective individuality in
that the two are seen as cyclical blends and ratios rather than extremes or
poles.
    * Sustainable Cultures respect the past-present-future timeline and
think of each as an element in the seamless flow of nature.
    * Sustainable Cultures deal with causes and symptoms in a simultaneous,
interdependent fashion.
    * Sustainable Cultures possess the capacity to renew themselves whenever
the problems of existence create greater complexity than available
solutions.
    * Sustainable Cultures integrate economic, political, social,
environmental, spiritual and educational domains in an integral fashion.
    * Sustainable Cultures transmit their codes to the present generation
while, at the same time, prepare the youth for different conditions in the
near and far future.
    * Sustainable Cultures transcend but include previous ways of being
while always anticipating what will be next, thus living in open systems.

A couple of other thoughts:

What we are experiencing globally, from my perspective, is a natural  
phenomenon of long overdue self-corrective feedback loops.  Possibly,   
the systems  archetype of "limits to growth" and   "the tradegy of the  
commons".  (Peter Senge - Fifth Discipline).

One further insight into this topic raised by John Loty is the work of  
Hofstede's  on cultural and national differences.   By understand why  
and how we are different is to appreciate those differences. Looking at
Hoftede's cultural dimensions, you will be able to assess which cultures
demonstrate the following characteristics.

Power Distance
Individualism
Masculinity
Uncertainty Avoidance
Long term Orientation.

What are your ideas, feelings, hopes and dreams for co-constructing a world
we dream of?

Kind regards.

Robyn.
Robyn Stratton-Berkessel
Creator, Positive Matrix www.positivematrix.com Founder, L.I.T. Global
www.litglobal.com
+1 732 291 0462
+1 917 816 5597 (mobile)
Skype: robynsb


On Mar 5, 2009, at 4:13 AM, John Loty wrote:


Thanks Roger -- especially for "short-termism". That is precisely what is
going on.

It seems to me that we (all of us) have been living in some fantasy that
promises happiness without the hard work that usually precedes it.

Another AI practitioner wrote to me and observed that the mathematics of
credit is not something that is taught in our schools - which I think is
worth repeating.
The full implications of credit would, I think, come as a rude shock to many
people.

Interesting we, in Australia, teach our children to not dive in shallow
water and stay away from dangerous currents we call "rips" (on our
beaches)
and have volunteer life savers on our beaches to rescue us if we get into
difficulty and yet everyone is left to their own devices to swim or sink in
the turbulent ocean of finance and credit.

Once upon a time you couldn't get a loan for a house here unless you had
saved the deposit and could prove that you earned 4 times the re-payment
obligations.

We seem to rush in where angels fear to tread and are encouraged to do so by
our own impulsiveness not to mention the sharks that swim in those waters.
And then came the easy credit and the belief that house prices would always
keep rising. (tooth fairies rule!)

Yes we seem to need some credit - and right now we need it like we need a
life support system when we are critically ill but I wonder whether we are
going to learn anything from this experience if we don't at least identify
what is going on.

John Loty
Appreciative Inquiry Advocate, Facilitator and Consultant

Director
Logistics Training International



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Robyn Stratton-Berkessel
Creator, Positive Matrix www.positivematrix.com Founder, L.I.T. Global
www.litglobal.com
+1 732 291 0462
+1 917 816 5597 (mobile)
Skype: robynsb