Archive for June, 2008

Sustainable Choices

Monday, June 30th, 2008

Each and every day we make choices, choices that affect our lives and that of others. What we value and how we think of others influences the decisions and choices we make. What do you value and how does this affect your decisions?

Today more than ever it is critical to see the world through a lens of sustainability and equality for all. As a world we are consuming more of the earth’s resources than ever and polluting our world at an ever increasing level, an unsustainable level. Many seem to take a short view and make decisions based upon what impact they can create in the immediate future without regard for the long term consequences of these decisions. Our challenge as individuals and as a community is to think about the long term effects of our decisions. To look out longer than five years and instead think in terms of five generations. No small task indeed.

“Sustainable development is…development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of further generations to meet their own needs.”
World Commission on Environment and Development

Living and maintaining a sustainable life does not mean that you have to give up all the joys of life we have become accustomed to and in many cases take for granted each day. Quite the opposite. Living a sustainable life means taking the time to buy foods that are locally grown, clothing that is made from natural or recycled materials, or driving your car just a little less. As an example, Kristen, my wife, and I belong to two co-ops in Tulsa that provide us with so much food each week that are able to avoid shopping at Wal-Mart, in fact we have not shopped at Wal-Mart in over seven months running.

It has not been easy to reduce our dependency on Wal-Mart, we had to make a conscious effort to shift our thinking and patterns of buying, spend a little extra, and go out of our way to make it work. In the end the benefits are well worth the time and cost. The food we buy is locally grown, organic, and tastes way better than any other we have eaten besides the stuff that comes from our veggie garden in Zena. All the vegetable last at least a week longer than the stuff you buy in the stores and hey, we are supporting the local economy of our farmers. What could be better?

Native Americans have understood the importance of sustainability for generations. Whenever they were looking to make important decisions that would affect the entire tribe they would consider their decision with the perspective of how it would affect future generations. Native Americans were sensitive to how they impacted the areas where they lived, hunted, grew crops, and interacted. They knew when it was time to leave and let the area they lived rejuvenate itself by letting nature work her magic. They would scout out a new and abundant place to live for as long as that place could sustain them and still come back to the way they found it. We have a lot to learn if we are to sustain our current way of life.

“How long can men thrive between walls of brick, walking on asphalt pavements, breathing the fumes of coal and of oil, growing, working, dying, with hardly a thought of wind, and sky, and fields of grain, seeing only machine-made beauty, the mineral-like quality of life?” Charles Lindbergh

Somewhere along the path we have lost the relationship with our local community and the surroundings of our planet. If we do not gain a better perspective and rethink our relationship with our environment, our local communities, and the planet we call home we are sure to reach a limit that will force us to adjust our lifestyle. We cannot be like the proverbial ostrich and hide our heads in the sand. Wouldn’t it be more productive to take a proactive approach to our changing world and think about our decisions from a sustainable point of view? Our children, your grandchildren and future generations are all depending on us to make the right decisions.

Pursuing practices that will lead to “sustainable livelihood for all” can be such a formidable challenge that to many it seems unrealistic or not worth the effort. Here is the thing, if we, as citizens of Grand Lake and the world are to leave a legacy of lasting positive stewardship of our local community and the planet for future generations, we must take the steps to change our view of a sustainable community. A long view that includes everyone and everything in the choices we make. In the end our individual choices impact not just a Sustainable Grand Lake but a sustainable world. The choice is yours. What will you choose?

Let me know what you think.

Until next week, remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create yourself.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Articles | No Comments »

The Game of Life

Monday, June 23rd, 2008

As children growing up, we all learn how to play with one another through games, all kinds of games. I can remember playing flashlight tag with the other kids in my cul-de-sac. Monopoly was the most popular game with my family on rainy days. Candy Land was another favorite and then there was The Game of Life. I can hear the wheel in the middle of game board spinning right now. Where it lands nobody knows. Growing the biggest family, securing the best career, buying the house on the hill, all while avoiding the pit falls of playing The Game of Life.

If only playing the real game of life was as easy as the board game. How do you play the game of life?

“Life’s not always fair. Sometimes you can get a splinter even sliding down a rainbow.” Cherralea Morgen

Growing up I was never taught how to play the game of life. In fact, I have rebelled against buying into this game and instead created my own rules. I have experienced this game as unhealthy and full of low integrity people serving themselves before others. By creating my own game on the sidelines of the larger game, a kind of ghost in the machine, I have been able to excel with an “out-of-the-box” way of life that has served me well. At least, that is what I have thought. I have been proud to be an example of someone who has not played the game and been able to succeed in life against all odds.

Looking back on my childhood I can see that everything I needed to learn about playing the game could have been learned from my time in the sandbox. We had to share the toys that were available to us. Collaboration was necessary for those in the sandbox to get along and create something. When a bully would take a toy or your sandwich you had to decide to fight or flee. The interactions that took place in the sandbox are a great place to reflect upon how to play the game. What happens between childhood and adulthood that we loose these lessons?

“As we struggle to make sense of things, life looks on in repose.” Author Unknown

As I have become more motivated and focused on sharing the power of What Box? and have been consciously living it, it has become clear that I not only have to start playing the game but embracing playing the game. This is a major challenge. How does one step into the box, yet remain out-of-the-box and keep their sanity? Sounds like one of those wise sage questions that have no answer doesn’t it?

How odd, that to support people, organizations, communities and corporations to think more out-of-the-box you have to step into the box and play the game. This is the way it is and to create a meaningful impact in people’s lives it is critical to become a champ at playing the game. I have been in awe and at the same time in contempt of people who can play the game with great ease.

How can we learn to play the game even better and still remain unique?

“Life is not a final. It’s daily pop quizzes.” Author Unknown

I don’t even know how to fully enter the game. Is there a starting point? Did I miss it and now am I in the middle somewhere on the game board? How do I catch up? What are the rules and who created them? Is there more than one game? Is there a get out of jail free card? Do I get to pass Go and collect $200?

I believe the challenge is to stay conscious of the fact that we are all playing a game, while staying true to our values and mission in life. It’s kind of like standing next to yourself watching and reminding yourself not to take it too seriously and have fun while playing. Aren’t games supposed to be fun?

Like so many things in life and written in What Box? it takes tremendous practice to achieve the desired results. I have a feeling this one is going to take the rest of my life to figure out. I guess we all have to figure it out for ourselves.

“To live remains an art which everyone must learn, and which no one can teach.” Havelock Ellis

Playing the game is part of life. We can embrace it or repel it. Which will you choose?

Let me know what you think.

Until next week, remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create yourself.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Articles | No Comments »

Valuing Wisdom

Thursday, June 5th, 2008

In the centuries prior to the spread of American Culture our elders were considered to be the wisest and most respected people in the communities in which they lived. They were revered for their knowledge and wisdom, wisdom gained through the experiences of many years living on the earth. Their achievements were understood as an outcome of what they had learned from experiences that they lived through during their lives. These wise elders were sought after by people in their communities in order that others would learn from them. This way they would be less likely to make the same mistakes the elders had made or “reinvent the wheel.”

“A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study.”
Chinese Proverb

What happened along the way to progress?

Today we tend to retire the oldest and wisest people in our communities to human dumpsites like the ones you find in Florida, you know, the high-rise retirement living communities. In Los Angeles they have retirement communities called Leisure Land, or as my Grand Father used to call it Seizure Land. When many people hit fifty today and find that their lives are winding down, their goal becomes to retire and to do as little as possible. Worse yet many families consider their elders to be burdens and put them into rest homes where they actually waste away as they lose meaning for their lives.

Businesses looking for the latest and greatest talent rarely look towards their fifty to sixty year old candidates. In many cases it is thought that they might come with too much baggage and would not be capable of thinking on the innovative level that a business needs to be competitive. Culturally there is a difference between generations, quite possibly more than ever before. However the one thing that these wise people of age have over their younger counterparts is wisdom, wisdom that has been honed over years of trial and error, education, and experimentation.

So how does one gain wisdom?

It takes time, or what I like to call the ongoing “School of Hard Knocks.” Wisdom is developed through a lifetime of experience, insight, reflection, the recognition of truth, and the ability to exercising good judgment. People with an especially well developed form of common sense are also considered to be wise. Many psychologists regard wisdom to be different from the cognitive abilities measured by standardized intelligence tests. Wisdom is generally considered to be a trait that can be developed by experience, and not taught.

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” Mark Twain

Each day we lose people with great wisdom who have moved into the later years of their lives, people who are not considered to have any relevant value in our evolving world. With over half the working population up for retirement in the next five years it becomes important for us to re-think our relationship with our elders, the wise people of our society.

Our American Culture has limited the value and importance of wisdom. In particular, we put wisdom and intuition in same right brain bucket, which is not easy to explain or understand. Logic and the left-brain are the standard for our culture. It is just easier to understand and explain. This is one of the reasons why breaking out-of-the-box is such a great challenge for people. The acquisition of wisdom is actually taught out of us during our traditional school days, and then only perpetuated as we continue down our career paths. People who are able to embrace their intuition and apply the wisdom they have learned are the exception, not the rule, and in general they are in high demand.

How different would our world be if we were using wisdom with the decisions that are being made today, decisions that affect us not only locally, but also globally? Wisdom is a sense, an ability to foresee the consequences of decisions that are being made today. Wisdom looks towards increasing the positive long-term impact of our decisions and how they can contribute to the common good of society. With globalization and technological advances happening at an ever-increasing rate, more than ever we need to leverage our ability to acquire and use wisdom to help guide us into the future.

“I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be.” Thomas Jefferson

Gaining wisdom can be painful, because it usually means that we are learning experientially. Some of the most powerful wisdom is gained by overcoming challenging and difficult situations. The benefits of either gaining wisdom on your own or gaining it through our elders is a great differentiator in today’s highly competitive world.

Now more than ever we need to harness the power of self taught wisdom and the wisdom that has been gained by others. We all have the ability to expand our wisdom as we go through life and we learn from our experiences. When you have wisdom you have power; the power to make better decisions, the power to help others, the power to reach your full potential, and the power to avoid difficulties, because you are able to foresee outcomes.

How are you leveraging your wisdom and that of the people you know?

Let me know what you think.

Until next week, remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Articles | No Comments »