DeepSocialNetworksandtheDigitalFourthWay
"Starting from within, working in a circle, in asacred manner, we develop and heal ourselves, ourrelationships, and the world."
Jon Ramer and Phil Lane Jr.9/21/2009
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Thispaperiswrittenfor“changemakers”workingwithcommunitiescommittedtomakingjustandlastingchange.Itbridgeslinearandholisticthinkingsystemsbyapplyingancientwisdomtoanewmediumofcommunication-socialnetworks-andtheemergingsharingeconomy.Itoffersaframeworkfordesigningwhatwecall
deepsocialnetworks
thatproducemeaningfulresultsandbuilddeeperrelationshipsthatlearnandgrowinwaysthatsustainandenhancehumanlifeforallinhabitantsofMotherEarth.
TheAncientRootsofSustainableDevelopment
Recentlymuchhasbeenwrittenabout“sustainabledevelopment”andoureffortstostewardourcollectiveresourcesandlivemoreharmoniously.Weareatadefiningmomentinhistoryandsustainabilityisnolongeranoption--itisanimperative.The1987UnitedNationsreporttitled“OurCommonFuture”definessustainabledevelopmentas:“Developmentthatmeetstheneedsofthepresentwithoutcompromisingtheabilityoffuturegenerationstomeettheirownneeds.
i
".ThereportcallsonustogototheIndigenousPeoplesandlearnfromthem,sincetheyhavehistoricallybeenthestewardsandreservoiroftheholisticknowledgethatisnecessarytocareforourworld.
However,thereportoffersnothingtoensurethatthiswouldhappenoranysuggestionsonhowtodothis.
In1992,theUnionofConcernedScientists(UCS)issueda“WarningtoHumanity
”suggestingthathumanity'sabilitytoaddressglobalecologicalthreatsandachievesustainabilitywillrequiremajortransformationsofhumanbehavioratalllevelsofhumanactivity.TheUCSWarningcanbereadasacallfornewformsofculture.Byfocusingonculturalworldviews-acommonconceptofrealitysharedbyagroupofpeople-themoreabstractandlessvisibledimensionsofcultureandrelationshipsarerecognized;andthedifferencesbetweenthedominantWesternculture(linearcognitiveprocesses)andthatofIndigenouscultures(holisticcognitiveprocesses)canbeappreciated.
"Our CommonFuture"quotesLouisBruyere,Presidentofthe NativeCouncilofCanada:"Indigenouspeoplesarethebase ofwhatcouldbe calledthe environmentalsecuritysystem. We are thegatekeepersof successorfailure tohusbandourresources.For manyofus,however, the lastfewcenturieshave meantamajor lossofcontroloverour landsandwaters. Weare stillthe firsttoknowaboutchangesin theenvironment, butwe arenowthe lasttobe asked orconsulted."
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A
linearworldview
isapolarity-based,win-losethinkingsystemthatisscientific,analytical,competitiveandhierarchical.A
holisticworldview
iscreative,spiritual,cooperative,harmoniousandbalanced.Atthismomentintimeweneedintegratedsolutionsthatsynthesizeandhonorthesedistinctworldviews.Byadaptingourdifferentthinkingsystems,wecanremovebarrierstomutualunderstandingandworktogethertoshiftthedirectionofculturalchange.ManyIndigenousleadersarecommittedtosharingthisholistic knowledge;infactthereareancientprophecies
iii
t hatstatethatatimeforbringingourculturalworldviewstogetherwouldarise.Thisindigenousbodyofknowledge,handeddownthroughgenerationsbyculturaltransmission,dealswiththerelationshipbetweenlivingbeingsandtheirenvironment--offeringdeepknowledgeandwisdomtoaddressthechallengeswefacetoday.Thisprocessofunifyingandsynthesizingourknowledgesystemscanextendfromthephysicalworldtothedigitalworld.Ouronlinerelationshipscanbenefitgreatlyfromadoptingaprincipledapproachtocreatingsustainableandharmoniouson-linecommunitiesandenhancedphysicalrealities.InthispaperwewillfocusontheapplicationoftheIndigenousFourthWayguidingprinciplestothedesignanddevelopmentof
DeepSocialNetworks
onlinethatsustainandenhancethelivesofallwhoarelivingonMotherEarth.
TheKnowledgeofKnowledgeCompels
Thecoreofthetroubleswefacetodayisourveryignoranceofknowing.Reflectionisaprocessof knowinghowweknow.Itisanactofturningbackuponourselves.InWesterncultureweareorientedtoactionandnottoreflection.Wedon’toftenthinkabouthowwethinkaboutthings.Likeallhumanbeingswedonotseewhatwedonotsee,andwebehaveasifwhatwedonotseedoesnot exist.Formanyofus,understandingmultipleworldviewsrequiresthatweseewhatisnotreadilyvisibletousbaseduponourcurrentthinkingsystem.Thisblindness,ifrecognized,maybeoneofourbesthopesforourfutureandopensthepossibilityofconceptualbreakthroughsthatcanleadtousthinkingandactingdifferently.Itisnotknowledge,buttheknowledgeofknowledgethatcompels.Itcompelsustorecognizethattheworldeveryoneseesisnot
the
worldbut
a
worldwhichwebringforthwithothers.
Everyhumanactinlanguageisanactofcoexistencewhichgivesrisetoourworld
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Weonlyhavetheworldthat wecreatewithothers.Andourworldischallengedbysocialdilemmas
v
inwhichindividual
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