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
2
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."
3
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
iv
Weonlyhavetheworldthat wecreatewithothers.Andourworldischallengedbysocialdilemmas
v
inwhichindividual
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Deep Social Networks and the Digital Fourth Way
This paper is written for “changemakers” working with communities committed to making just and lasting change. It bridges linear and holistic thinking systems by applying ancient wisdom to a new medium of communication - social networks…
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