“That which is forced, or misunderstood, cannot be beautiful”.

Xenophon

The appreciation of living harmony is the key to an

understanding of natural harmony and self-
organisation in the Natural World.

This aesthetic response leads to awareness, respect,

understanding and care for the intricacies of complex
living systems that we depend on for our survival.

Take for example, bees. Bees have a complex

society based on co-operation and collaboration.
Without the work they do in pollinating flowers,
crops would not grow, we would be unable to
produce food and our daily lives would collapse.

Through attention, care, nurture and cultivation of the living systems around us
our ancestors learnt to discern patterns that worked in their favour. Through trial
and error they passed on accumulated wisdom through countless generations.
The basis of culture and civilisation is rooted in an attitude of respect and
relationship of dependency and co-creation.
The Natural World provided our ancestors with inspiration for their stories, songs
and lore. Ancient wisdom was passed on through the Elders. They told stories
under the stars around the fire, honoured each turn of the seasons and
celebrated the produce they cultivated.

A key element of harnessing the

power of natural systems was the
process of attention: “reading” the
weather, “reading” the landscape for
safe shelter, “reading” the
countryside for food, listening to
each other was also important, for
survival depended on co-operation.
This was the heart of the co-creative
process that used what we call
“appreciative enquiry”: deepening understanding and awareness through listening
and enquiry, the heart of which is contemplative silence.

The Industrial Age

A lot has happened since the days of the Ancestors: the Aborigines, the Native
Americans, The Ancient Greeks and the Celts.

Industrialisation has robbed town dwellers of

their previously long-held connection with the
surrounding countryside. Industrial Age attitudes
to land and the natural countryside, and a
mechanised approach to agriculture and food
production all mean we are in risk of spoiling our
co-creative relationship with the Natural World.

We have become lured into the dark side of blind

“progress”, with the sole focus on acquisition and
industrial-scale domination.

Thus, we are now in danger of diminishing the

quality of our own lives and livelihoods through ignoring the simple fact, easily
overlooked and forgotten that we co-create the quality of our lives as much

“ To know what is going on, takes sense. To know what to do about it, takes wisdom.”
“That which is forced, or misunderstood, cannot be beautiful”. Xenophon

through co-operation and collaboration as part of an ongoing meaningful

engagement and appreciation of the bigger picture.

Our casual spending can daily reinforce our habits of dependency on a lifestyle
that is damaging for People and threatening for Planet.

“Healthy competition” has its place and can sometimes

help realise the best of our latent abilities. A climate of
relentless competition, left unchecked, rewards greed,
and breeds cynicism and despair; this can easily turn to
“toxic culture”.

Regaining forgotten skills, not entirely lost – depends on

our ability to listen and respond creatively in order to
restore balance to our lives.

Meanwhile those exercising their power will have us

compete for whatever we can, so long as they get the
rewards. For example, bosses would have us compete
for a job when it requires least effort on their part and absolves them of any
responsibility.

Reclaiming your power – skills relevant to the Information Age

One element of reclaiming power is appreciative enquiry – a valuable skill to
finding your own way and being heard.

The second skill that you can acquire at the same

time is the skill to appreciate flow of meaning.
This is something we can all do instinctively;
some of us have forgotten. It can be relearned.
This ability to discern unspoken meaning is
essential for anyone who seeks to lead in any
capacity, if only to lead a successful life.

The third skill comprises, simply the literate

ability of reading. We can all read books and
newspapers, drivers read the road, some of us
can read music. Almost all of us are instinctively
good at reading our closest friends and family.

Entering the Creative Age

For those who invest the time to learn to read the marketplace you will find you
can make sense of the world around you and this will enable you to respond in an
intelligent way and realise rewards accordingly.

You are invited to find out more or apply to join us, by contacting us directly, at
The Hub, or clicking the relevant link on this web page.

Schools, teachers and education providers – see next page

“ To know what is going on, takes sense. To know what to do about it, takes wisdom.”
“That which is forced, or misunderstood, cannot be beautiful”. Xenophon

If you want to run your own workshops or seminar

series for students, you are invited to see the web
page: “Books Change The World”.

Eco-Campus Teacher Training; we offer

opportunities with Creative Village, for those who
want to run Creative Workshops.

Media
For those with an interest in film and media
studies, Creative Village members can apply to set
up and run their own Film Klub on a membership
basis.

Publishing
Zen Cafes@ The Hub offers Publishing services for educators and schools
that want to develop their own school workbooks, planners, diaries and
journals.

Zen Cafes is listed on the World Cafe directory: www.theworldcafe.com.

See: www.communitycafes.eu.

“ To know what is going on, takes sense. To know what to do about it, takes wisdom.”