The Journey to Wisdom

Quantum theory and chaos theory suggest that the experience of thrownness should not surprise us. The world is less like a machine and more like patterns of relationships. The patterns are unknowable as to measure something is to change it. The patterns are also unpredictable as tiny differences in initial conditions can lead to large differences in future states. In such an unknowable world; sense-making is all we have (McDaniel, 1997).

Quantum thoery helps us to understand that the present state of the world is at best a probablity distrubution. As the next state is unknowable we must pay attention to the world as it unfolds. So, it is a good thing that we can't do more than sense-making; otherwise our inability to know might frustrate us (McDaniel, 1997). Believing enables actions that leads to more sense and taking action leads to more sense so that sense-making might connect actions to beliefs McDaniel, 1997).

Action is also being in a state of "thrownness". It is a mixture of unknowability, unpredictability and enactment. It is about losing oneself in the world- resorting to detached hindsight. It contradicts the basic assumption that one can always know something by gaining a reflective and detached clarity about it (Dreyfus, 1995). Knowing something best comes instead from direct access to the world through practical involvement. As life is unfolding in a holistic and dynamic way we should act our way into meaning by acting thinkingly (Weick, 1983). True comprehension lies in the direction of detachment.

The relation of knowledge and power is a very important question in every age. The idea “knowledge is power” has a specific meaning as in the modern age science has a highly technological characteristic. Technology is familiar with power, science is not, it is a contemplative practice.

What is the technology of making good science? Is there a meta-technology and a meta-science, and of course, an interrelatedness. Yet, recent trends in philosophy of science and technology combine the elements of technological, philosophical and scientific meta-reflections often without any conscious reflection. Reaching a balanced position between these two is an important source of debates within philosophy of science.

There are many forms of „technicization” of sciences, which is based on disregarding or eliminating the philosophical constituent of sciences. As a possible motivation of technicization, a need for an ideology-free science can be identified. On the other hand, the fragmented world of the postmodern age yields to a postmodern science, which is a very technicized one, like to computer and information science/technology.

Eliminating technological constituents from science, the complicated role of philosophy in scientific practice becomes much clearer. The Kuhnian normal science does not think (however, normal scientists think), but the revolutionary science thinks.

One of the key facilities of the human mind is imagination. The primary components of the mind include memory, imagination and invention working in harmony to allow the individual to know the world. Through memory of past experience the individual is connected to the "common sense," and largely through the medium of metaphor, original knowledge about the human world is created by using imagination (Arcero, 1997). The "new" scientist looks inward and outward
alternately in building knowledge of the world, and all aspects of culture are important sources of data for understanding, especially myth, poetry and other forms of artistic expression which essentially deal in the rhetoric of metaphor. The collective mind is revealed more through the material representations of its visions than its more "rational" productions. In Vico's words, "For when we wish to give utterance of our understanding of spiritual things, we must seek aid from our imagination to explain them, and like painters, form human images of them." Vico's epistemology is the antithesis of pure reason and logic, and appears at least somewhat related to Eastern mystic religions.

In evolutionary biological terms, we have been designed to dream and imagine, to recombine sense and experience in our minds in various ways (Arcero, 1997). As Vico argues "All that guides imagination is an unwillingness to reduce the mind's uncertainty [what is going
on internally in terms of thought, both conscious and unconscious] by embracing what is familiar to the mind. This sense of ignorance leads us to reach out past our inclination to make experience familiar through the power of the concept and to engage the power of the image. We must reconstruct the human world not through concepts and criteria but as something we can practically see."

Thus our creativity is part of us, part of the constant functioning of the mind, an integral aspect of the process of moment by moment constructing useful edifices of understanding (images) in our minds.

No matter how thorough we are, there is a fundamental truth that cannot be avoided: there are always holes in wholeness. Life calls forth life, continually striving towards wholeness. While there are always milestones to celebrate along the way, change is a never-ending journey. The more we can be at peace with this, the more we can enter into the unknown with a spirit of adventure.

There is always something outside of our frame of reference. Accepting this and getting
curious is a wonderful way to direct life-energy towards what else is possible. The following are to be taken into account during this process (Su, 2009):

* Fluidity of Life - Life is always fluid. The unexpected and even unimaginable can and does happen at any time. And all things, scenarios, events can shift their course at any time: from bad to good, from good to bad. There is no good or bad, there just is. Surrendering to whatever that happens, without placing unnecessary importance holds the key to lasting happiness. At any moment, we have the choice to choose bliss, to see the light.

* The Mind’s Reality - Our mind always makes unknown situations worse than they actually are. Its goal is to dwell on pain and problems. Often when we find out the truth, we feel instantly relieved that the “reality” of events wasn’t as bad as what we had imagined.

* Building Intensity - All our frustration and inner suffering really has a purpose and benefit: they build the intensity in us that further encourages us to break free from the inner conflicts.

* Seek to Understand, Drop Self Pity - When others behave in ways that we are not happy with, we better drop the self-pity story, bring in compassion, and try to understand why they are behaving in certain ways toward you. When we fail to truly see things from other people’s perspective we miss the chance to heal others and ourselves.

* Everything is Auspicious - No matter how bad things seem there is always a reason that contributes positively towards us. There always exists an incredible gift in any “bad” situation, trust that you are always being taken care of by higher powers.

There is an ever-present tension between two natural forces of change (Holman, 2009):

• a drive for coherence -- for relationship, unity, community, wholeness – a coming together. Similar to atoms forming molecules, people join into communities, or long for contributing to something larger than ourselves.

• a drive for differentiation -- individuality, distinction, uniqueness – a breaking apart. Similar to teenagers separating from parents to find their identity, we long to be accepted just as we are.

Together these forces form a system for engaging emergence. Every designer works
with change and emergence in different ways. Three patterns support us during the chaotic process of emergence(Holman, 2009):

• Engaging: taking responsibility for what we love as an act of service.
• Listening: sensing broadly and deeply, witnessing with self-discipline.
• Connecting: being with difference while finding common bonds.

Ultimately,in order to make sense of emergent change we also need to get involved in the following acts (Holman, 2009):

• Reflecting: sensing patterns, making meaning by naming what is ripening on behalf of the whole

• Harvesting: sharing the stories through multiple modes and channels

• Iterating: doing it again and again, integrating what we know into what’s novel.

According to Holman (2009), these patterns help us shift from working with emergence to invoking it on behalf of the system:

• Tuning in: being centered - calm in the storm and just enough storm in the calm.
• Focusing intentions: seeking meaningful futures, open to outcomes.
• Setting context: mindfully establishing initial conditions.

In this way, we can establish a framework to make sense of the forces at play when we are facing change in a chaotic world. We can also have some insight into how to work with those forces, even take initiative to serve intentions that matter to us, those we care about, and the systems of which we are all a part.

The word "emergence" is usually related to surprises. By definition, if we know the steps to generate the desired outcomes, then emergence isn't happening. Yet, just because specific outcomes are unpredictable, doesn’t mean it is impossible to work with emergence. It just requires a shift in orientation. With clear intentions and a well-set context, it is possible to engage creatively with emergence.(Hogans, 09).

While we can’t control emergence, we can use our knowledge to focus intentions to guide our work. We can disrupt established patterns, explore the diverse, often conflicting, aspects of
the system, and discern the differences that make a difference so that a novel whole arises that serves us all well (Hogans, 09). Hogans (09) suggests to ask the following questions for invoking emergence:

• How do we disrupt coherence compassionately?
• How do we engage dissonance creatively?
• How do we realize novelty wisely?

Similarly, in social systems, simple acts of individual entities can create higher-level order. Conversations among diverse people about complex topics may lead to unexpected breakthroughs.

This is the nature of emergence. It is radically different from the predictable flow of
managed change. It requires opening to unfamiliar people or ideas, welcoming who and what appears. It takes reflecting on what we are noticing and making meaning of it. Once underway, it can create "a sense of excitement and spirit of possibility that become the hallmark of creation".(Hogans, 09).

The insights into the complexity sciences can be applied to human organisations. Organisations are comprised of a large number of individual agents who interact locally. They also have the ability to be both chaotic and stable at the same time and can demonstrate novelty and emergence. The pattern of behaviour we see in these systems is not constant, because when a system’s environment changes, so does the behaviour of its agents and, as a result, so does the behaviour of the system as a whole. In other words, the system is constantly adapting to the conditions around it. Over time, the system evolves through adaptation. A central core to this thinking is that complexity theory requires management to acknowledge the self organising and emergent properties of complex systems rather than managing organisations in a mechanistic way. As Stacey argues “in not attending to the limitations in systems thinking, they run the risk of simplification that subtly undermines the proclaimed challenge....” (Stacey, Griffin & Shaw, 1999.p.128.)

Complexity science is a way of thinking that invites us to think from within our participation in the evolution of forms of identity. There is something deeper and bigger and more meaningful and if we work together in harmony we can tap into a greater something. In the creative world, conflict is important in the creative process and conflict and diversity may often often contribute to new and novel behaviour. The main questions to be asked are:

• How have I come to be who I am?
• How have we come to be who we are?
• How are we all changing, evolving and learning?

It is also crucial to keep in mind that conflict and tension are always an expected part when it comes to human relationships. We should get used to work within that creative tension and to feel comfortable with uncertainty. While traditional organisational management encourages uncertainty out of the system; complexity theory on the other hand encourages individuals to live happily within uncertainty.

"Don’t establish the
boundaries
first,
the squares, triangles,
boxes
of preconceived
possibility,
and then
pour
life into them, trimming
off left-over edges,
ending potential."
(Ammons, 1965).

Wisdom is often defined as an ability to make right choices. Dr. Robert Sternberg, a professor of Psychology and Education at Yale University, defines wisdom as the application of intelligence and experience as mediated by values toward the achievement of a common good through a balance among intrapersonal, interpersonal, and extrapersonal interests, over the short and long terms.

There are some important points that Sternberg makes in his definition. Sternberg implies action in his definition of wisdom, through its application towards the achievement of a common good. It is crucial to understand the dualistic nature of wisdom’s movement. Quantum mechanics has taught us that neutrons, protons, and quarks are in constant motion. Yet from some perspectives, this river of wisdom seems still and unmoving (Felser, 2006). This is the nature of wisdom.

Another distinguishing point of Sternberg’s definition is wisdom’s drive towards balance. It is a beneficial harmonizing in all interactions. Stephen R. Covey, author of the best selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, says that the integrated individual uses clear guidance and true wisdom to direct their actions, thus bringing about a balanced character. Almost every major theology tells of this needed balance; with our minds, our bodies, and our environment. What name we give to this wholeness matters not, be it Tao, Allah, God, Elohim or any other, what matters is our active, balanced, moral understanding of the one flowing and living wisdom; to merge with the source of the river, becoming it (Felser, 2006).

As seekers, spiritual people tend to search for knowledge, which is similar behavior to those who are described as being wise.” According to a study undertaken at the University of California-Davis- “The Wisdom Project”- 1,000 college alumni were asked for traits of wisdom and concluded that seeking spirituality, a way of relating to God, was an identifying attribute. In the article, “Finding the Wise People”, Dr. Jeff Myers says, “It occurred to me some time ago that the wisest people I know all have something in common: they voraciously seek wisdom!” This quest for wisdom, truth, and a personal relationship with the One, is by and far the most common trait amongst the wise. It helps one to pray to the Great Spirit for further knowledge of the One who is the source of all things (Felser, 2006).

Immanuel Kant argues in his Critique of Practical Reason that people become immoral when they attempt to set a different standard for humanity than they do for themselves.

When Abraham Maslow, presented his Theory of Human Motivation, he established a recognizable pattern in the self-realized, wise people and noted an inspired egoless compassion, amongst other things. Maslow's self-actualizers focused on concerns outside of themselves; they liked solitude and privacy more than the average person, and they tended to be more detached than ordinary from the dictates and expectations of their culture. They were inner-directed people. They were creative, too, and appreciated the world around them with a sense of awe and wonder. These traits, indeed, pave the way to wisdom.

Contrary to the English language, the Welsh language has at least six different terms for knowledge processes and types of knowledge, each with their distinct meaning. The general word for knowledge in Welsh refers to 'knowing-ness' rather than knowledge. Jenny Hughes has produced ana analysis of these terms. While the first three relate to knowledge absorption the latter ones refer to knowledge generation:

- Cynnull: To gather knowledge (as in acquisition) along life's way
- Cynhaeaf: To harvest (purposefully) knowledge or to set up systems for harnessing knowledge
- Cymrodedd: To compromise what you know to accomodate the unknown
- Cynnau: To light knowledge- knowledge sharing that is an active process and implicit opposed to knowledge exchange that is a different concept
- Cynllunplas: To design new knowledge
- Cynyddu: To increase existing knowledge

In terms of different types of knowledge the following terms are available. While the former 3 are internal the latter ones are external:

- Cynhenid: Original, congenital knowledge
- Cynhwynol: Innate knowledge (collective)
- Cymrodeddol: Compromised knowledge- knowledge adjusted to cope with the unknown
- Cymdeithasol: Sociable knowledge, not social skills but knowledge about the social context in which it is used
- Cynefin: Shared and passed on knowledge- implies usual, accustomed knowledge
- Cynddelw: Archetype/model/exemplary knowledge

Most valuable distinction may be the one between "Cynyddu"- to increase knowledge- and "Cymrodedd"- to compromise what you know to accomodat ethe unknown. A quick hypothesis would suggest taht much formal learning is "Cynyddu"- building upon existing knowledge. Yet, much informal learning in our Digital Age- learning through Information Communication Technologies- falls into the definition of "Cymrodedd"- to comprise what you know to accomodate the unknown.

When we look out into the future and try our best to make wise decisions, we only find ourselves staring into uncertainties. It happens to all of us that we confront this deeper dilemma: How do we strike a balance between prediction - believing that we can see past these uncertainties when in fact we can't - and paralysis - letting the uncertainties freeze us into inactivity?

Questions like these are known as "long fuse, big bang" problems (Schwartz, 1970). Whatever you decide to do will play out with a big bang, but it can take years to learn whether your decision was wise or not. Worse yet, "long fuse, big bang" questions don't lend themselves to traditional analysis; it's simply impossible to research away the uncertainties on which the success of a key decision will hang (Wilkinson).

Given the impossibility of knowing precisely how the future will play out, a good decision or strategy to adopt is one that plays out well across several possible futures. To find that "robust" strategy, scenarios are created in plural, such that each scenario diverges markedly from the others (Schwartz, 1970).

Yet, the purpose of scenario planning is making large-scale forces visible rather than pinpointing future events so that the planner will at least recognize them (Schwartz, 1970). It's about helping make better decisions today.

Scenario planning begins by identifying the focal issue or decision. There are an infinite number of stories that we could tell about the future; our purpose is to tell those that matter, that lead to better decisions. So we begin the process by agreeing on the issue that we want to address.

Some of the decisions we make today will make sense across all of the futures. Others will make sense only in one or two. The decisions that make sense in only one or some of the scenarios are tricky. For these we want to know the "early warning signs" that tell us those scenarios are beginning to unfold (Schwartz, 1970). Sometimes, the leading indicators for a given scenario are obvious, but often they are subtle. The main point is to be aware of these critical uncertainties and warning signs.

Ultimately, scenario planning helps us understand the uncertainties and what they might mean. It helps us "rehearse" our responses to those possible futures. And it helps us spot them as they begin to unfold.

Before the practitioners of New or Alternative Spiritualities are influencing the twenty-first century such as Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer,Dalai Lama, Charles Leadbeater, Shirley Maclaine, Rudolf Steiner and Neale Donald Walsch; the ideas of Hegel, Marx, Darwin and Freud dominated much of twentieth-century Western thought in very broad terms.

New Age spirituality arose from various sources including Hindu and Buddhist thought, Jungian analysis and alternative healing traditions.

The New Spiritualities (including New Age) cover a vast collection of ideas and starting points where the themes of personal transformation loom large. Within this context, the purpose of life is to simply grow, learn and spiritually evolve.

At a popular or consumer level, it involves a “mix and match” approach that draws
on a wide range of sources. Spiritual inspiration can be drawn from existing religions, however, it is often drawn from the mystical streams such as Medieval Christian mystics, tantric Buddhism or Sufism (Islamic mysticism).

The pace of life does not leave much time for deep philosophical reflection. What matters to people is finding a workable, practical spirituality that relates to their daily experiences. This does not mean that truth is irrelevant to them, but that seekers want to know, “Does it work?” before they will experiment to see if “it is true.” Not interacting with those whose worldview is shaped by “practical post-modernity” has been a weakness in the way the religious institutions generally function and this has created their missional failure (Johnson, 2006).

Belief systems should be both intensely spiritual and intensely intellectually vigorous. Religious institutions should be listening, journeying, creative and holistic. They should be calling for an engagement that truly meets, dialogues and challenges people living in a culture known as post-modernity. By acknowledging that the current witness and evangelistic methods are problematic they might be prepared to revise their own approaches and methods (Johnson, 2006).