When you ask people what they dream of in an ideal world, it is always very similar – community, connection, beautiful gardens, abundance and sharing etc. and yet we are surrounded by such a plethora of conflicts that seem so difficult to resolve. Why is that? How can it be that we agree so much on the big things, but when it comes to the little things there is so much conflict? The truth is that in our deepest desires there is little conflict. We dream of positive things that synergise, but when we refuse to believe in our dreams and try to do smaller, seemingly more practical things we lose track of that beauty and the ideas are no longer universally agreed.
If we are to transform society effectively and solve our problems as a global community we need to use the same principles as with relationships – presence, and synergy – find directions that create enthusiastic agreement. This is possible and in fact much easier than many people think, but it requires some personal growth and some understanding of the forces at play.
This is often simplified to 2 forces – the conservative force of the conventional system and the progressive force of the movement for change, and in some cases that is enough to get a general understanding, but in many cases it helps to look a bit deeper and see the four corners of the political map – four psychological approaches to life and how they each have their important part to say. I will include some more in depth exploration of the 4 elements and 4 psychological types as it applies to society.
When dealing with 2 forces the synergy always involves some kind of combination of the 2 directions – in order to create a third direction that can be agreed upon by all – for example there are many conflicts between money and economy and jobs vs environment, and preservation of beauty. The resolution always involves some kind of community, environmentally conscious business – generally a cooperative that provides for both needs at the same time.
When dealing with the complete 4 forces the resolution is always a cycle – or a spiral we keep moving between one approach to another depending on the needs of the day.
Either way there is the need for those who can step outside of the conflict, stand in the middle and facilitate a better solution. This is the big challenge in social transformation, large or small – to have the presence and inner peace, and wisdom to be able to stand in the middle and help all people come together in an ideal solution.
This is why personal development is essential for change agents, and practicing and becoming effective in all the other areas of life will make you also effective in change making, so change makers should study personal spiritual growth, relationship development, business leadership, and community building in order to be able to bring all the pieces into play.
Alexander McDonell 