Is your human organism wired for "spiritual service?" Just ask your ego, which seems to be conveniently housed in the right parietal lobe of your brain.
Psychologists Brick Johnstone and Bret Glass of Missouri University recently found that this spot maintains your "self" knowledge: the awareness of your physical body, the clothes you wear, the possessions you own, and the behaviors you conduct. They also determined that this spot is the center of "self" criticism, so every time you mentally kick yourself for saying or doing the wrong thing, you do so through the right parietal lobe. [Their findings are published in the Zygon Journal of Religion and Science (December 2008).]
The strength of the ego is relative to the activity in this lobe. Brain damaged patients with less functional lobes exhibited less self-awareness, yet they were more prone to focus on others. In addition, these patients were more likely to report feeling "spiritual" or religious. (Less self makes for selflessness, the principle goal of most religious practices.)
The same was found to be true of subjects in deep states of meditation or prayer. Their ego diffused and gave way to a feeling of one with the entire universe. Selflessness is inexorably tied to spirituality, and the right parietal is the brain's link between the two.
Throughout the spectrum of human existence, we all have varying features and attributes - such as our ability to bake a birthday cake. Muscles grow strong and atrophy depending on their use. Over time, our abilities change according to our experience, and so it is with our ego. We may have the good fortune to learn selflessness from an inspiring source, whether in a church or temple, a mountaintop, or a museum. Or we may let our ego run rampant.
Today is my 40th birthday, an occasion for celebration (hell yeah!) and solemn retrospective. Not so many years ago, my right parietal was busy. I entered into projects with the mindset of self-promotion. I would lie, cheat or steal to get what I wanted, and I wanted to be rewarded for all my work. If it weren't for the efforts of many friends, I may have continued walking that path.
Luckily, some of them showed me a red road, one that led to a hilltop in North Dakota where I experienced two sundances with the Lakota Sioux. When I arrived, three eagles circled above me while I watched a triple rainbow form over the eastern hills. Three days later on a particularly hot and brutal day, the sun overwhelmed me, and I fell to my knees. Looking up, I had a vision that illustrated how interconnected I am to every living thing - the tree, the medicine man, my fellow dancers ... When I was finally able to stand again, I had been changed.
Today I am knee-deep in service to my community, and I have a hard time saying no to others in need. Most likely, this is because I am surrounded by a fruitful bounty of friends and family, and I don't want to upset the karmic balance I've worked for years to achieve. So in the eastern tradition of giving things away on your birthday, here are my gifts to bestowe.
To those of you who helped me get here, thank you so much. Drinks are on me!
To those of you who are looking for help, reach out! I am at your service.
To my right parietal, I'm working on your retirement package. You're going to love it.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Power of "The Dash"
In this spirit of sharing, here is an experiential exercise that I recently found to be useful.
The president of a large nonprofit corporation came to me with a huge need. He described how several of the franchises had lost touch with their mission, and the local staff people were deep in doubt about their relevance to their member's lives. This became manifest in their disengagement from their respective communities, their members, and the larger network of franchises. The project he proposed was to create a brainstorming session for delivery to the local franchises that would focus on identity.
To me, the project seemed to take a slightly different approach of A) a major needs analysis on the individual level and B) practical application of the quantitative needs at the franchise level. I thought the local staff needed a minor paradigm shift in order to reconnect with the larger organization, and to pull that off, the session needed to start with high stakes. So I brought out David Lo's experiential exercise to start it off, modified it, and titled it “The Dash”. Here's how it works.
Ask trainees to lie down on the floor and turn out the lights.
Briefly discuss the poem about “the dash” between the dates of your birth and your death.
Ask them to close their eyes and take them on an experiential creative visualization, envisioning themselves in their casket at their own funeral. Ask the following questions for them to silently consider, and pause about 10 seconds after each:
The president of a large nonprofit corporation came to me with a huge need. He described how several of the franchises had lost touch with their mission, and the local staff people were deep in doubt about their relevance to their member's lives. This became manifest in their disengagement from their respective communities, their members, and the larger network of franchises. The project he proposed was to create a brainstorming session for delivery to the local franchises that would focus on identity.
To me, the project seemed to take a slightly different approach of A) a major needs analysis on the individual level and B) practical application of the quantitative needs at the franchise level. I thought the local staff needed a minor paradigm shift in order to reconnect with the larger organization, and to pull that off, the session needed to start with high stakes. So I brought out David Lo's experiential exercise to start it off, modified it, and titled it “The Dash”. Here's how it works.
Ask trainees to lie down on the floor and turn out the lights.
Briefly discuss the poem about “the dash” between the dates of your birth and your death.
Ask them to close their eyes and take them on an experiential creative visualization, envisioning themselves in their casket at their own funeral. Ask the following questions for them to silently consider, and pause about 10 seconds after each:
- It’s a sunny day. Birds are chirping, and a breeze is blowing through the trees. Six pallbearers pick up your casket from the back of the hearse. Look up at their faces. Who are those six people?
- They carry you to your grave and lay you atop the grave before a crowd of people. How many people are in attendance?
- Everyone is wearing black, which is beginning to get a little warm in the sun. Are they happy, sad or indifferent?
- Why are they there?
- The ceremony starts. Who steps up to the podium to preside?
- What does he or she say about you? (Longer pause of 30 seconds)
- How do people react to that testimonial?
- The officiant introduces someone to give the eulogy. Who is that person?
- What does he or she say about you? (Longer pause of 30 seconds)
- Through their tears, this person thanks you for something. What is it? (Longer pause of 30 seconds)
- How do people react to the eulogy?
- The ceremony ends, and people begin to walk past your casket to quietly say goodbye to you for the last time. Who do you see? (Longer pause of 30 seconds)
Flip on the lights and ask everyone to return to their seats. Now the group should be ready to explore their commitment to the mission. But that's an exercise for another day.
Rock on!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A New Day has Dawned ...
About 30 seconds into Barack Obama's inauguration speech, I knew that I wasn't going to make it through without crying. (Good thing I was surrounded by my close friends, in front of whom I've already embarassed myself on numerous occasions.)
When he called upon Americans to heed the call of our country, I could feel it welling up within me. When he committed us to the course that lay ahead with the strength and perseverance of our ancestors, I lost it. By the time he was done, I had a newfound determination ... which has led me here.
No matter which side of the political spectrum we sit on, the one thing on which we all can agree is that Obama has redefined the concept of "community organizing." His campaign embraced young people on the Web, led them away from their self-aggrandizing MySpace pages, and rallied them to get involved in the greater cause. His message was fresh, simple and inspiring: "Yes, We Can." When was the last time we heard a message for "We", instead of "Me"?
The momentum of this message continues even today. His campaign database just won’t quit – in fact, it’s evolving into a grassroots tool that will inform, hype, and rally the troops for our generation’s New Deal. And no one across the aisle is immune, not since he found Colin Powell wandering the Republican outlands and recruited him to serve the cause.
Meanwhile, five thousand different groups have sprung up across the nation to serve this New Deal, and these groups have several goals: civic engagement through community service projects, organizing the grassroots electorate, and legislative reform. You can find one in your community - just go to http://www.usaservice.org and enter your zip.
Look in your own neighborhood. These groups are pushing Obama's agenda that you heard so clearly yesterday. They are headed down the long and winding road towards rebuilding the infrastructure of America with the intention of pulling us out of the recession. They are going to need a lot of training to accomplish their goals, but how much the Federal government can supply is yet to be seen. Certainly, while they will learn the "why" from Obama's inspiration, they will need content to teach them "how."
And that is what has led me here. Too long I have sat on my couch; too much information have I hoarded. It is time to express goodwill and share my ideas, to provoke conversation and serve my country with my experiences. Here I will post my materials on leadership, training, and human development freely for all to enjoy - with the caveat that you use them in service to the greater cause.
Here you will find "Thought Leadership," and for those of you who participate, you can become Leaders in your own right. I welcome your comments, your rants, and even your criticism.
For those of you in the field of human development, I intend to employ my strength - creating activities that reinforce behavioral learning objectives. So if you have a need, bring it forward and let it be heard. Most likely, you are not the only one with that specific need.
I will leave you with this Parting Quote of the Day, one from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in honor of his legacy. "If you want to be important -- wonderful. If you want to be recognized -- wonderful. If you want to be great -- wonderful. But, recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness."
When he called upon Americans to heed the call of our country, I could feel it welling up within me. When he committed us to the course that lay ahead with the strength and perseverance of our ancestors, I lost it. By the time he was done, I had a newfound determination ... which has led me here.
No matter which side of the political spectrum we sit on, the one thing on which we all can agree is that Obama has redefined the concept of "community organizing." His campaign embraced young people on the Web, led them away from their self-aggrandizing MySpace pages, and rallied them to get involved in the greater cause. His message was fresh, simple and inspiring: "Yes, We Can." When was the last time we heard a message for "We", instead of "Me"?
The momentum of this message continues even today. His campaign database just won’t quit – in fact, it’s evolving into a grassroots tool that will inform, hype, and rally the troops for our generation’s New Deal. And no one across the aisle is immune, not since he found Colin Powell wandering the Republican outlands and recruited him to serve the cause.
Meanwhile, five thousand different groups have sprung up across the nation to serve this New Deal, and these groups have several goals: civic engagement through community service projects, organizing the grassroots electorate, and legislative reform. You can find one in your community - just go to http://www.usaservice.org and enter your zip.
Look in your own neighborhood. These groups are pushing Obama's agenda that you heard so clearly yesterday. They are headed down the long and winding road towards rebuilding the infrastructure of America with the intention of pulling us out of the recession. They are going to need a lot of training to accomplish their goals, but how much the Federal government can supply is yet to be seen. Certainly, while they will learn the "why" from Obama's inspiration, they will need content to teach them "how."
And that is what has led me here. Too long I have sat on my couch; too much information have I hoarded. It is time to express goodwill and share my ideas, to provoke conversation and serve my country with my experiences. Here I will post my materials on leadership, training, and human development freely for all to enjoy - with the caveat that you use them in service to the greater cause.
Here you will find "Thought Leadership," and for those of you who participate, you can become Leaders in your own right. I welcome your comments, your rants, and even your criticism.
For those of you in the field of human development, I intend to employ my strength - creating activities that reinforce behavioral learning objectives. So if you have a need, bring it forward and let it be heard. Most likely, you are not the only one with that specific need.
I will leave you with this Parting Quote of the Day, one from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in honor of his legacy. "If you want to be important -- wonderful. If you want to be recognized -- wonderful. If you want to be great -- wonderful. But, recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That's a new definition of greatness."
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