V. The Power of Wholeness: Foundation Stones
Article 5 of a 7 Part Series Authored by Mieke Byerley: Full work originally published on Biomimetic Clockworx.
This Labour of Love emerged as a consequence of the seeds planted in the original primary deliverable of a Teal for Startups’ White Paper initiative. It was formed by a Collaborative Community Question Harvesting exercise back in 2015. It was then carefully incubated by dedicated community members across Seven Work Streams, and is incrementally emerging in the form of Blog Series for the benefit of the Teal for Startup Community Members with the acknowledgment of the time and effort many have invested.
If you missed them, here are Article 1, Article 2, Article 3 & Article 4 of the 7 part “The Power of Wholeness” series
Essential Prerequisites
Meaning — Relational Self
- state occupying a relational position or a suspended place between Self and Other; Being and Doing; and Inspiration and Reality in the context of Past, Present and Future Self;
- to have as its essence or signification; to have the value of; assume the importance of;
- the process of how persons construe, understand, or make sense of life events, relationships, and the Self through Semiotics;
- the retaining, reaffirming, revising, or replacing elements of their orienting system to develop more nuanced, complex and useful systems.
Meaning is essential to Human existence it defines us and prescribes our identity, if we do not know who we are then how are we to know our purpose, or recognize and develop virtues or values, etc. It is the process of self-actualization to become one-self and the most potent driving force in every human being. What feels meaningful makes people engaged and motivated, and what motivates them draws forth their energy, talents, and best human qualities. Without answering ‘Who?’ a Human Being cannot answer the ensuing questions of Why? How? What? And if they cannot answer these for themselves then how does an individual align and relate to a collective? A person living according to their meaning is said to possess “Presence”.
Authenticity
- entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience;
- the state of being reliable, trustworthy, accountable, genuine, real;
- the degree to which one is true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character, despite external pressures
It is learning to suspend the Voice of Judgement, especially of Self by opening the Mind with Curiosity and Seeing ourselves with fresh eyes as we truly are, our true dignity and value as a Human Being and not according to Socially accepted standards. It is the process of self-maintenance to keep on being oneself. When we consider a person to be genuine we generally consider them a person who has, transcended their self-centeredness, become aware of their true Self (sense of Meaning) and acts accordingly, and developed the capacity to act from the interest of the ecosystem. They are said to possess the virtue of “Authenticity”.
Integrity
- The adherence to moral and ethical principles, soundness of moral character, honesty.
- to have in mind as one’s intention and means doing the right thing in a reliable way
- The state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.
- the inner sense of “wholeness” deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character.
It is learning to redirect the Voice of Cynicism, opening the Heart with Compassion in solidarity so as to truly and honestly Sense from the field, our character. It is the process of self-enhancement to transcend the status quo. When we consider a person to be of moral excellence, we generally consider them an Authentic person of great character made up of virtues we admire and strive to acquire. In Aristotle’s sense, virtue is excellence at being human. As such, one may judge that others “have integrity” to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold. They are said to possess one of the most important virtues of all, “Integrity”.
Sincerity
- the quality of being open and truthful; not deceitful or hypocritical
- The state of being manifest, obvious, open, frank, candid.
- one who speaks and acts truly about his or her own feelings, beliefs, thoughts, and desires
- probity in intention or in communicating
It is learning to let go of the Voice of Fear, opening the Will with Courage in vulnerability to express direct Connection to the source of our Identity. Sincerity means to proactively practice authenticity and integrity, and having the courage and will to live and express according to whom we truly are. It honors humanity through acknowledging both our own and an other’s Dignity, respecting and appreciating our need for truth. It requires that we have to BE ethical in our actions, not just look ethical and talk ethics. The act of an authentic person perceived mindful, kind, and truthful, is said to possess the virtue of “Sincerity”
“Worldview greatly influences collaboration, because shared meaning is one of the essential ingredients in effective collaboration. — R. Colwell
Next Article 6 of the 7 part “The Power of Wholeness series: Support Methods
Resources
Each Article is accompanied with a curated selection of resources, provided to further stimulate conversation, formation, research and real life practical application for you and the community.
Inquiry Exercise
- Who am I? Who am I becoming? Who is my highest possible Self?
- What is bringing my Live meaning right now?
Examples
Recommended
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Thank You
Special thanks to Malek who is the co-initiator and founder of T4S and founder of FLOW, and Steph who is the founder of Ikigai and co-creator for T4S for taking the time to review the Full Series of articles. Also to all fellow collaborators of the Culture & Values Stream Team for all the support, feedback and reviews during the bulk of the writing.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
I would like to recognize that this work would never have materialized if it was not for the amazing contributions of the following communities doing amazing work in their own right. So it is with a very humble heart and a great sense of appreciation that I introduce them here below:
Teal for Startups Community: https://medium.com/teal-for-startups
Frederic Laloux, and the Reinventing Organizations Community: http://www.reinventingorganizations.com/
Otto Scharmer, and the U.Lab Community: https://www.presencing.com/
Marjolein and Lani, and the Map of Meaning CoP: http://www.holisticdevelopment.org.nz/
Tom Atlee and the Co-Intelligence Institute: http://www.co-intelligence.org/index.html
Parker J. Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal: http://www.couragerenewal.org/
