visions of the future
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TRADITIONAL WISDOM & MODERN KNOWLEDGE: REAFFIRMING THE WISDOM OF OUR PACIFIC ANCESTORS PACIFIC RISK MANAGEMENT OHANA MARCH 17, 2010 WAIKIKI BEACH MARRIOTT Presentor: Papalii Dr. Tusi Avegalio UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. VISIONS OF THE FUTURE. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
TRADITIONAL WISDOM & MODERN KNOWLEDGE: REAFFIRMING THE
WISDOM OF OUR PACIFIC ANCESTORS
PACIFIC RISK MANAGEMENT OHANAMARCH 17, 2010
WAIKIKI BEACH MARRIOTT
Presentor: Papalii Dr. Tusi Avegalio
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
TO UNDERSTAND A CULTURE ONE MUST UNDERSTAND ITS BASIC BELIEFS, VALUES,CREATIVE POWERS, SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP TO THE UNIVERSE AND ITS SYMBOLIC FORMS
THEY ARE THE SOURCE OF MEANING and the
BASIS FOR SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Isaac NewtonMechanical Universe
Albert EinsteinQuantum Mechanics
CHANGING BELIEFS OF WESTERN SCIENCEFROM THE 17th CENTURY TO THE 21ST CENTURY
NEWTON CONCLUDED THAT THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE WAS
B
• A GIANT CLOCKWORK OPERATING WITH MECHANICAL REGULARITY
•LIKE MECHANICAL PARTS OF A MACHINE, EVERYTHING IS SEPARATE FROM EVERYTHING ELSE
•THIS BELIEF IMPACTED WESTERN THINKING FOR THE NEXT FIVE HUNDERED YEARS.
•IT BECAME THE PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS FOR ORGANIZATION AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN THE INDUSTRIAL AGE
•WESTERN EXPLORERS DURING THE HEIGHT OF THIS ERA MADE FIRST CONTACT WITH PACIFIC PEOPLE
WESTERN SOCIETY BECAME MESMERIZED BY THE MACHINE
• LA METTRIE A FRENCH PHYSICIAN AND PHILOSOPHER DECLARED MAN HIMSELF TO BE A MACHINE IN 1748
• THOMAS JEFFERSON AND BEN FRANKLIN WERE SCIENTISTS AND INVENTORS AS WELL AS POLITICAL REVOLUTIONARIES
• MARTIN VAN BUREN INVENTED THE “POLITICAL MACHINE”
• TROTSKY SPOKE OF THE WHEELS AND SCREWS OF THE BOURGEOIS MECHANISM
• WE GO TO THE DR. TO CHECK WHICH “PART” OF US IS AILING AND IF THE DR. CAN “FIX’ IT.
• FOCUS ON LEARNING WAS REDUCTION AND ANALYSIS
The scientific view of the universe as a machine not only affected the
way we understood NATURE
• But the relationships between people and nature.
• And how we design our organizations, programs and activities.
• We divide work into separate tasks, work stations are designed for the individual.
• Differences emphasized, separation and isolation considered natural.
• People like parts are replaced or discarded when no longer needed.
• We manage our larger social systems such as the economy,Education, etc. in the same manner
Three Major North American Paradigm
ShiftsAgricultural Revolution (1776-1890)Importance of traditional religion, family ties, self
sufficiency, folk medicine
Industrial Revolution (1890-1963)Beginning decline of formal religion, move to cities,
emphasis on mass production/materialism, rise of consumerism, scientific method/management, machine bureaucracy, ‘modern’ medicine
Post-Industrial Revolution (1963-?)Belief in spiritual values, rise in ecological
consciousness, alternative medicine, holistic movement
The view of the universe as a machine is changing rapidly
• The mechanical worldview is giving way to the more organic worldview
• Energy not matter is the most fundamental material in the universe.
• Static environments becoming increasingly dynamic
• Rigid organizational structures giving way to more flexible, net-worked, smaller and more responsive ones.
• Sapiential Authority: Information and expertise leadership is replacing position authority
The dominant metaphor of the machine with its characteristics of…
• Control, analysis, prediction, linearity, repetition, separate parts, and closed rigid structures
ARE BEING REPLACED BY THE ORGANIC METAPHOR WITH ITS CHARACTERISTICS OF….
• Spirituality, Insight, Vision, Intuition, Judgement, Wisdom, Synthesis, Emergence, Self organization, Unpredictability, Non-linearity, Flexible and Adaptive structures.
• We are moving from ‘linear operating’ to ‘holistic navigating’
AUTOPOIESISTwo South American biologists,
Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela
• Defined life using a term autopoiesis.
• Autopoiesis is Greek for “Self creation”
• A living thing is any entity that constantly creates itself. Basis for self-referencing
• This distinguishes it from a mechanism, because a machine cannot create itself.
• If a machine changes itself at all it’s probably broken…
• While a living thing is always changing or its “dead”.
the people of Oceania see the universe as living kin and
patterned their cultures to fit that view
ANCIENT WISDOMIN PACIFIC CULTURES
Hold that all Things are Connected and Related
Albert Einstein
Reaffirmed ancient wisdom of connections when he ushered
in the era of particle quantum physics, that emphasized the innate
connectedness of all things
Quantum Mechanics AssumptionsQuantum Mechanics Assumptions•Nothing is separate from anything else, despite appearances.
•Everything (including us) is part of one large,
seamless whole, and everything is connected to and influenced by everything else.
•There are no independent entities anywhere at the quantum level. It’s all relationships.
s
passed down through master navigators, passed down through master navigators, voyaging canoe builders, wood carvers, voyaging canoe builders, wood carvers,
navigators, traditional healers, priests and navigators, traditional healers, priests and leaders.leaders.
AWARENESS AND DISCERNMENT OF THESE AWARENESS AND DISCERNMENT OF THESE SUBTLE “QUANTUM” CONNECTIVITY’S IS SUBTLE “QUANTUM” CONNECTIVITY’S IS THE BASIS OF ANCIENT TRADITIONAL THE BASIS OF ANCIENT TRADITIONAL
WISDOMWISDOM
ALL MATTER EMANATES ENERGY AND RHYTHMS
• WHICH CAN BE DETECTED ‘IKE’ WITH TRAINING AND PRACTICE UNDER THE SKILLFULL
MENTORING OF
• MASTER NAVIGATORS, CARVERS, BUILDERS, AND HEALERS
THE VIBRATORY RHYTHM OF THE VIBRATORY RHYTHM OF LIFE EMANATES FROM ALL LIFE EMANATES FROM ALL
THINGSTHINGS
• CANOE BUILDERS CHANT TO THE TREES CANOE BUILDERS CHANT TO THE TREES TO DETERMINE SUITABILITYTO DETERMINE SUITABILITY
TRADITIONAL PACIFIC CULTURES THINK IN METAPHORS AND LEARN THROUGH STORIES; AWARENESS OF THE QUANTUM
CONNECTIVITY IS EXPRESSED THROUGH METAPHORBY THE KUMULIPO OF HAWAII
IF WAKEA/TAGAROA LAGI (HEAVEN) AND PAPA (EARTH) ARE THE FATHER AND MOTHER FOR ALL THINGS
INCLUDING MAN:
•THEN MAN IS CONNECTED TO THE EARTH, ALL LIFE ON EARTH, AND TO THE STARS AND UNIVERSE
•THE EARTH MUST BE TREATED WITH THE RESPECTAND LOVE DESERVED BY A MOTHER
•THE HEAVENS MUST ALSO BE REVERED AND RESPECTED AS THE GUIDING FATHERLY SAGE
FOR SURVIVAL AND ENTRY INTO THE FUTURE.
‘ALL THINGS ARE SEAMLESSLY CONNECTED’
IF THIS CONCEPT WE GET FROM OUR CULTURES, AND REAFFIRMED BY SCIENCE
IS ASSIMILATED INTO OUR INTELLECT, ANDEMBRACED WITH OUR HEART…
THE SYNTHESIS OF TRADITIONAL WISDOM AND MONDERN SCIENCE WILL CHANGE HOW WE RELATE TO EACH OTHER, OUR ENVIRONMENT AND ASSURE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, OUR SURVIVAL AS A SPECIES
OUR SEPARATION FROM EACH OUR SEPARATION FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM NATURE…OTHER AND FROM NATURE…
““IS AT THE ROOT…IS AT THE ROOT…
OF MANY OF OUR PROBLEMS. OF MANY OF OUR PROBLEMS. OVERCOMING THEM CALLS FOR A OVERCOMING THEM CALLS FOR A
RECOVERY OF OUR NEGLECTED BUT RECOVERY OF OUR NEGLECTED BUT NEVER ENTIRELY FORGOTTEN BONDS NEVER ENTIRELY FORGOTTEN BONDS
AND CONNECTIONS”AND CONNECTIONS”
TRADITIONAL RITUALS, CEREMONIES AND SYMBOLS OF PACIFIC CULTURES
SUCH AS THE KAVA AND TATTOO CEREMONIES, CANOE BUILDING,
TRADITIONAL DANCING, AND BLESSINGS;
ONLY HAVE MEANING WHEN ONE UNDERSTANDS THEM AS ACTS OF CONNECTION TO SOMETHING
GREATER THEN SELF
IT CONNECTS ONE WITH LIFE AND
THE UNIVERSE THROUGH
BALANCE, HARMONY AND MUTUAL
SUSTAINABILITY
AND THE PRESERVATION, PROTECTION AND CONTINUATION
OF VALUES, RITUALS AND CEREMONIES THAT REMIND
AND REAFFIRM OUR SACRED TIES TO OUR PLANET, TO EACH OTHER
AND TO OUR UNIVERSE
THE BRIDGE THAT BINDS TRADITIONAL WISDOM WITH MODERN KNOWLEDGE IS EDUCATION ROOTED IN BALANCE, HARMONY AND MUTUAL SUSTAINABILITY WHERE ONE GIVES IN FULL MEASURE
WHAT ONE TAKES.
Designing Strategies Based on Functional Redundancy
Primary responder vs. First responder
1. Cultural social organization must be core to intervention strategy development, designs and planning. (Collective vs.
Individualistic)
2. Hierachical family and leadership structures must be considered as central to preparedness and disaster relief
(Ascribed status vs. Achievement)3. Collective intervention, recovery and relief designs encouraged to be socio-culturally congruant as possible. (Specific vs. Diffuse)
4.Cultural and traditional wisdoms must be considered as parallel methodologies with modern telecommunications, preparedness
and interventions. 5.Faith based organizations utilized as key preparedness points.
6.Training designs must be holistic and seamless
7. Social cultural protocols of food, drink and socialization essential to effectiveness
8.Institutionalize modern/traditional disaster preparedness, training, education in schools from K to 12.
MAUMAU MATAGI LELEIMOE LA MAHAEHAE
“Wasted are the fair winds when the mainsail is torn”
(Tongan sailing metaphor urges one to always be prepared, or opportunities will be missed)