Readers Aware: Rules of Engagement
Readers Aware: Rules of Engagement
Improve your sensemaking, improve your reality, and maybe, just maybe, the world becomes a slightly better splace.
Everyday we make choices about how to live and be. Our presumed goal is to make effective choices, defined here:
“An Effective choice is one that results in the realization and manifestation of the deepest desires. An ultimately effective choice is one which realizes (manifests) the ultimate desires of all that is making that choice and all that is affected by that choice.”1
Every choice we make affects our individual reality and to varying degrees, realities we share with other beings. The better we are able to make sense of our reality, understand the reality of other beings, and the dynamics between these, the better we are able to make effective choices.
This requires each of us to (1) become more well-informed and (2) become more skillful communicators. This forms the basis for our Rules of Engagement:
Honor the Mission: To share quality information for betterment of (1) a well-informed citizenry and (2) collaborative stewardship of the epistemic commons (i.e. “areas of shared knowledge and information that are widely-accessible”).
Self-Regulate: We are sovereign to the degree we are self-regulating (and therefore can become self-governing). Whenever humans perceive themselves, their loved ones, their in groups, their sources of security, and/or beliefs to be confronted, challenged, threatened, or attacked it is the normal response for one’s neurosoma (“mind-body”) to go into sympathetic nervous system activation (“fight, flight, freeze, or fawn”) as this pathway is evolutionarily conserved amongst many species and is far more ancient than humanity itself (read: by default is much stronger than your conscious mind and espoused humanistic values). Compared to analog encounters (in person) in which choosing “attack mode” carries significant risk, the internet substantially derisks the fight option making “strike first” orders of magnitude more attractive and probable. With great certainty, the choice to strike first rapidly devolves into clusterf*ck-sh*tshow territory, adding to the conflict burden of society at large. The better we are each able to self-regulate our psycho-emotional triggers, the better we are able to be integrated citizens contributing towards the so-called “brighter future” many of us intend – at least in words – to build towards. Notice early signs of being triggered. Step away from your screen and choose a practice to self-regulate (deep breathing, dance, sunbathe, ground, shake your body, tone, punch a pillow, etc.). The practice of self-regulating has carryover benefits to one’s work, health, friendships, family and community relationships.
Act in Good Faith: Collective sensemaking is improved via quality discourse, which requires everyone to act in good faith effort towards greater understanding. This is facilitated by leading with curiosity and inquiry. Notice whenever there’s impulse to make assumptions, deflect, project, use pejorative labels, and generally back people into corners. Nip this in the bud. Ask clarifying questions instead. Speak from your perspective and experience, rather than claim your side to be immune to disinformation and the sole benefactor of facts. Aim to discover shared values with your perceived opponent. Civility is valuable. Navigate conflict maturely and artfully.
We live in a time of exponential catastrophic and existential threats. The challenges we face are real and overwhelmingly complex. Improving our capacity for collective sensemaking may be inadequate for addressing these challenges, however, until proven otherwise, it’s one of the best places we can invest our time, energy, and attention.
Here’s to the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.2
Here’s to the Prayer of the One, "That All Shall Realize Greater Love in this World.”3
https://www.magic-flight.com/pdf/p4pc_aphorisms_of_effective_choice_1.PDF
https://charleseisenstein.org/books/the-more-beautiful-world-our-hearts-know-is-possible/
ttps://www.magic-flight.com/pdf/p4pc_aphorisms_of_effective_choice_1.PDF
We are trying to change attitudes but give no incentives to do so. Keeping a low pollution footprint for example receives no rewards, in fact, it comes with great inconvenience. Being a person who supports free speech comes with no rewards - we are constantly being blocked for speaking our truth. The solutions are simple but we need to build incentives so people will WANT to change behavior. Change the incentives and the behavior changes. Right now competition, exploitation, instant gratification, bad manners are all perfectly normal and acceptable in the culture. Much of it originated from Hollywood and celebrity. There is no level one cannot stoop to and not be applauded today, but try speaking truth and the bludgeon of despotism clobbers your head. We're going around in circles (we activists, sovereigns and self-described light workers) talking about how we must be towards each other yahda yahda. When all the while we are operating and generating a deficiency-based system, we are never progressing, we are generating the dark forces agendas the whole time. To generate our own agenda - for freedom, equality, free speech, clean environment, we need to put systems in place. The first step on that journey is to adopt a proper calendar, one that puts us back into synchronicity with natural frequencies. People don't know this but we are out of our natural cycle - there are 13 new moons every year, but 12 full moons occur every SECOND year. So we stuff one whole month, into 24 months. This puts us way out of our proper frequency. The 13 moon calendar is easy to learn and it can be cited whenever the Roman calendar is cited. Just cite the 13 moon calendar in parentheses after the Roman calendar citing. It's that simple! Anyone who wants to can do it. It is the first step in reclaiming our sovereignty and anyone can do it, even children. It is a statement of your ethos and who you are. Here's how - please comment and share: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8jHqoza0Fs&t=66s