Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Consulting the Ancients

Long ago I wrote a little program for consulting the Ancients, no it is not some weird mystical fantasy, it is based on the logic that meaning, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In an extreme sense one might just as well consult Mad Magazine, however this program consults the Ancients who simply studied human nature and nature herself for wisdom and they wrote their insights down.

Anyway this morning's query was on how to best approach Trust Council and I thought perhaps our Salt Spring Deligation might appreciate the extra coaching from 1000's of years ago.

It read like this:

When revealing inner truth, sensitivity
succeeds when dealing with those who would
otherwise resist it. Openness, ensures
the initial contact necessary before one
can have an influence. Transient, common
interests are not enough to maintain unity.

Because meaning is in the I of the beholder each of us will read their own meaning into the above, it is pretty straight forward but it is the last sentence that held a special focus for me because I know it so well. So many unified efforts from marriages to corporations and business partnerships, if based on transient common interests may not have the flexibility to succeed or overcome differences of opinion and personal changes in individual growth and experience.

The Ancients go on to clarify that:

When discerning the truth in a situation
one must weigh the particular circumstances
as well. This sympathetic understanding
has a far reaching and deeper influence.

I have always seen context as far more important to understanding what momentarily is happening and so I hope the Salt Spring deligation is prepared to adapt to the circumstances and look the tiger in the eye of nowness and immediacy.

Furthermore:

Those who follow and speak inner truth
have a subtle influence far beyond their
immediate circumstances. As a result there
is also a need for great caution.

This implies the serious conundrum of decisions that influence the space time continuum almost forever and why one can regret such decisions as I have, in working so hard to vote down the Salt Spring Island referendum on incorporation. It is next to impossible to claw back such actions even if at the time one feels they are making the best decision possible. Like droplets in a pond the rings radiate out proportionate to the intensity of the splash and that referendum was a pretty big splash decision. Many of those 70% of islanders now regret not having taken a more positive spin on the concept of a Municipality. Trusting in the Trust to contain their costs was a huge error in judgement as we have seen an almost 300% jump in their appetite for tax dollars. It is easier to say we won't be fooled again, but as the songs says perhaps we would only now be saying "Meet the new boss Same as the old boss" Hard to say.


Finally the Ancients are almost cold hearted in their insights:

Words without action even if based on
inner truth have little effect.

How could they have known the vast reach we would all have through the Internet to dialogue and share our words? And also know how vacuous words are if not accompanied by action! Perhaps our in-your-face deligation will have more effect on Trust Council that the barrage of words we have sent them and to that end I wish the deligation from Salt Spring profound success.

End of program, End of Line.

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