Integral Thinking in a Dynamic World
By Vince Milum
Copyright © 2005. All rights reserved.
"To think requires one to
reason using the higher processes of one’s mind. To think integrally
requires one to comprehend and appreciate all the sub-elements of the
greater whole which a true intellectual — especially an ‘awakened being’
— will call upon in order to access the (pre-existing) optimal
solution."
"When we commit ourselves to implementing the
integral thought matrix, we will produce a world of
integrity."
No football coach ever takes the field with just his offense
or just his defense, nor has any modern successful coach neglected his special
teams since George Allen first recognized their importance decades ago. Why,
then, (in keeping with the sports analogies) do so many of us insist on fighting
with one arm behind our back?
For some inexplicable reason, modern thinking — outside the
sports realms — has DEVOLVED into self-limiting dichotomous constructs. One has
to be either:
Liberal – or – Conservative,
Republican – or – Democrat,
Socialist – or – Capitalist,
Peacenik – or – Hawk,
Sinner – or –Saint,
In short:
"Good"
or "Evil."
Nowhere in this Manichaean world order is there an
opportunity for discourse leading to individual and (concurrent) societal
development. Instead, we witness reflexive retrenchments on an exponential
scale. This unhealthy narcissism has not only harmed individuals but has also
resulted in organizational stagnation at the government, corporate, and family
levels — each of which has come to frown upon original thinking.
How then, do we generate a mindset that fosters the skeleton
key needed to unlock the gates of human liberation? First, we must come to
realize that the totality of higher sentient beings is one large reservoir of
human resource potential. Each functioning person is an INTEGRAL component
needed to be tapped in order to unravel this complex puzzle that has been
presented to humanity — THE MATRIX, if you will.
Next, we must facilitate and stimulate discourse. One of the
best ways to initiate this process is by recruiting (e.g., either as friends or
as employees) people with differing opinions. (If all your friends voted
for the same guy for president, you need to get some new friends!) Within the
family unit, we must embrace "the lone wolf." And in all facets of our
lives, we have got to realize the benefits of arguing out our differences (which
cannot be recognized if we only surround ourselves with people with whom we
agree). As this is a key factor in our individual as well as societal
development, it bears pointing out that there is a difference between bickering
and arguing. To bicker means "to engage in a petty
quarrel," while to argue means "to give reasons for or against
something…to persuade by giving reasons."
From the spontaneity of genuine discussion will emerge
the genesis of a synergistic creative-thought-process that will, in turn, yield
not merely original ideas but (proximal and penultimate) solutions to
an array of complex issues facing the human race. As we mature in this process
and begin to truly recognize that "Yes, we are all in this
together,"
we will begin thinking as one holistic body committed to the greater good
yet benefiting all constituent parts. This will then summon destiny to
present the skeleton key to our ultimate reason
for being:
