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Let me come right out with it: I believe in multiplicities. For me, it’s the notion that multiple options are available to us at all times when we can open up to see them. It’s an invitation to ask the big questions and allow for the possibility that multiple answers can coexist.
In this way, I choose both/and over either/or thinking. It seems as though we have allowed this either/or thinking infiltrate even our most precious interactions and relationships. I often find myself in the midst of most inner dialogues trying to whittle complex scenarios into a simple yes/no, good/bad, right/wrong decision criteria. I think this will make things easier for me, but I often find it’s too simplistic and leaves me wanting.
So it was in examining this notion within myself (and after much reflection) that I finally landed on my personal mission. And with that, my personal mission is to dissolve the binary allowing me to see the nuance in all things.
I feel strongly about this because I feel that we have missed so much in living in a versus world. Us versus them. Good versus bad. With this limited vantage point, we unconsciously omit creative solutions to complex problems and become so fixated on which side we’re on that we build up walls and put on blinders that allow us to live in our own echo chambers and perpetuate confirmation bias at every turn.
For those who are living in America at this time, the divisiveness is palpable—it’s also an election year, so that likely exacerbates this feeling—but regardless of how you identify politically, we can all agree that this caustic disharmony is prevalent and apparent. And for many, it’s not something we particularly like and desperately yearn for those in seats of power to truly collaborate.
In truth, this is so much bigger than politics. And really, it’s a lot more personal.
I can see how using comparison is a helpful teaching tool. It’s an important observational skill, and I think that where we miss a critical opportunity is when we:
Believe that only those finite options exist, and
Place a value judgment on those finite options.
When those two things are present, that’s when we stifle possibility.
For me, possibility is what I am after. It has a spacious, expansive quality. It aims to ask and invite rather than declare or dictate. It allows me (and you, too!) to tap into a most powerful source of playfulness, joy, and creation.
Ever since I’ve been in this place of examining the versus world we live in, I keep pondering what could be thought of as the most fundamental dichotomy for us as human beings. While I am allowing ample space for this notion to evolve as I continue to explore, so far, it seems that an essential dichotomy we face is whether we believe in individualism versus collectivism. The singular person versus the group. And as many philosophers have explored in times past, which one most impacts our motivations.
So here again, I ask: Why can’t it be both?
This brings me to the central question that has had me living in a most exquisite state of possibility: What is at the intersection of agency and interdependence?
I believe it is Inter-evolutionary Culture.
Inter-evolutionary Culture is an understanding that a desire to make a change on a larger scale is directly related to the level of autonomy we allow ourselves to claim. This desired change to the collective begins when a fully realized and free individual understands that their personal evolution is the pebble that begets the ripple.
A fully-realized individual is dedicated to a life spent in pursuit of living as consciously as possible. This is someone who takes responsibility for the choices they make, and continually uses inquiry as a way to allow the truth of the soul to take the lead. This is how I think of agency.
One can begin the journey of their own personal evolution by first realizing that their thoughts, words, decisions, and actions have influence. Thereby it’s an intentional step away from any hopelessness and despair that we might feel and a dismantling of that belief in the notion that we, as one human being, cannot make a difference. Instead, it’s a step toward a reclamation of our own personal power and truth, with the constant examination of what part we play in the larger collective.
When individuals begin living at this state of higher consciousness wherein there is a healthy dose of inquiry and reflection interwoven into their every day, it becomes readily apparent how our decisions have an impact on our world. Whether “your world” consists of that handful of humans you live with and close friends within your quarantine pod, or if your sphere of influence is slightly larger due to your work or hobbies or passions, the realization that you are an important component to the collective is what matters. Your commitment to making a positive impact is the same, regardless of the size of the ripple.
Inter-evolutional Culture is a way of being that honors the agency of the individual and acknowledges the reality of interdependence. By decidedly holding both individual and collective interest equally, we begin to see and comprehend that:
Our individual choices and actions do have an impact.
Change originates from within.
As we evolve, so do the beings around us.
Knowing that our personal evolution initiates the evolution of our environment, we deliberately commit to making choices that cause the least harm to self and others.
It’s a philosophy that seeks to reimagine what currently is. Those who subscribe to this philosophy then, consciously wield a relentless curiosity as a way to initiate a vision of what’s possible.
With curiosity taking the lead, this is how we dismantle the binary thinking and oppressive systems that have kept us trapped for far too long. Without inquiry we keep ourselves locked in the versus world, the brain spouting narratives and judgments about what should or shouldn’t be, and perpetuating fear-based ideas that keep us subdued.
Let’s allow inquiry, curiosity and possibility be our guides, shall we?
A few queries to explore for yourself, if you feel so called:
What is your curiosity asking you to explore?
Bring to mind a challenging relationship, decision, scenario in which you currently find yourself. If you’re working towards making a decision, how many different resolutions can you envision? Instead of thinking that only a yes/no option exists, what other possibilities exist, even if they seem implausible?
Where is an area of your life where you feel as though you can take more ownership?
When you do, who (and what) might that impact?
Thinking about the impact you do have, does that change anything about what you choose to do in the area where you seek more ownership?
If it feels supportive to share, I would love to read your responses. Feel free to leave a comment below, and may your exploration guide you into your next cycle of personal evolution.
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Photo credit: Creating Light Studio