Emergence November 2005,The Paradox of Freedom. As we seek more and more freedom, we are missing the very piece that gives birth to freedom. And here in lies the paradox. We have the illusion that freedom means no structure, no discipline, no boundaries. That I get to choose anything I like, when I like, how I like it, as the ultimate freedom. Practical action you can take to improve your leadership, communications and awareness. More than 1,500 subscribers now receive this free monthly newsletter. Thanks for passing it on! To SUBSCRIBE, please use the links at the bottom of this issue. Copyright 2005, Syzergy Pty Ltd. For permission to post or reprint, please see notice at the end. The Paradox of Freedom. In the Western World we have many many choices. We can work for ourselves, or work for another. We can live in many different places far more easily than before. We can get married or stay single, have children or not. As we evolve as people and nations, we seek more and more freedom. We want to be able to choose to work or not, when we want. The new age movement heralded in an unprecedented amount of narcissism. We have been going through the ~I, me, mine~ stage (The Red code disguised as Green-Spiral Dynamics, see Emergence Issue 9/6/2005, http://casts.webvalence.com/sites/Emergence/Broadcast.D20050906.html). Incredible self-focus, introspection, and doing things my way. As a past graduate of the new age thinking, I can speak of the good and the bad of it. Increased self-awareness as a tool can be powerful if used consciously. However, the depth of narcissism in the self-inquiry leaves little room for any genuine ~other~ focus. As we seek more and more freedom, we are missing the very piece that gives birth to freedom. And here in lies the paradox. We have the illusion that freedom means no structure, no discipline, no boundaries. That I get to choose anything I like, when I like, how I like it, as the ultimate freedom. Ah, but there is the rub, as the great Bard would say. Freedom needs discipline and structure to support it. Freedom is not absence of constraint. Freedom is clearly choosing the structure that does support freedom. A child without discipline and boundaries may appear to have great personal freedom, but what they actually have is chaos and confusion. They lose the ability to apply focus. Freedom at our level of evolution is based in duality. Duality implies that everything has an opposite and that one always creates the other. Light, Dark: Black, white: Up, down: In, out. Good, bad. The duality of freedom is discipline. To be free, to feel the most free, we have to become masters of discipline. Freedom and discipline go hand in hand. Not one without the other. Let me give you a few examples. I want to be free to eat what ever foods I want and remain slim. Yes, you can do that, if you eat in moderation, and if exercise! I want the freedom to choose to work for myself. Yes, and, unless you bring discipline to that activity, you will not pay the bills. I want to stop working when I am 40. Can be done...as long as you either have the discipline to save and invest wisely from an early age, or you learn how to leverage and maximize your money. Discipline. I want to stay fit and healthy and have the freedom to participate in activities of my choosing. Discipline. I want the freedom to think for myself and maintain a positive attitude, even though I am locked up in prison (See the movie, The Hurricane). Can be done, and requires great discipline. I want my relationship to provide me with freedom. A relationship will have the greatest sense of freedom if the discipline that builds trust is there. I want the freedom to be happy and upbeat, no matter what. Can be done, and yes, requires discipline. From a Spiral Dynamics point of view, discipline and structure is learned (or not) in the Blue code. A healthy Blue code has the right amount of discipline and structure for the environment. Too much, and there will be a rebellion, too little and we have anarchy. There is not a one size fits all, only the right size for this environment today. In my own life my discipline and structure is foundational to my existence. And I am working on adding more in certain areas. The morning structure I have which includes silence, journaling, reading one page of an inspirational spiritual text, and my exercise, really sets me up for the day. It gives me a greater sense of personal freedom in the areas of my physical body, my spiritual self, and often in my work, because my head is clearer. If we look at freedom and discipline as the two sides of one coin, then the questions you ask around creating freedom must include the discipline required. And yet the irony is that as you live your agreed discipline, you actually become freer, even before you get the goal or outcome you desired. As I move towards fitness, as my discipline becomes stronger, I feel more and more free in my self. I know I can rely on self to make the choices that support me. I trust my word, because I follow through with actions. The Green code has sadly dismantled the Blue code. We see the evidence of this in our children. We as parents want to do the right thing by our children, want the best for them. Yet many children have minimum to scant levels of discipline in their lives. In Thomas Freidman's excellent book, "The World is Flat", he talks about the entitlement society, and the differences between the East and the West. Asian children are well known everywhere for excelling at school. Their hunger is deeper. Their parents instil much more structure and discipline into their lives. The kind of discipline we had 20/30/40 years ago. If freedom is important to you, have a look at the discipline that is present or lacking in your life. You may just find it is time to create more. By the way, discipline originates from the Latin,~ disciple~ and means being a disciple unto the self. Resources 1. I am a subscriber to two excellent magazines. "What is Enlightenment." Check out the current issue at http://www.wie.org/magazine/?ecp=480-wie The magazine covers the subject of enlightenment from many aspects, business, spirituality, pragmatism, science. 2. The other magazine is Kosmos.http://www.kosmosjournal.org ~~"Kosmos introduces you to the cutting edge leaders of a passionate movement to create a planetary civilization worthy of human dignity. Leading artists enhance the message with stunning visual images of our mission.

As a result of fourteen billion years of evolution we find ourselves in a great transition from identity with nations to identity with all of humanity. You will find that Kosmos is deeply involved in an inquiry into the global realities and trends of our times while creating a deeper, broader, more compassionate vision of future possibilities.

Our current journal on global citizenship is an especially important issue, establishing the foundation of a sustainable and compassionate new civilization. In the spring our follow up issue will be on creating a New Civilization in partnership with the GOI Foundation in Japan."~~

3. If you are interested in learning more about Spiral Dynamics from the master himself, Don Beck, the next event is in Washington DC early January. http://www.spiraldynamics.net/WashingtonDC/index.shtml?ecp=480-wie 4. You may find the following quote extraordinary for our times, given the year of its issue. Thanks to Tony Lovell for sending this to me. The Downfall of a Nation "A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result being that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship. "The average age of the world's greatest civilizations, from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, and from dependence back into bondage." ~ Sir Alex Fraser Tytler (1742-1813) On the Personal Side My daughter Natalie, 15 years old, and I will be spending from December 8th to 17th in Hawaii, Oahu and Kona, then the obligatory four days in Los Angeles (My daughter is a typical teenage girl, into fashion, The OC, and all things Hollywood.) We are staying in West Hollywood, but will have a car. Finally, we are going to Park City Utah for the week of Christmas, for us, our first ever white Christmas. Usually Christmas in Australia is spent trying to keep cool, and it was last year, while we were all sweltering over lunch, that the idea to go to snow country was born. The majority of my family, plus a few extra's will be meeting. The traditional English Christmas pudding has been made, and will be talking the trip across the Pacific, presents of small transportable size have been purchased, and we are looking forward to singing carols about snow and all things cold, with some reality around the words. If anyone would like to go for a run with me in any of these places, or snow boarding in Park City, please send an email to [email protected] Wishing you a wonderful safe holiday season filled with love and joy, Warmly, Christine

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