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Zrks said,
“I do really disagree with the metaphysical aspect of it… it is really nice to try to understand the world that we are embedded but, and please do not take it personal, mediation and yogas do not help”
I strongly disagree with those words. In fact a mash up of the Western scientific tradition and the metaphysical is precisely want is happening. And needs to happen much faster with a minimum of collateral damage.
Michael/Venessa,
(2 posts because of the 2000 char limit)
I also think that a dose of self-reflection and metaphysical ruminations can help us tremendously. But before I get into that, let me touch on another topic. Venessa talks about immigrants and networks - I totally agree with her view. In fact I am willing to bet that if one were to study the networks of immigrants/non-immigrants, you will find some interesting differences. I came to the US a couple of decades ago and had no family and so by necessity was forced to form networks with my friends and people I met. In time, I trusted them on certain issues more than I trusted my family back home -- mainly because my network was more in tune with my mental-models than folks back home who knew me from when I left and since then their view of me has been static (i.e I have changed but their view of me has not). Anyway, the point being that Venessa is absolutely correct about saying that many of the things about networks existed before there was a web or social media -- all we are trying to do now is to put a frame around certain concepts so that everybody has their attention on it.
Now coming to the self-reflection/metaphysical stuff. There are many aspects to this, but I want to touch on the two that Venessa brought up in her comments. The first one is the eternal self-questioning of yourself (I guess this is similar to the 5why's of problem solving but goes beyond that). I have found out that instead of reacting to impulsive wants and desires (which I am guilty of sometimes), an objective questioning and self-reflection puts things in perspective. Everything - whether it is building a network or gaining acceptance in the community or something else -- takes on a different light in the bigger scheme of things. Anyway, it has helped me focus on what is really important (along the same lines as "I once cried when I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet"), helped me conserve some of my grey cells (by not worrying about trivials), and helped me take a more longer-term view of the effects of things I am doing today.
The second aspect that Venessa touched on which I think is also important is this notion of losing control. Humans by their very nature like to be recognized, accepted, and praised. Sometimes this "need" takes them into the realm of jealosy, anger, and possessiveness - not wanting to give up something because of the fear that others will get credit. My riposte to that view is that the paradigm of control has changed with the advent of social networks. I am of the belief that in the new world, you gain control by giving up control. As Venessa mentions, in the new networked world the more you "give up", the more you share, the more you help others, the more you help lay down the foundations -- the more you are going to be recognized, asked for, and credited. As a corollary to that, the more you make your network closed-loop or a one-way street, the faster you are setting your network for 'death from attrition'.
Anyway, that ends my ramblings for now :-)
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Comments (3)
Michael J said
at 9:31 am on Mar 18, 2010
Zrks said,
“I do really disagree with the metaphysical aspect of it… it is really nice to try to understand the world that we are embedded but, and please do not take it personal, mediation and yogas do not help”
I strongly disagree with those words. In fact a mash up of the Western scientific tradition and the metaphysical is precisely want is happening. And needs to happen much faster with a minimum of collateral damage.
Ned said
at 12:21 pm on Mar 18, 2010
Michael/Venessa,
(2 posts because of the 2000 char limit)
I also think that a dose of self-reflection and metaphysical ruminations can help us tremendously. But before I get into that, let me touch on another topic. Venessa talks about immigrants and networks - I totally agree with her view. In fact I am willing to bet that if one were to study the networks of immigrants/non-immigrants, you will find some interesting differences. I came to the US a couple of decades ago and had no family and so by necessity was forced to form networks with my friends and people I met. In time, I trusted them on certain issues more than I trusted my family back home -- mainly because my network was more in tune with my mental-models than folks back home who knew me from when I left and since then their view of me has been static (i.e I have changed but their view of me has not). Anyway, the point being that Venessa is absolutely correct about saying that many of the things about networks existed before there was a web or social media -- all we are trying to do now is to put a frame around certain concepts so that everybody has their attention on it.
Ned said
at 12:22 pm on Mar 18, 2010
Now coming to the self-reflection/metaphysical stuff. There are many aspects to this, but I want to touch on the two that Venessa brought up in her comments. The first one is the eternal self-questioning of yourself (I guess this is similar to the 5why's of problem solving but goes beyond that). I have found out that instead of reacting to impulsive wants and desires (which I am guilty of sometimes), an objective questioning and self-reflection puts things in perspective. Everything - whether it is building a network or gaining acceptance in the community or something else -- takes on a different light in the bigger scheme of things. Anyway, it has helped me focus on what is really important (along the same lines as "I once cried when I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet"), helped me conserve some of my grey cells (by not worrying about trivials), and helped me take a more longer-term view of the effects of things I am doing today.
The second aspect that Venessa touched on which I think is also important is this notion of losing control. Humans by their very nature like to be recognized, accepted, and praised. Sometimes this "need" takes them into the realm of jealosy, anger, and possessiveness - not wanting to give up something because of the fear that others will get credit. My riposte to that view is that the paradigm of control has changed with the advent of social networks. I am of the belief that in the new world, you gain control by giving up control. As Venessa mentions, in the new networked world the more you "give up", the more you share, the more you help others, the more you help lay down the foundations -- the more you are going to be recognized, asked for, and credited. As a corollary to that, the more you make your network closed-loop or a one-way street, the faster you are setting your network for 'death from attrition'.
Anyway, that ends my ramblings for now :-)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.