Hi Chris,
I suggest this very old post from Roger I've always kept safe in my "Best of"
folder. (I confess I've decided to subscribe permanently the LS forum two years
ago just after reading that message).
Bye
Marco
From: Roger Parker
Date: Tue Aug 10 1999 - 21:40:51 BST
ROGER's QUEST FOR THE HOLY GRAIL
OF DYNAMIC AND STATIC EVERYDAY
QUALITY AND FLOW
Hi Lilacs!
One answer to this month's dilemma is Optimal Experience..... balancing
biological. social, intellectual and dynamic aspects of life. Note that
Optimal Experience is not rooted in fleeing from your current rituals and
responsibilities -- people who run usually find they bring similar experience
with them wherever they go. The key is not to escape from experience, it is
to face it and maximize each moment. Optimal Experience is caring
attentiveness to everyday activity.
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (hereafter called MC for obvious
reasons) calls it "Flow". This is MC's title for the psychological state of
Optimal Experience, which can also be defined as "happiness." It is a
careful, evolving balance between static repetition and pattern, and dynamic
growth and discovery. It is the state at which one focuses 100% of
consciousness at the experience at hand. To quote MC, "It does not involve
loss of self, and certainly not a loss of consciousness, but rather, only a
loss of consciousness of the self." (This BTW is the perfect answer to John
and Robert's misgivings last month on the MOQ and the loss of self.)
Flow is where you lose yourself into the intensity and fullness of what you
are doing. It can come during a challenging game of skill, during a
brilliant conversation, while reading a captivating book, while climbing a
mountain or while maintainng motorcycles. It requires that careful
dynamic/static balance between confident, familiar ritual and focused new
attentiveness. Between 100% effort and the complete effortlessness of the
Tao. To most people it comes in particularly challenging moments, but with
skill and attentiveness, it can be extended to vitually everything we do.
I believe MC's concept of flow is a perfect correlate to the MOQ's concepts
of balancing the dynamic and static elements of the MOQ. Let me share one
generic possibility (for illustration only).
My suggestions on the day:
****************THE MORNING RITUAL**************
Wake with the rising of the sun by leaving your blinds up and your window
open (after all it is such a beautiful time of year).
If time permits, read a bit in bed to stimulate your mind. May I suggest Ken
Wilber''s "Quantum Questions" or C. Milosz's "A Book Of Luminous Things."
The former is a collection of philosophical writings of the great 20th
century scientists, the latter is an anthology of short poems. Either is a
great start to an intectually or dynamically rewarding day.
Before you get into your car for the commute to work, take your dog out for
her morning walk. Stand outside for a minute and treasure the colors of the
morning. We have so few sunrises left.......
Borrow the wife's convertible (if this is not possible how about starting up
that old but immaculately maintained motorcycle, or at the very least,
rolling your windows down and opening the moon roof?) It is a beautiful day
though, so do enjoy.
On the way to work turn Rush Limbaugh or that noisy DJ off and choose either
of the below, (or add something even better.)
a) Focus 100% on nothing. Pay no heed to traffic or the time. Calm your
mind and suppress every roving thought, concern and worry. Don't fret, your
biological self will drive you safely to work. Think of absolutely nothing
until you begin to see the absence of any separate self. Note (without
noting) the pull of attention to trees and fields and shiny new cars. Who
pulled? Was it DQ? Over time you will get better and better. Eventually you
will start to see the world beyond your windshield and realize that IT is
watching YOU, then you will begin to see that IT IS YOU, and YOU ARE IT, and
then that you and it are both superfluous distinctions. Regardless, you will
walk into work with a smile on your face and a feeling that the whole world
is yours (it is by the way).
b) If this is to extreme for you, start a hobby on the way to work. I
recommend music or audio literature, but whatever you choose, it must be
something that you love. For example, each month choose a type of music or a
new artist that you would like to learn. August could be Thelonious Monk or
J. S. Bach, or Shania Twain, or South African Hymns. In September, go to the
next on your list. The key though is to set goals and milestones of your
interests based on your perception of quality. Don't just listen, listen
intently. Regardless, try not to depend on society force-feeding you popular,
trendy quality. Let your attentiveness of quality take you into unknown,
dynamic new territory. (If you don't want to buy all this music from a used
CD store, you can usually rent it at your library).
***********THE WORKING RITUAL********************
As you walk into work, emotionally charged and excited, do not follow the
tongue-in -cheek advice of those suggesting you fall into the Gumtion Trap of
slacking off. Nothing could be more harmful to your inner peace and to Flow.
Nothing could be more damaging to the maintenance of the motorcycle that is
yourself. MC's extensive, decade-long study of Flow came to the surprising
conclusion that despite Westerners' cultural aversion to work, that the best
opportunities (and majority) of Flow experience and happiness actually occurs
at work. Work is an extensive part of your life that offers unique
challenges and interactions. Again, work is a time to embrace experience,
not to avoid it.
Balance is one of the fundamental lessons of the MOQ. And not just bteween
the dynamic and the static, but also balance between effort and ease,
between ritual and creativity, between levels, between your self and the
world, and between the present and the future. Below is one possible way to
balance life and work:
On a biological level -- Balance biological quality with social quality. Do
not allow your body to oversleep, to be lazy. Don't drink at lunch or
overeat. Don't sleep with the cute new intern. However, do get a good
nights sleep, do work at a focused, sustainable pace, do enjoy lunch, and do
admire the cute new intern. Bring a great cup of coffee, prepared JUST
RIGHT, to your desk and enjoy its taste and aroma while you catch up on the
days phone and email messages.
On a social level -- Do not look to the boss or coworkers to establish your
worth. Don't dress to impress them. Don't eat with the right people. Don't
say the wrong thing because it is socially right. Never stab another in the
back, pass on harmful, petty gossip or kiss your bosses behind. But do be
courteous and pleasant. Do take pride in your appearance and individuality.
Do enjoy your companionship at lunch. Better yet, meet your wife or a
relative for a brief mid-day meal. Act responsibly and value the social and
business hierarchy that has been established. It is quality. Find this
quality and admire it.
On an intellectual level -- Don't learn because you have to or need to or
because the professional designation would bring social rewards. Learn what
fascinates you. Recognize or sense the difference between the true and the
socially acceptable, and focus your attention on subtly working within the
social structure to merge the two together. When everybody begins to see a
solution to the left, consider the merits of going right. However, your
attention to social patterns is needed to get any idea to be reality. Never
focus on promotions or performance or changing that which is beyond your
control. Focus on the here and now, knowing that the future will be a
continuation of this key everyday reality.
Be Dynamic -- Sense the rhythms and patterns within the organization. Test
these by subtly introducing creative new, but acceptable,solutions. Manage
every situation or job or person without managing (I refer to this as
"managing by allowing the ball to roll down hill," that is, to set up the
value patterns so success is easier than failure). Every time a problem is
presented, find a unique new solution... even if the old solution is good
enough. Laugh at failure, be proactively critical of success.
The balance within a social organization is static and resistant to change.
Do not fail to appreciate this necessary fact. You can be the Brujo if you
like, but remember the risks and keep in mind that no organization needs a
revolution every year. Again, sense the patterns and environment around you
and choose your next move with care and quality.
Finally, focus 100% on each moment. Attend to the immediate. Find the flow
and cherish it. See the quality of all levels around you. In meetings, look
into the eyes of those around you. Listen carefully to their ideas. Supress
your karmic junk thoughts of what an idiot your coworker is, or what a
pompous ass the VP is, or how the new guy is much smarter and better dressed
than you could ever be. Also, avoid labeling and ranking quality by its
level. Social quality isn't bad by itself, it is only negative to the extent
that it interferes with the other levels.
***********THE EVENING RITUAL**********************
Go home repeating the ritual from your AM commute. Or take a diversion and
do something you always wanted to do. Need relaxing when you get home? Sit
down with the wife and watch some silly TV show for a bit. I suggest "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer" or "Allie McBiel". Log onto the internet and respond to
your messages. Post something written with care and quality to the MD or LS.
Then go dance naked under the moonlight and have an orgy. But don't stay
out too late, it is only Monday and there is soooo much more to look forward
to tomorrow.
Roger
----- Original Message -----
From: "Christopher Galtenberg" <c@galtenberg.net>
To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 7:21 PM
Subject: MD The 4-level day
> Hi gang...
>
> This thought may be too general to be useful, but here it goes, anyway:
>
> Have you noticed that it seems like we spend an -equal amount of time each day
> within the 4 levels-?
>
> 4 levels - 6 hours each.
>
> Intellectual - Has anyone -ever- been able to put in a full 8-hour day? 8
hours
> of writing, or coding, or research... Maybe 6 hours, though...
>
> Inorganic - Call this sleeping
>
> Biological - Maybe a couple hours of dreaming, then time to eat,
> walk/move/travel, washing, thinking of the opposite sex ;), zoning out when
> we're tired, ...
>
> Social - Surely we spend a couple of hours at work talking with one another,
> reading/writing emails... then we need to spend time with our loved ones (and
> for most of us intellectuals up on this list, we're probably not getting laid,
> so it can't be Biological! :)... TV watching usually isn't intellectual, but
> neither do we just stare at the screen - it is Social, don't you think?
>
> Sometimes I think to myself, that there must be lots of ebb-and-flow of living
> in these levels... but I'll be doggone, I swear it's almost -always- 6 hours,
> every single day. I challenge you to -try- to do more -or less- than 6 hours
of
> any of these. Watch what your body does in response.
>
> Quite interesting... that's why I brought it to the floor... any philosophy
> should be able to give practical explanations (as the theory of relativity
> proved the positions of planets), and here is another for MoQ.
>
> This mindset could be also good for 2 more discussions:
>
> - The creation of a proper work-day, compatible with the human spirit: What if
> work only soaked up -4- hours of our Intellectual time? Would we fill that
time
> with book-reading at home (and become a better society)? (and don't tell me
that
> factory workers or bureaucrats don't use their Intellect...)
>
> - If we spend all our time within these 4 levels, is there even a -need- to
> discuss a 5th level? Where/when do we experience it during the day?
>
>
> c.m.g
>
>
>
>
> MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
> Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
> MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
>
> To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
> http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
>
MOQ.ORG - http://www.moq.org
Mail Archive - http://alt.venus.co.uk/hypermail/moq_discuss/
MD Queries - horse@darkstar.uk.net
To unsubscribe from moq_discuss follow the instructions at:
http://www.moq.org/md/subscribe.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat Aug 17 2002 - 16:01:25 BST