One place where our collective genius could certainly be put to use is in the arena of world, national, state, and local solutions. I'm looking for out-of-the-box thinking in terms of our various challenges and opportunities. How might you go about solving some of the dilemmas we seemed to have created for ourselves as human beings?
Pick your topic. Suggest a solution -- or even the beginnings of a solution. Add to someone else's solution. Suggest an alternative. We've got a creative crowd here, so let's see where our creative experiences might take us.
One request. Allow your solution engineering to come from the deepest, most authentic place in you. Suggest solutions that you feel would create the most profound ripple effect and that would impact the globe in a way that you'd want your children and grandchildren to learn and benefit from.
Let the solutions begin!
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As a reminder, we have two other active topics still in motion:
Genius in Action -- Creating a Model for a Community Wellness Center
Exotic Genius -- Your Wildest, Most Daring or Memorable Creative Experience
Feel free to dive into those discussions as well.
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P.S. As always remember that to see the comments in a separate window, click on the "Comments" link. To see the comments in the body of the topic, click "Links to this Post"
Views of those commenting have not been checked for accuracy and do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog publisher or his associates.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Global Genius -- Creative Solutions for a Crazy World
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Perhaps it might be a useful place to start if we adapted the same root principle that's currently being discussed so productively in the healthcare string to social and societal questions. It has certainly born wonderful fruit over there.
ReplyDeleteI believe that any root principle that truly is a "root", something fundamental enough that it affects everything that comes afterward, will by its nature apply userfully to everything, and I believe that's an idea our society's exclusive focus on rationalism has estranged us to, and it has kept us, as in healthcare, from being able to solve problems that are actually quite within our reach. The value of this, and it only works if the first principles are sound, is that it gives everyone a solid floor to stand on when dealing with issues that are much less stable, a common fundamental context that all can agree on, even when there is disagreement about less foundational issues.
So, what if we approached social policy, regardless of the issue, from the shared belief that the honoring, engendering and preserving the "life force", just as we have discussed in the health care string, were applied to how we live with each other and with the planet? What if that were the first principle that shaped how we went about solving problems? Would that have application anywhere tha might be useful?
"Life force" may not be the best term (I still love "IT"), and obviously, different people will hook up to the idea in different ways, but it might be a place to start. I believe that life force or "IT" has the capacity to provide a unifying structure, simply because it's something that all of us share equally, and that's for no other reason than that we are alive. That gives us all an equal stake in the matter, no matter who we are.
Undoubtedly, there are other "root" ideas that could also be introduced, and I will be most grateful for your thoughts in that regard.
I'm just now joining your group and, after having read through some of the previous discussions, am anxious to get involved in this topic.
ReplyDeleteTo BKO's point, one of the prime issues that seems to remain unsolved on the local, state, and national scene in the U.S. is the delicate challenge regarding abortion. One could quite easily interpret BKO's life force approach as being in support of what has traditionally been referred to as Pro-Life. However, the useless debate between Pro-Life and Pro-Choice has lead to a lot of posturing, but still nothing even approaching a solution.
Don't mean to drag you into an issue you may have had no intention of addressing, BKO, but how would you apply the Life Force model to this seeming dilemma so that we can see more clearly how this might apply to situations beyond healthcare.
With warm regards,
Sarah
Nice call, Sarah. I think your question/comment cuts right to the chase. The life force or any other thought tool that we use won’t be of much value in any issue if it doesn’t also guide us beyond already established thinking.
ReplyDeleteDo the questions around abortion fall within the parameters of our discussion? Certainly. Does incorporating the idea of a “life force” into our considerations automatically dictate a particular “answer” to the dilemma? Absolutely not. My hope in bringing the idea of the life force into this general arena is to serve as at least one part of a platform from which we can begin to ask better questions. As you accurately point out, the current level of debate on the issue is useless (at best) and doesn’t produce anything but rancor and paralysis, so what do we have to lose?J
If I correctly understand Chris’s original purpose, this blog is built around the goal of transcending entrenched polarities, whatever they are. Calcified positions keep new, previously unincorporated data from entering the conversation and create intellectual and energetic stasis. From that perspective, I don’t think my individual attitude toward abortion, or yours, or anyone’s, is even particularly relevant to the discussion we might be able to have if we try looking at the issue a different way, because we will ALL have one opinion or another related to the existing debate, and we’ve heard all those arguments before and we are already far too familiar with the dead ends they lead us to.
To answer your question, I think a primary way the life force might be useful as a lens through which to seek a new view is by way of its commonality to everyone. Regardless of your political or religious opinion, if you’re alive, you share something equally with every other living being in the universe. Could that provide a place to start the discussion?
In the healthcare string, one of things we’ve discovered is that we can’t really talk about healthcare without running into a lot of other societal issues to which it’s intimately connected. Could the “unsolvability” of the abortion issue be related to something similar and the fact that we haven’t taken a long enough view yet? Or because it’s easier to jump on the big hot button issues than to confront some of the deeper, harder, messier aspects of our lives that challenge us even more deeply? Could it be that many of the issues around abortion might themselves be symptomatic of some lessons we still need to learn about the individual and collective uses to which we put our life energies?
I agree. Great question, Sarah... and welcome! What a great way to get this discussion started.
ReplyDeleteAnd BKO is correct, in that I'm hoping we can look more deeply into our local, state, and national situations to discover a more basic premise upon which to make decisions and evaluate processes. Sarah's question brings this right into focus... and I'd like to take it a step further, as BKO has suggested.
What would we have to do as a society... or from what state of being would we have to come from in order to find the deeper solutions to this and our other challenges?
What is currently missing in our commuities, cities, etc. that has led to so many basic issues falling into the hands of politicians to solve? Why do we entrust the most basic elements of our relationships together to people who have long since lost track of our best interests?
These are the questions that come up around Sarah's question and BKO's response. Let's start with some of these basics and... just perhaps... in resolving or rooting around in these, we may see why we are where we are and how to move more productively forward.
Thoughts, anyone?
Now this is a discussion that I'm up for. And I was hoping, based on where you've taken the healthcare discussion, that we could get down to this same level of conversation here.
ReplyDeleteAs I see it, in my admittedly biased opinion, we have lost our basic connection to each other and have become so individualistic in our thinking, choices, and actions that we have, with some exceptions, lost any sense of real community. We've allowed our discussion around personal responsibility to not only become a laughing stock from the point of view of other countries (who are bemused and horrified by our penchant for litigation), but also to become focused almost exclusively on the individual.
If we start at the most fundamental level, doesn't that discussion have to include, if not revolve around, the understanding that responsibility also includes social responsibility? Don't we also have to genuinely consider the impact we have as individuals and as a family, community, town, etc. have on the whole and on future generations?
Am I wandering off in the forest on my own here? Or is this within realm of inquiry that you are considering?
Hopefully yours,
Sarah
Wow! This is a cool topic. I've had so much running through my head because of the healthcare topic... and now this too!
ReplyDeleteI think BKO and Christopher are off to a great start and Sarah's comments about community are so in tune with my spirit. So is there a fundamental question or series of questions that a community could ask that would apply as a measuring stick for all their decisions (like ancient people used to consider the effect on the 7th generation)?
Can we brainstorm on what some of our current questions or considerations might be?
Love is Awesome!
Jonnie
P.S. Welcome Sarah... glad to have another person join our little tribe!
Jonnie, Sarah, BKO -- I think you've all landed upon several critical elements needed in order to solve societal issues more effectively.
ReplyDelete1. Personal and collective responsibility
2. Defining the problem well and contemplating a solution that addresses human needs and basic rights, first (as opposed to human wants, preferences, and political positions)
How can we expect our leaders (local, state, or national) to be responsible and non-partisan, if we refuse to adopt these positions ourselves?
Cheers for this discussion! May we all wake up and take charge of our own fate as communities, neighborhoods, and families.
Couldn't mean it more,
Dot P
I like your points, Dot P... and though the topic I'd like to go after is not nearly so explosive as abortion, it is controversial. For me... and I realize how light weight and lame this may sound... is music.
ReplyDeleteThe whole music industry currently sucks because they're still not dealing with the realities of our age and time.
My generation (and a lot of boomers too) are downloading music... it's a reality. Meanwhile the big guys are still charging $16.95 for a CD... are fighting the digital age... and are losing gobs of money in the process.
File sharing is still huge... and the mentality of music heads around the world is light years ahead of the industry.
What's going on with this whole mess is no different than healthcare... abortion... or a variety of other issues. The people in power have lost touch with the people they're supposed to be serving.
How would the points you're all making here (especially Dot P's) apply to how the music industry model could be changed. I'd love to lead the way with a non-threatening solution that could be applied to a whole barge load of similar topics.
Some of my colleagues have been talking about this site and the conversations that are going on for a while now. I dropped into the healthcare topic and may go back for more... but this one was particularly of interest to me.
ReplyDeleteBeing a Gen Xer myself, I think MM is making a very valid point. One of the effects we are witnessing in our world (whether it be with the healthcare "dilemma" or with other social issues, world politics, or with music) is how to exist and function in a global community. And I want to emphasize community.
The notion of a tribe and of the way in which a group would teach responsibility, connectedness, and help one find a place in the community has been sorely lost, it appears. Really what we're trying to do as a nation and in the world, I believe, is to re-learn this vital knowledge as it applies to today's demands.
The Internet has fostered a remarkable level of connectivity between people and groups and has facilitated, albeit unwillingly perhaps, a certain level of anarchy in terms of how groups of people are willing to be treated and how they demand to be respected by merchants, vendors, and their governments.
This desire to pull away from the norm and create new systems, new communities, new methods of barter and trade, new values systems, etc. is simply a sign that the old modalities no longer are fully useful.
The music industry is just one of many examples of the consequences of failing to deal with the changing landscape of our times. As we consider how to deal with social issues, I think it would be helpful if we recognize that whatever the "old" way has been, it likely won't work now. We've all changed too greatly in ways of which we're not even aware.
BKO referenced life force as a consideration. That is radical to the old way of thinking for the western world -- yet not at all radical for those with whom I associate (and certainly not for those areas of the world where that reality is their current paradigm and has been for eons).
But how might that ancient paradigm be made even more relevant for today? How might we envision it even more freshly?
Or, are we simply returning to ancient wisdom and realizing that all of our new technological sophistication has not really transformed us as a species in any significant manner?
Yet again, it's more likely some of all of these possiblities.
Sorry to run on... but my mind works that way sometimes and these are the questions that run through my mind. Thank you for creating this forum, though. I think just the conversation is highly valuable. And most of all, as I think in glocal terms, I always ask how all of this applies to me, right here and now!
Much love to all,
Margie
Rizzin's been real sick lately... but he still reads this blog every day. After I read him what had been written the last two days, he told me something that I thought you would all enjoy. So I asked him if I could write it down for you. The words as I'll share them aren't as wonderful as if he'd written it himself... but if you know him, you'll be able to understand what he said to me:
ReplyDelete"If one day you awoke... and realized that I was you... you were me... that we were each a very real part of each other... how could we not take care of one another?
"If one day we awoke to discover that we are IT... and IT is we, me, you... all of life in every form... how could we not take care of this planet... and ensure that this rare and amazing thing called life... which creates... and feels... and sees... and contemplates... and is enraptured with awe... how could we not ensure that we protect it in every way possible."
He's so happy that you are all talking about these things and that some of you understand what he's been trying to say.
I send you his love and mine tonight.
Sincerely,
Skye
Dear Skye and Rizzin,
ReplyDeletePlease know that our entire classroom has read Rizzin's beautifully inspiring, poetic entries with such relish and that we look forward to much more from him. We therefore wish Rizzin the very best and are desirous for him to know that we are all praying for him; sending him blessings; or healing energy, each according to their own traditions and beliefs.
You mean a great deal to this blog family, Rizzin. Please get well soon.
Lovingly,
Miss V and her students
P.S. The students also want to thank Skye for being Rizzin's friend especially when he needs love and support. I share in their gratitude as well.
Thanks to Miss V and her class, and to Zee and his friends for the sweet card you sent... and to all of you for your kind response and thoughts.
ReplyDeleteRizzin's feeling a little better. He has these episodes and they really are hard, but he always comes back. For someone who's not at all afraid to die, he loves life so much more.
I've been reading a lot of this blog the last few days while he sleeps and I think there's something kind of magical going on here. Imagine if we could have a neighborhood, a community or a town who dealt with their issues this way. Where people not only shared their ideas, but where respect and love and concern was the first priority.
What if when any issue arose, we always looked at how love would respond from every direction? I'm afraid that sometimes we think the prosperity can't be shared -- the capitalism means greed -- that abundance means that someone else must be deprived.
What if that were not the case?
Most importantly of all, what if you and I started treating everyone we meet from this point forward as if love was what mattered most?
Peace comes with Love.
Skye
Skye... glad Rizzin's feeling a little better.
ReplyDeleteYour idea about love is cool... but I'm kind of wondering how would we apply that? You know... realistically?
So for example... the music industry thing I brought up (and I know how freaking lame this sounds)... but it's a basic, real world kind of deal.
How would responding in love from every direction handle that? Would would that look like?
I dont mean to limit this to Skye... I'd really like to hear anybody's take on this. Because if this really works... well then... let's get after it.
MM, just a quick series of questions for all of us to consider to kick this discussion off:
ReplyDeleteWho is it that made up the notion that music could be owned, sold, and controlled?
Does that approach continue to be effective in this age?
Is there another model that might work better?
I ask those questions in earnest, not necessarily having any particular answers in mind. But the current issues in the music industry, with which I am very familiar, spring up in a signficant manner due to these underlying premises.
What if these foundational elements have no absolute foundation, but rather a relative foundation, based on the time in which they were created? Is there a better way? Or a different way to apply the same principles that would more adaquately deal with our current scenario?
Food for thought. But I'm still intrigued by Skye's question, what would this whole model look like if it were based on love coming from every direction of the model?
About your questions...
ReplyDeleteI have no idea who made up the rules about music being owned... but that's a really good question... probably not a musician.
I don't believe that the music biz should own people's creations... it's kind of always a rip off for the artist.
The approach that's currently being used sucks and always has... it just sucks harder in the digital age...
There is another model... I'm sure... I just don't know what it is.
And yeah... about Skye's question... that one's got me totally twisted. What would love do? What a mind bend.
A quick note to all:
ReplyDeleteI will be out of the office for the next ten days and accessing my computer only during the evenings. Please excuse any delay this may have regarding your comments being posted.
Comments made before 8pm Pacific, should, in all liklihood, be posted that night.
Thanks for your patience,
Christopher
Love is such a loaded word, my lovelies. And I believe that it is for that very reason that this particular topic has come to a screeching halt.
ReplyDeleteMay we not use something a bit more universal in our exploration of this topic? I mean asking, what would love do, is a bit like saying, "What would Jesus do?" Or, as the maddenginly cloying revisionist bumper sticker now reads, "What would Buddha do?"
Could we perhaps, instead, merely ask the question, what does wholeness require us to do? Or, what might one do to maintain balance and equity?
I know, I know, this is not nearly so poetic or filled with mystical qualities as referencing the word, love -- and our dear friend, Rizzin, and his lovely companion, Skye are such naturals at doing this with true authenticity. But as for the rest of us -- I'm afraid it may be a bit too daunting.
Yours truly,
The Fat Bastard
(Having returned saltier than every after having undergone a nasty surgery on his buttocks).
KBF, nice to have you back. Sorry you got your ass caught in the wringer, as the old saying goes.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree, yes. Approaching this topic from the standpoint of what would wholeness require; or what would be required to have balance and equity are great ways to approach it.
And for those who want to also suggest solutions based on love or life force, I think we'd all benefit from hearing those responses as well, since it's an apporach we're just not used to hearing (at least, I'm not -- not in a business context anyway).
Feel free to dive in everyone. Would love to hear your responses.
Rizzin has found his way back into this world of illusions once more.
ReplyDeleteIT is whole my friends...
and so all that is... is also whole...
But we of the human form... we have forgotten... cut ourselves off from IT... created the myth that IT... is not also us... that IT is out there...
Out where?
Out there... somewhere...
Not here?
No... no... that would be too much
Or would IT?...
Rizzin -- it's a delight to have you back in our midst. We're jazzed to have you Skye and your friends as a part of our community.
ReplyDeleteRizzin! We're so glad you're well and back with us!
ReplyDeleteJumping to MM's hot question... I've been carefully observing the wellness topic and I've noticed that there is a really cool benefit that's coming from considering the importance of the very core understanding about life force... or as we're referring to it... love... or wholenss.
I don't know lots about the music business, but from the little I know I think we'd do better by talking about it as if we were not burdened with all of the problems that it currently has.
So... if we were going to imagine a really balanced equitible solution that was based on everyone's wholeness... what would that look like (I'm borrowing your idea Christopher... I'm sure that's fine with you... because I think it's really useful).
If that's where we are staring from... how would we describe a business that would reward everyone fairly for what they do?
Love is the Only Power,
Jonnie
Although I make my living in an entirely different sphere now, after my beloved and my family, music is still my first love. I basically grew up in the music business because it was both my parents' profession, and I pursued it hard myself for many years. As I mentioned once before the cyber-nasties attacked, I have a small recording studio at home in which I putter as I get time, purely for my own enjoyment. After several decades of relating to music as it occurs in the professional arena, I have found far more joy from my little musical hobby shop in the last couple of years than from all the pro years combined.
ReplyDeleteIn response to MM's questions, I would start with this. I have always experienced music above all as a way of communicating with my world, and for that matter with my own experience, on a much more profound basis than most language allows. I believe that is its primary value, and a primary reason that its commodification by conglomerates has been so damaging to the social fabric. I believe that much of the problem would solve itself organically if we simply restored an idea that is still present in many cultures but which has largely died here. That idea is that music, along with the rest of the arts, is a basic part of life, and a crucial part of the healthy lifetime development of a functional person. For those of a scientific bent, the jury is pretty much in about the marked improvement in math and general cognitive ability created when students study music. And that's without getting into the newer data around social intelligence and emotional IQ.
Put simply, I propose that we restore our permission to sing loudly off key, in public, even when sober. I recommend we allow each other to dance clumsily in ugly shoes and play the violin we've always dreamed about even if our very best sounds like a goat being tortured with a sharp stick. I advocate reclaiming the space to passionately draw unrecognizable pictures of things in unacceptable color combinations.
We need to grow up learning how to respond to our immediate experience in creative, playful and unfettered ways. It's a basic requirement of our design, not a luxury. If you have any questions about the crying need that exists in the society for it, check out the persistence and the growth of the Burning Man phenomenon. Disciplined practice and technique are important, too, but alone, they don't add up to a life, they add up to neurosis. We have marginalized music education, and bought the idea that it's an "extra" that's not worth funding with our tax dollars. And we don't play it in our homes. From there, we've developed the idea that music is for "professionals" and hence, if you want to be a musician, you have to find a way to sell what you create in order to be able to do it. Or worse, that you have to have "talent" to participate vigorously in it. That has put the power to shape the public taste into the hands of accountants and spawned vomitous social malformations like American Idol and its warped siblings, which have allowed abuse and ridicule to rule where once music had the ability to deeply and authentically bond ALL of us across the divides between our separate experiences.
AAAAAAARGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How did we allow the voices of our hearts to be taken away from us? Who first told YOU that you couldn't sing? And when did you start believing them? When did Simon Cowell become the standard for judging whether or not someone had anything worthwhile to express? Why do you have to be "good" in order to enrich your life with music? I picked up the guitar a year ago at 45 years old, and I still totally suck. However, I have had more fun learning how to suck just a little less, and developed some of the most rewarding friendships along that path than almost any of the relationships I had while I was a pro on another instrument.
There will always be the top echelon of talent, the cream that rises and becomes the professional sphere, and that stratum enriches us all in uncountable ways, but we have lost the awareness of our participatory artistic birthright as human beings, none of which has anything to do with commercial imperatives or any kind of money, any more than food or shelter does. When we restore the music and art we make ourselves in our living rooms, we will have gone a long way to learning what we need to know in order to figure out how to compensate professionals and honor each other for what we contribute to each other when we make art of any kind.
Hey BKO, I get what you're saying... and I agree with you. Artists and art have value outside the big mainstream system... or any system. That's cool. I think my generation... and everyone's has both lost sight of that and found it too.
ReplyDeleteMy bigger question is... and maybe nobody can answer this here... what are some solutions that provide good talent access to the system or the ability to create a new one...? How can talented people get their music out there with out being pillaged on the way to the market?
What's the healthcare system answer to art (and specifically music)?
MM, you ARE asking a big question. A couple of questions occur to me right off the top that might help break it down into more bite size pieces.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot we could talk about related to alternative marketing mechanisms, etc. but I think the systemic problems we have are much more related to the same problems we have in healthcare, since you asked for a tie in. We've given others the power to decide what's important instead of taking our own responsibility. That's part of why I talked at such length about everyone being involved in music. I think an awful lot of the reason the system is what it is is because we as consumers have been willing to buy what they put out even if it's crap, and because we as musicians have been willing (and it's changing) to accept that we have to make ourselves acceptable to "the system" in order to do what we do. In the last 20 years, the boom in affordable high quality recording technology and the internet have combined to make huge change possible. So, try these questions instead. I see them as fundamental:
Have you really clearly defined what getting your music "out there" means to YOU? My experience, both personally and by observation of many others, is that very few people really define their own intentions clearly in that area. I see it as a crucial part of the artistic definition, but also one that is so intensely personal that it absolutely has to be done by each individual in order to be authentic. What would it mean to you to have your music "accepted"? Is acceptance the reason you make music, or is there something else? What kind of feedback are you looking for from "the system"? Would you still do it if there WAS no system? And if the answer is yes, would it change the way you do it? And if so, how?
I realize as I write that I'm not even sure myself about the answers to all the questions, because i've been struggling with them for years, but I think they might help bite size your very large question, and since applying creativity to difficult social problems is the theme, maybe they'll provide something useful to some other areas as well.
MM said: “How can talented people get their music out there with out being pillaged on the way to the market?”
ReplyDeleteI have some questions for you, MM. What do you mean when you refer to the musicians as being on their “way to the market?” Are you talking about how they can sell and market and profit on their craft, or are you talking about something else? And which market are you talking about? The mainstream music industry/marketing engine, or something completely different?
Yeah BKO & Anonymous... sorry for not being real clear about what I meant. I'm so used to having this conversation with friends... and having everyone understand exactly what I mean... that I forget that it's not obvious to everyone else.
ReplyDeleteHere's what I see going on that is… in its own way... as corrupt as what I see happening in healthcare (though the consequences are not as dramatic... on the surface at least... because we're not talking about life and death issues).
By getting the music out there I mean distributed in any means other than you selling a CD at your show or you having fans download an mp3 from your site. We can control what happens in those settings... and we actually get paid for the music we sell... if we choose... and don't if we choose not to.
When it comes to the distribution of music beyond our own immediate grasp... in my opinion… it’s literally robbery. Ask bands or artists… who have their music on any of the myriad of download purchase sites out there... how many copies of their songs have been downloaded. Next ask them how many of those downloads they've actually been paid for. With a few exceptions... my bet is you'll find they haven't received a penny.
Now ask these same artists how many CDs they've sold through stores... not the ones they've placed themselves... cause the store owners usually do pay... but ones a local distributor or national distributor has placed. Now ask them how many of those they've been paid for. In my experience… the number is only slightly higher than downloads (in other words almost zero).... but still far under what the actual sales are.
It's the same deal as health insurance companies... their model is to deny your claims and not pay you what you're due... only instead of healthcare claims... its CD or download sales... but it's still a total abuse of power.
Bottom line: Unless you're a big record company or hooked up through a big record company (who get paid in 90 to 120 days) you don't get paid... or get paid on a far different schedule (like 90 days to never).
Now let's talk about record companies. With some exceptions... most give artists royalties of 10% to 12% of the sale price. But first... before you get dime one... they are going to pay back... not from 100% or 50% of the sale... but from your 10%... all of the expenses of your recordings... the marketing budget... their lunches.... their flights and rental cars... and hotels... where they came to visit you... or any expenses they put on your account. You have no decision as to whether you want any of that... but you'll pay for it out of your 10%. I understand that in a fair deal they need to get paid back… but not from expenses they stack up against you so you never make any money… and not from just your 10%.
So ask artists... who sold hundreds of thousands... and even millions of records... how much money have they made from their record sales. My guess on their answer? $0... zip... nada… and I don’t think I’m exaggerating.
How about if you went to your job... did whatever you do... worked really hard… fulfilled your end of the deal… and then your company said... oh... but we're not going to pay you for the work you did. If you don't like it... sue us.
That's what happens with musical artists everyday.
As for peer sharing of music? They do it because they know the artist is not getting paid anyway... so they're basically saying "F-you" to the record companies and paid download sites.
Now figure in the commodities pricing model that some companies are proposing... where the value of the song runs on a ticker tape based on how many have been sold and on its demand.
You see what's happening? Music... the language of the soul... art... has been placed into a model where it's merely a commodity... and where the artists are viewed as indentured servants... their creations worth nothing. There's a devaluation of the human soul going on... just like in healthcare.
All of that is what I mean by getting the music "out there." And that's why I'm looking for an alternative because the system is broken... and nobody's going to fix it... we need to create a new one... just like what you've talked about with wellness.
That's what I think anyway…. And that’s why I’m looking for ideas on how to create a new model.
MM, thanks for breaking it down for us. I agree with you, in that I don't think most people have any idea how the music industry really works in terms of the relationship between the money generated by music sales and how those funds are then distributed (or not).
ReplyDeleteTo me (and you've made this point yourself), all of this comes back to a values system. Money and temporary power are far too often viewed as more important in the capitalistic model than the lives (or as we've called it in the healthcare topic -- the life force) of those impacted. This is not new. It’s been going on in some form or another for centuries, if not millennia.
At some point one would hope we are able to function as a society more ecologically (and by that I mean that we ask and understand the impact our decisions and actions are going to have on ourselves, others, and the rest of the planet). So as we seek new modify or create new systems to update or replace antiquated ones that no longer work -- or are no longer acceptable -- my hope is that we do take a more ecological view and use our creative and innovative powers based on a far deeper view of the impact our decisions will have.
The Internet and other forms of technology provide us with a far more open system and a potentially more empowering system from which to build upon. But unless we’re simply going to repeat the cycle and change roles as to who is the abuser of power and who is the abused (as often happens in revolutions), we will have to step up to a new level of responsibility based on true equity, not on reprisal.
Those types of solutions, I believe, require a far deeper use of our genius many than those which have come before.
************
P.S. MM, please feel free to contact me for a further discussion about the particulars of the music industry, if this discussion is not able to accomodate the level of detail you're seeking. (To provide you some with background on me: as a songwriter who never got paid the mechanical royalties for a #1 record; a former head of an indie record company that actually paid its artists, but could not survive in the industry; and as one who helped create a download community based on a 50-50 profit split with artists, I share your concerns.)
Yeah... thanks for your inivitation. I'll definitely get in touch. And I hear what you're saying about being ecological.
ReplyDeleteI just get so pissed about how f'upped everything is sometimes that I don't know what to do next. I mean... damn! We should freakin' know better by now... you know? I mean... God... we been living on this planet for freakin' ever... and we're still making the same dumb-assed mistakes that have been made for thousands of years... and worse in some ways.
What's it going to take for the freaking human race to wise up and get it?
MM, I'll tell you what I've learned.
ReplyDelete"Be the change you want to see in the world." Gandhi said it and it's still as true of a solution and as challenging today as it was when he spoke those words.
My mother always told me, "Remember, you are always loved."
I know that's true even when we are not aware of how or by whom. But what I've also learned... that's even more powerful is this: "Reemember that you are always Love itself."
If we remember that... experience that... live that... all of life becomes simpler... each step more clear... our call in life so obvious to us.
Be the Love that you are and the answers will reveal themselves to you as the light reveals itself to a blind man who has just regained his sight. That's a promise from my soul to yours. Heart to heart... being to being.
Love is truly the Only Power,
Jonnie
Christopher, are you suggesting that a capalistic system cannot be based on ecological values?
ReplyDeleteThat would seem to suggest that the only way to achieve a compassionate society that takes into account its own impact would be to embrace some other economic model (socialism, etc.). Is this what you're implying in your comments to MM?
Hi Michelle. I did not intend to get into a debate as to the value of a capitalistic system vs. a socialistic system, as I think they both have their upsides and downsides. And more specifically, I am not suggesting that a capitalistic system cannot be based on ecological values. It most certainly can.
ReplyDeleteI do think that it may at times be more challenging for a purely capitalistic company to naturally adopt fully ecological views, however. Quite honestly, because capitalism is based on the notion of private ownership (vs. public ownership) with a focus on profit vs. public interest, the owner(s) of a private company has no formal responsibility, other than that which may be defined by law or their board, to be ecological (i.e. is it good for me, good for others, good for the planet)?
With profit as a prime driver, it seems possible that a capitalistic company might have more of a tendency to overlook some of the more ecological aspects of their actions (think of companies in the 50's, for example, vs. companies now). There are many other factors in such decision-making process, however, as you know.
Because, however, capitalistic companies also depend upon a free market economy, as the marketplace becomes more and more desirous for companies to be act more ecologically, this can clearly apply pressure on organizations to maintain such a focus. More holistic understandings of cause and effect (internally and externally in a company) can also provide positive drivers (as in the examples you and WC have given about choices you've made, which on the surface do not appear to drive profit, but which do when examined from the more holistic perspective).
In fact, I believe the marketplace has the power and can potentially drive a harder bargain in regard to ecological focus than may be the case with a state-owned company because of profit incentives (and therefore a need to be market responsive).
The real point of my previous comment, however, was simply this: When profit is the primary driver and when temporary power is the motive (as opposed to “authentic power” which is viewed as lasting, sustainable, ecologically balanced power); and when the direction of a company is largely determined by a few individuals, there is often less scrutiny and accountability (think of Enron and how long that debacle went on) and therefore potentially less motivation to approach business ecologically than might be the case when ownership is public (with enough stockholders who own a large enough percentage as to be influential) or fully public (in that the public at large has the right to audit, examine, etc. and a voice and vote in the governance of the company).
Sorry if my answer is overly detailed. Since you posed your question, I felt responsible to give a more complete answer.
Hope this provides you the information you were seeking.
Thank you, for clarifying your previous statement, Christopher. I can see that I may have come off a bit testy in my question. It seems you felt the need to defend yourself. My apology, if this is so.
ReplyDeleteBut I very much agree with your real point that profit -- as important as it may be to a business’s ability to continue into the future -- should not become the only or even the prime imperative (but rather the result of properly managing a number of other fundamental aspects). To place profit in the wrong position of priority can lead to the downfall of any organization. And -- to your earlier point -- it is a question of values and prioritization.
I must also say, however, that I'm intrigued by your interpretation of authentic power. Is there any more you'd care to say about that topic -- or is there anyone else in our group who might shed some light on the idea of temporary power and authentic power? It seems that there might be something very important in this concept that could lead back to MM’s initial questions and even, as I now re-read it, Christopher’s invitation at the beginning of this topic.
Michelle, my own first take on your question is something around what's created when a token economy, in other words, a money economy, loses track of the fact that money, the token, is simply a SYMBOL for real things, real work, real goods, real creation, real applications of the life force. When, as is all too common, the attention slips off the "real" stuff for which the money is merely a signifier and instead the work becomes about the money itself I believe you end up in the realm of "temporary power" because we start expending our life force on something that's essentially not real. That's the basis, on the other string, of why I don't believe that healthcare will ever reform itself around the ideas we're talking about until we eliminate the ability for third parties, unrelated to the work itself to profit from illness and disease.
ReplyDeleteOh my god! Dude you have so totally explained what I've been trying to tell my friends for years. That's totally true... and it's why our world is so messed up... we're giving all of our energy to a false god... to something that's not even real... that's like totally taken the meaning away from the real things we do.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm going to copy this and send it to people... finally somebody else has said it!!
Zee ran over to our house at about 7 am (on Saturday, if you can imagine) and was pounding on the door. We thought something horrible had happened. It turns out that BKO had validated his long held belief about what BKO has referred to as temporary power.
ReplyDeleteI would simply like to add, to our dear friend's exuberance, by saying that we agree. You know it says in the book of Luke that, "The love of money is the root of all evil." My goal in sharing this statement is not to have you agree with the premise of the bible in general, but simply to say that even in that day loving money more than loving other people... or more than loving the source of Love Itself... led a person off their path (sin being literally defined as "missing the mark" or the aim of one's life).
So my actual point, I guess, is to say that money is not an inherently bad thing. Used properly, it merely symbolizes that a flow of energy has taken place for which no immediate exchange of energy or service was available in trade . But as BKO points out, when the value of the symbold transcends the value of the thing which it was to symbolize (the exchange of energy -- or work and contribution of living, breathing souls); and when that false value takes precedence over all else, it truly leads us off our mark as human beings. It becomes, in truth, a false and capricious God.
Perhaps even more challenging is, who is it that decides one service is "worth" more than another? What does using money as our value system do to how we value people and their contributions?
Rizzin is nodding yes. I'm smiling. Apparently he readily agrees with my last statement and has now pulled out his pencil and is scribbling notes. A poem must be in the making... or maybe the message for our Church on the Beach, as Zee calls it.
I send much love to you all. I think it's truly beautiful that we can have a discussion that leads down to one of the core elements that I believe has held us back as a species.
Peace to you all,
Skye
While talk of the Bible admittedly sets off all of my alarm bells (a sad commentary on either me or the state of religion -- or both, I fear), I am intrigued by the nature of this subject: The distinction between "temporary" and "authentic" power.
ReplyDeleteBKO's definition of the term, temporary power, provides a much more valid distinction for the expression than I have previously heard. His proposal that temporary power is manifest because one bases the measure of a person's or object's value on a temporary symbol, as opposed to the creative act itself; or the person responsible for the act, is refreshingly clear.
The larger challenge, I believe, is to define what “authentic power” is. For what is there that is not temporary? What is there that is not a mere symbol of the force behind it or of something that will pass from existence in the future?
Oh dear, I am starting to sound religious -- or perhaps like our seemingly Buddhist friends, Trinh and Nyguen. My erudite associates would accuse me of becoming soft in my years. I must watch myself more carefully.
So, my philosophically rich blog-u-dites, would someone care to shed more light on this theme of "authentic power." I am curious and suspicious all in the same moment. It is oddly titillating.
Enlightened as I may ever be -- yours truly,
The Creative Miscreant
KBF-
ReplyDeleteAuthentic power is, to my meager understanding, nothing more than power generated by, or contained within, genuine and pure intent. And being, as always(!), my genuinely authentic (but hardly pure), European self I am choosing to make that statement in all of it’s dogmatic glory without further explanation….Contemplation appears to confuse me, and explanation further dilutes my intent, so here you go….Think with me, please…I like creative misfits!
I like Anonymous' definition of Authentic Power. I'll add that to the one I've drawn from over the years:
ReplyDelete"Authentic Power is the experience of fulfillment, joy, creativity, and full engagement that comes from living fully in the present moment and from realizing that it is we who define our experience and give it meaning."
I see Authentic Power as something that cannot be given or taken by another. It's something that is generated from within a person. That's why when Victor Frankel experienced Auschwitz, as he described in "Man's Search for Meaning," he was able to maintain the frame of mind he did. He realized there were many things he could not control and much that had been taken from him. His own decision as to what to do with and in the circumstances that had been cast upon him, however, is what gave him access to his Authentic Power.
Temporary Power or Transitory Power can always be altered in the flash of of an eye as people or circumstances change or come and go. Authentic Power, on the other hand, is at the behest of the each person -- only we can relinquish that power.
There's another take on the concept, in any case. Hope this is helpful.
The silence is resounding.....
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said. In talking with BKO today, we mentioned how in both topics the conversation has reached a level where many of us are sitting in the soak... letting it all marinate... not quite sure of what to say next to advance the conversation.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is that I love the distinctions that have been provided around authentic power and tranistory power. It gets right to the heart of the matter. Thank you Anonymous and Lyndie... again, beautifully said!
Well, since no one actually responded to my comment about Authentic Power, I waited... hoping. But maybe the subject has been stated well enough or maybe no one, as Christopher has suggested, knows quite where to go next. So let me launch off in a direction and see if any one is interested in following along with me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at the invitation that this topic provided it was to create solutions for challenges or opportunities at a local, national, or global level. I think the common theme amongst all of those solutions has been proffered here already, though we may not buy that it's the solution.
If we were to truly start from the place of authentic lasting power -- or, as they have done in the healthcare topic -- consider that each being involved and impacted by situations were priceless in value regardless of their position (in other words an unconditional appraisal of their value), I believe we would begin to look at the opportunities in solutions much differently. The problem I see, over and over again (especially when I reflect on my limited political career in a community in which I lived), we became bogged down in dogmas, political leanings, and the desire to look good to our voting public. Not to get off on a whole other subject, but that is why I am a believer in term limits (maybe even as few as one term) because if we were there to truly solve problems, create solutions and serve, instead of further our political aspirations, perhaps we would be more focused on the good of all, instead of advancing our own agendas). This is not solely limited to politicians, however. All of us have the tendency to become myopic and overlook the deeper and greater good of the whole (as well as truly understand the effect upon our own future and the future of those who come after us).
Pick the topic. If all beings involved or impacted by the situation are of limitless value, how might that direct our approach, actions, choices, and so forth? It may be, at least, a place from which to begin.
But what if the person you're having trouble with doesn't see the world the same way... cuz... I really like what you're saying... and it sounds really beautiful... and I want to live my life that way... but not everyone does.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do then?
Love,
Lisa Lee
Lisa Lee, I've been waiting to see if someone else had a more wizened answer. But since no one's yet answered, here's my response:
ReplyDeleteAuthentic Power doesn't rely on anyone else for the reason to be authentic. When we're in our authentic power, we are acting from the center of our souls, seeing the center of another's soul as well and recognizing their connection. Though the other person may not act from their place of authentic power, we still know it's there. Our actions in response will be based on recognizing where they are in that regard, but will be done unconditionally (i.e. without judgment) and in a way that maintains integrity and dignity for us and them.
Ultimately, if someone insists on not honoring their or our authentic power, we have some tough decisions to make about the form that relationship may need to take.
Does that answer your question in the way your were hoping?
Thanks Lyndie... it's funny cuz it seems like when I write comments a lot of time no one responds... and I kind of wonder... you know... is what I said dumb... or does no one relate.
ReplyDeleteBut then someone always comes along and gives a really good answer... and I realize that it wasn't about me at all.
I like your answer cuz it makes me realize how much I don't live in my authentic power... but rely too much on what other people think to make my decisions.
Lots of love,
Lisa Lee