As a conclusion to this extensive discussion we introduce a concept that we call “The Big Picture”. This idea developed in the last year as a result of about twenty-two years of various “concepts” floating around my head. In the 1980’s I was introduced to Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs, which I believe to be an important contribution to our understanding of humans and the various stages of development.
We believe that Maslow’s model as a conceptual foundation is solid, however, over the years we think there are some ways that it may be adjusted. It is not the point here to go into a lengthy discourse, however, we would like to introduce these ideas as possibilities to the reader. The first is that in our personal experience, and our observation of people, that there are opportunities to catalyze individual evolution. The term fairly commonly used for this would be “spiritual awakening”. We believe there are increasing potentialities to raise people out of the lower levels of the Maslow’s pyramid and allow them to experience dramatic transformations. Our approaches, especially related to empowerment will readily embrace these possibilities, although we understand in scientific circles these are difficult to support. We however will remain open to those possibilities because in a very real sense, we think that real empowerment, and a wholesale transformation of human life on the planet is going to require the introduction of influences that fall way outside the paradigmatic realm of “modern” science.
A second point relates to this idea adapted to collective experience. We are recognizing as a real possibility that we may be able to stimulate with our RRES, a paradigmatic shift for the communities that we work with. To use another phrase would be a “technology leap”. Our hope is that as we take the lessons that we have learned from our work in the United States, which some would suggest had “advanced” ahead of developing places, that the lessons learned, especially in regards to mistakes, could be avoided.
A specific example is where we are currently deploying the RRES here in Colombia. One of our team is originally from Colombia but spent most of his career in the U.S. He has stated on a number of occasions that the U.S. is twenty years ahead of Colombia. I would argue that those twenty years are not necessarily all in positive ways. In fact, regarding food and agriculture and other systems, I believe developments have become more and more problematic. Many examples could be provided. The point here is the hope that we might be able to take the lessons learned, mistakes and/or successes from one place (United States), and help another place avoid the same problems, or implement the successes. This potentially could even contribute to, or stimulate, a paradigm shift and/or a technology leap, in essence advancing that place and its people ahead twenty years of potential trials and tribulations. We see this happening in numerous places around the globe, so this is not just a “pipe dream”.
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