After our most recent Wisdom Writers gathering, I reflected to Terry Anderson that as we dialogued the paper, “Shifting from Unemployed to being Fully and Truly Employed,” we found ourselves wanting to solve the problem of being unemployed head-on. Coming from the perspective of potential versus the perspective of problem should be easy enough. Yet, as we begin “walking in these waters,” we soon find that coming from potential is not an event; coming from the perspective of potential is an ongoing process… a complete and intentional shift in where we start our thinking from… ongoingly! We see the significance of this shift, reflecting on the truth…
Where we start our thinking from determines the path we take,
and the direction we move in – what we move towards, what we move away from.
Terry offered these thoughts for our further reflection…
The work we are taking on is all about life – life in the here and unfolding now. Going back to original intent reminds us of this. A bit of what we are about is bringing meaning and substance to life, to our life and to enriching life itself – life being why earth was created in the first place (original intent).
As we strive to come from potential, it is important that we keep in mind – accessibly hold in mind – that the focus of this striving is life. It truly is all about life… life in the here and unfolding now… about our work in regards to life on earth… our life, the life of the whole.
Being that it is about life, coming from potential calls for some imaging, understanding and honoring of life’s intended ways of working. Life operates within wholes (e.g., ecosystem, family, community, etc.) and is systemic in nature. Thus it has the character that if you touch/affect one systemic element, you touch/affect them all; and inherently affect the working of the whole. Thus the need for seeing things wholistically, systemically, and as process in order to maintain integrity of our intention to come from potential.
Issues are a phenomena of life… a naturally occurring phenomena. Coming from potential does not eliminate this natural occurrence; but rather it lifts up an approach that through its acknowledgement of intended ways of working enables the unfolding of the world of our making to be ever more congruent with the intended world… increasingly congruent with intended ways of working.
There is an old notion, an expression of faith in the intent of the Source, that says when it comes to our work on earth, we are never given work that we cannot develop the ableness to carry out… a notion of faith that evokes images of trust.
At our next Wisdom Writers gathering, we will continue developing our ableness to come from the perspective of potential.
Sandra Maslow Smith
Philosopher of Potential
