POLARIZATION

Posted on April 9, 2022

Risking is better than regretting!

Today it feels like the raging fire of polarization needs water! Simply, a view of the values of Self, others, and the collective through the lens of integral leadership, love, common good, virtue, and compassion. In other words, a visionary, global perspective, evolving and emerging now; words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, giving gifts and acts of service; caring about others, helping others and humanness.

Political parties and politicians do not address root causes of issues for Americans and global partners. Unfortunately, they work problems, chat about symptoms, and offer tokens that offer temporary patches, permit posturing, and earn votes. And they continue, election after election. For America the diversity of values of the Senators from the 50 states and 435 voting representatives, five delegates and one resident commissioner “merging” create a complex process that is certainly indicative of a government that is currently not able to accomplish much for Americans. Adding to the caldron of values complexity are ingrained individual and collective cultural values—persons, families, neighborhoods, small towns, and cities—of Americans, and competing political parties and politicians who are marketing and selling changing and evolving, diverse party platforms, while lobbying for votes, accepting, and lobbying for local, national, and foreign money and salvation of jobs that pay personal bills. The goal is simply to distract which prevents unifying and accomplishing what needs to be done.

After completing a quick and dirty review of the diversity of the Republican Party and Democratic Party platforms, partisan differences highlight the reality of limited and partial truths and the downsides of today’s political party sorting as fundamental to individual and collective identity. Moreover, there are glaring inadequacies of both parties because of a lack of view big enough to address the complex issues facing America and global partners today. This certainly helps one understand partisan political division, discord, and complexity in today’s evolving, awakening, and growing world; and it reinforces why folks are unable to agree on what America needs to unfold for generations to come. We each have values and are growing and evolving; our respective communities and cultures have values, are growing and are evolving; and we are all OK. To be different is OK and human. We just need to figure out how to get along with our respective differences.

It feels like the challenge, and opportunity, are to chat with and experience each other through the lens of leadership, love, common good, virtue, and compassion. What does this lens offer? Simply sensing, experiencing, expanding, and growing awareness of the Self, others and our collective diverse values with vision, perspective of evolution, respect, humanness, courtesy, loving kindness words, gifts, truth, patience, softness, purity, intimacy, affirmation, genuineness, et al.

And political parties and politicians will not get this sensing, awareness and negotiation job done for us! They can help us! We need good leaders who are aware of and have a track record of success in awakening collective intelligence beyond polarization. This requires having moved beyond the chains of ego; personal success with the journey of merging and becoming one with others; and successes with managing and leading dynamic change and transition. (Andrew Cohen) Integral captures the essence of the process; and it demands a long-term process, not a one or two term posture game. We the people must get committed to get it right because this is our process, not some process sold to us by a vote getting politician. And they are OK, too. However, they are not the ones who will save this country. We are!

Integral captures the essence of this long-term process; and it holds promise. It is simply a map of consciousness and human development; a way of comprehending life and reality in broad yet precise terms; a meta-theory that incorporates the core truths of hundreds of theories; and organizes the profound insights of the spiritual traditions, philosophy, modern science, developmental psychology, and many other disciplines, into a coherent whole. It simply integrates the perspectives that great thinkers, teachers, and researchers have brought to our understanding of self and world, the individual inner-mind and emotions-and outer-physical body-and the collective inner-family and culture-and outer-institutions. [1] (Ken Wilber, et al, Integral Life Practice, 136) Step one is to move to the inner mind and emotions.

Despite all the characteristics that differentiate us—race, language, religion, gender, wealth, and many others—we are all equal in terms of our basic humanity…The problem is that when we see ourselves only in terms of this or that group, we tend to forget about our wider identity as human beings…A key element in biased feelings is what we call “attachment”…What I am calling for is that we move beyond our limited or biased sense of closeness to this or that group or identity, and instead cultivate a sense of closeness to the entire human family. The attitude of “us” and “them” can and often does lead to conflict, even war. Much better, and more realistic, is the attitude of “we.” (Dalai Lama)

The evolutionary impulse intends to transcend and include, to improve the political processes, and to resolve the political party sorting issues. We are interdependent, share humanity, and target for happiness and avoidance of suffering. Life is short! Let us nurture universal compassion, common good and a sense of “We the people.” To plant the seed, other countries have done this, and we can, too!

A touching video: YouTube, “A Cloud Never Dies,” re. the life and times of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen Monk who recently passed away.

 

GOLF as GURU

Posted on April 2, 2022

Why write Golf as Guru: Mindfullness, Awareness and Self-Restraint?

WOW! What a learning journey golf has created for a student of life and the game of golf, all the way from growing up in Northwestern Ohio playing golf with Mom and Dad, circling the globe and arriving here in Arizona continuing to play golf, year-round with my wonderful wife of 50 years and counting. As the title and subtitle offer, the sport of golf has been a great coach and teacher; has evolved a concept of mind”full”ness; has breathed a peek at how awareness really differentiates professional golfers from average golfers; and has been a mighty fine instructor when it comes to the learned skill of self-restraint. It really is fantastic to remain sane after two shots in the lake to the right of the fairway! Everything is OK the way it is!

A significant experience has been that if a golfer is open to new learning and is psychologically ready, golf offers infinite messages: at practice on the range; on the golf course; while perking reflections about the sport and relishing golf literature; during a work-out; and just sitting in silence and solitude to experience personal behavior in life and on the golf course. Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, a widely read English author and scriptwriter, nails it: “To find a man’s character (and personality), play golf with him.” Woody and Birdy Ball, Golf as Guru’s entertaining characters, chuckle on every page as they think about playing partners and continue to dream about set-up, ball position, turn and tilt, the backswing, transition, forward swing with turn, tilt, hip-turn and pull, release, impact, extension, and finish; and contemplate smoothness, timing, tempo, and rhythm on every putt.

Golf as Guru is simply a thank you to golf as coach and therapist. It is indeed integral and reminds of General Douglas MacArthur, in the context of football at West Point, when he remarked, “Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that at other times and places reap the fruits of victory.”

PACE of PLAY

Posted on March 26, 2022

Slow play is a challenge and an opportunity in golf. A slow player can ruin the day for players behind him-her; and in the interest of other golfers, players need to make a commitment to play at a reasonable pace. As an added variable in the pace-of-play equation, the number one revenue producer on golf courses is greens fees. Course management has an obligation to respective boards or management teams to fill as many tee times with foursomes as are available. From this perspective, pace-of-play becomes a total team effort between golfers and course management. Some pace-of-play concepts to learn and practice are as follows:

PLAY “READY GOLF”

• When ready to make a shot, and it is safe, shoot.

COURTESY

• Watch the shots of playing partners to facilitate locating golf balls for next shots.

ON-THE-TEE

• To facilitate ball identification, let other players know the name of the ball and the ball’s markings you are playing.
• Be ready to play when the fairway or green is clear.
• Choose the set of tees that fits your game.
• Shorter hitters should hit first.
• Carry an extra ball, a ball marker, a divot tool, and a few tees in your pocket.
• If it appears that your original ball may be difficult to find, it is a good idea to play a provisional ball.

IN THE FAIRWAY or ROUGH

• Hit when ready and safe.
• Drop your cart partner off for their shot and drive to yours.
• If another player is walking to their ball and you are ahead of them, make your shot.
• Take multiple clubs to your ball and hit without delay.
• Before reaching the green and having double par, pick up, place ball on the green and putt to hole out.

ON-THE-GREEN

• Before going to the green with your putter, golf cars, pull carts, and golf clubs need to be parked or placed between the green on which you are going to putt and the next teeing ground.
• The first person on the green tends the flag and watches for and retrieves clubs left on the green when leaving the green. When putting is complete, be ready to pick up and replace the flag. To prevent lost golf clubs, a good practice is to place the short game clubs you have used on the green between the flag and your golf car, golf cart, or golf bag.
• Study and line up your putt while others are putting.
• When practical and acceptable with playing partners, continue putting until holed out.
• If a partner has a sand shot, be prepared to help with raking.
• Leave the green immediately after holing out and proceed to the next tee.
• Bag your clubs and complete your scorecard at the next teeing ground.

ON PAR 3 GREENS

• Upon reaching the green, if the group behind you is waiting on the tee to hit, stand in a safe area and have the group hit.

WATER BALLS

• If your ball goes into a water hazard and is accessible, take the time to retrieve only your ball.

LOST BALL

• Limit search for lost balls to three minutes. If pressed for time and the next hole is open, wave the group behind through.

Be your own best pace-of-play coach by identifying the ways you can pick up the pace-of-play. Rules of Golf, Rule 5.6b, tells us, “When it is the player’s turn to play:

• It is recommended that the player make the stroke in no more than 40 seconds after he or she is (or should be) able to play without interference or distraction, and
• The player should usually be able to play more quickly than that and is encouraged to do so.”

Go to www.usga.com to learn about USGA pace-of-play programs, insights, and suggestions.

VISUALIZATION The Master’s Skill

Posted on March 19, 2022

Trusting the well-programmed subconscious mind to swing a golf club to hit a golf ball to a target is a master skill; and experience offers that developing this skill requires practice, practice, and more practice. Was struck that perhaps Dr. Joseph Murphy’s visualization genius, offered in Power of Your Subconscious Mind, can help during the Pre-Shot Routine on the golf course. Dr. Murphy offers,

The Chinese say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” William James, the father of American psychology, stressed the fact that the subconscious mind will bring to pass any picture held in the mind and backed by faith. Act as though I am, and you will be…The builder visualizes the type of building he wants; he sees it as he desires it to be completed. His imagery and thought-processes become a plastic mold from which the building will emerge—a beautiful or an ugly one, a skyscraper or an exceptionally low one. His mental imagery is projected as it is drawn on paper. Eventually, the contractor and his workers gather the essential materials, and the building progresses until it stands finished, conforming perfectly to the mental patterns of the architect…I use the visualization technique prior to speaking from the platform. I quiet the wheels of my mind in order that I may present to the subconscious mind my images of thought. Then, I picture the entire auditorium and the seats filled with men and women, and each one of them illumined and inspired by the infinite healing presence within each one. I see them as radiant, happy, and free…My awareness grows to the point where in my mind I can hear the voices…then I release the whole picture and go onto the platform.

As mentioned in a previous, subconscious mind BLOG, Christian D. Larson offers,

 When we proceed to train the subconscious along any line, or for special results, we must always comply with the following law: The subconscious responds to the impressions, the suggestions, the desires, the expectations and the directions of the conscious mind, provided that the conscious touches the subconscious at the time. The secret therefore is found in the two phases of the mind touching each other as directions are being made; and to cause the conscious to touch the subconscious, it is necessary to feel conscious action penetrating your entire interior system; that is, you should feel at the time that you are living not simply on the surface, but through and through. At such times, the mind should be calm and in perfect poise, and should be conscious of that finer, greater something within you that has greater depth than mere surface existence. (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 41)

Some recent reflections concerning facilitation of subconscious programming are as follows:

• Positive and improvement language is a must. This is the law of attraction at work: as Golf as Guru partners Woody and Birdy Ball coach, one gets back what one puts out through personality, character, and mind.
• Relaxed concentration—all forces of mind, character and personality are focused on the desired result—and a clear and quiet conscious mind are a must.
• Visualization: picture in the conscious mind a clear idea of the desired result. Becoming one with the environment, the club, the ball, and a clearly pictured target.
• Energize deep, “must have,” “must do,” serene, strong and passionate connection of the conscious mind with the inner human systems: see it, feel it, taste it, smell it, think it, touch it in the eleven human systems: circulatory, respiratory, digestive, excretory, nervous, endocrine, immune, lymphatic, integumentary/exocrine, skeletal, muscle, reproductive, renal and urinary. Simply feel the meaning of the desired result with consciousness; and see and feel in every atom of the human system the ball at the target. Eliminate doubt; and be calm, “…well balanced, persistent, deeply poised and harmonious in all thoughts and actions.” (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 46)
• Think of all the facilities being used in golf when giving full expression to a desired result: body mechanics, club mechanics, ball position and target. This golfer likes mantras: I am a perfectly healthy, well-trained athlete who can hit a golf ball to a desired target.
• Begin days with positive, desired result ways and means. Bring everything alive in the conscious and subconscious minds several times per day.
• Go to sleep relaxed: review the day’s pleasantries; and chat with the subconscious about desired results and ways and means.
• If there are skills that need work and development, direct the subconscious with necessary improvements every day as frequently as possible and before going to sleep.
• Practice makes perfect: mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The more one trains the subconscious to work with the conscious direction, the easier it becomes to get the subconscious to respond to directions.
• “Whenever the subconscious mind is aroused, mental power and working capacity are invariably increased, sometimes to such an extent that the individual seems to be possessed with a superhuman power.” (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 43)

Working with the subconscious mind is a “new learning process” for this golfer; and I make absolutely no claim to be a subconscious mind expert. A commitment is to keep you informed about progress experiences. “Know what you want, and then want it with all the life and power that is in you.” (Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them, page 81)

 

UKRAINE WAR

Posted on March 12, 2022

Love is a language we all speak, and because of love, we have hope! And it is no secret that we humans have evolved, yet have growing up to do. Position power, money and unhealthy ego certainly do not offer nourishment for common good, compassion, virtue, helping others and caring about others.

The war in Ukraine is simply unnecessary death and suffering caused by lack of wisdom and a thirst for front page publicity and storybook fame. President Vladimir Putin’s decisions border insanity and ridiculous. Thich Nhat Hanh[1], a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, who recently passed away (1926-2022), offers guidance and counsel:

In the case of a society, take the situation of a country suffering war or any other situation of injustice. Try to see that every person involved in the conflict is a victim. See that no person, including all those in warring parties or in what appear to be opposing sides, desires the suffering to continue. See that it is only one or a few persons who are to blame for the situation. See that the situation is possible because of the clinging to ideologies and to an unjust world economic system which is upheld by every person through ignorance or lack of resolve to change it. See that two sides in a conflict are not really opposing, but two aspects of the same reality. See that the most essential thing is life and that killing or oppressing one another will not solve anything.

The Ukraine War is simply the creation of fear, suffering and death to maintain perceived power and legitimacy, to establish a “perceived empire,” and to pursue a dream “— greatness of the “new” Soviet empire —” that can never exist. Concerning Thich Nhat Hanh’s advice and counsel, Martin Luther King, Jr., offered, “Thich Nhat Hanh’s ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.”

A personal sentiment for a strategic objective is to have a democracy that is measured, evaluated, and incented based on achievement of common good. This is an overwhelming task when one climbs into a satellite and looks around. There are millions of global citizens with inner consciousness, psychology, purposes, values, goals, objectives, physics, biology, and neurology. There are myriads of families, collectives, cultures, groups, and communities with music, art, political values, and connections. And there are multitudes of institutions, social systems, economies, and environments. In today’s diverse, politically sorted world, integration is certainly not an easy task! Where does one start to create processes that are measured, evaluated, and incented based on contributions to the common good? Reminds of a jig saw puzzle. Perhaps a nice place to start is with a definition of common good.

“In philosophy, economics, and political science, the common good refers to either what is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a given community, or alternatively, what is achieved by citizenship, collective action, and active participation in the realm of politics and public service.” (Wikipedia)

Today, it feels like human chaos rules; and he-she who creates the greatest chaos rules and becomes today’s distraction from what needs to be done. President Putin and his cronies will continue to have the same assortment of candies and perks while Ukrainian citizens suffer, Russian citizens suffer, and global citizens suffer. The war in Ukraine is wrong! Absent mindfulness, awareness and self-restraint, people, events, and places are simply distractions that mask the need for action to hasten the journey to common good. Nice reads are Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness, Lotus in a Sea of Fire and Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World.

[1] Thich Nhat Hanh was a peace activist, prolific author, poet, and founder of the Plum Village Tradition, the foundation of Engaged Buddhism. Known as the “father of mindfulness,” Nhat Hanh was a major influence on Western practices of Buddhism. (Wikipedia) A portion of his ashes have been ceremoniously scattered in Plum Village, France.

UKRAINE WAR

Posted on March 5, 2022

The war in Ukraine is simply unnecessary death and suffering caused by lack of wisdom and a thirst for front page publicity and storybook fame. President Vladimir Putin’s decision borders insanity and ridiculous. Thich Nhat Hanh[1], a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, who recently passed away (1926-2022), offers guidance and counsel:

In the case of a society, take the situation of a country suffering war or any other situation of injustice. Try to see that every person involved in the conflict is a victim. See that no person, including all those in warring parties or in what appear to be opposing sides, desires the suffering to continue. See that it is only one or a few persons who are to blame for the situation. See that the situation is possible because of the clinging to ideologies and to an unjust world economic system which is upheld by every person through ignorance or lack of resolve to change it. See that two sides in a conflict are not really opposing, but two aspects of the same reality. See that the most essential thing is life and that killing or oppressing one another will not solve anything.

The Ukraine War is simply the creation of fear, suffering and death to maintain perceived power and legitimacy, to establish a “perceived empire,” and to pursue a dream “— greatness of the Soviet empire —” that can never exist. Concerning Thich Nhat Hanh’s advice and counsel, Martin Luther King, Jr., offered, “Thich Nhat Hanh’s ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.”

A personal sentiment for a strategic objective is to have a democracy that is measured, evaluated, and incented based on achievement of common good. This is an overwhelming task when one climbs into a satellite and looks around. There are millions of global citizens with inner consciousness, psychology, purposes, values, goals, objectives, physics, biology, and neurology. There are myriads of families, collectives, cultures, groups, and communities with music, art, political values, and connections. And there are multitudes of institutions, social systems, economies, and environments. In today’s diverse, politically sorted world, integration is certainly not an easy task! Where does one start to create processes that are measured, evaluated, and incented based on contributions to the common good? Reminds of a jig saw puzzle. Perhaps a nice place to start is with a definition of common good.

“In philosophy, economics, and political science, the common good refers to either what is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a given community, or alternatively, what is achieved by citizenship, collective action, and active participation in the realm of politics and public service.” (Wikipedia)

Today, it feels like human chaos rules; and he-she who creates the greatest chaos rules and becomes today’s distraction from what needs to be done. President Putin and his cronies will continue to have the same assortment of candies and perks while Ukrainian citizens suffer, Russian citizens suffer, and other global citizens suffer. The war in Ukraine is wrong! Absent mindfulness, awareness and self-restraint, people, events, and places are simply distractions that mask the need for action to hasten the journey to common good. Nice reads are Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness, Lotus in a Sea of Fire and Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World.

[1] Thich Nhat Hanh was a peace activist, prolific author, poet, and founder of the Plum Village Tradition, the foundation of Engaged Buddhism. Known as the “father of mindfulness,” Nhat Hanh was a major influence on Western practices of Buddhism. (Wikipedia)

UKRAINE WAR

Posted on February 26, 2022

The war in Ukraine is simply unnecessary death and suffering caused by lack of wisdom and a thirst for front page publicity and storybook fame. President Vladimir Putin’s decision borders insanity and ridiculous. Thich Nhat Hanh[1], a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, who recently passed away (1926-2022), offers guidance and counsel:

In the case of a society, take the situation of a country suffering war or any other situation of injustice. Try to see that every person involved in the conflict is a victim. See that no person, including all those in warring parties or in what appear to be opposing sides, desires the suffering to continue. See that it is only one or a few persons who are to blame for the situation. See that the situation is possible because of the clinging to ideologies and to an unjust world economic system which is upheld by every person through ignorance or lack of resolve to change it. See that two sides in a conflict are not really opposing, but two aspects of the same reality. See that the most essential thing is life and that killing or oppressing one another will not solve anything.

As a West Point “trained killer” and two-year Vietnam War combat veteran, the Ukraine War is simply the creation of fear, suffering and death to maintain perceived power and legitimacy, to establish a “perceived empire,” and to pursue a dream “— greatness of the Soviet empire —” that can never exist. Concerning Thich Nhat Hanh’s advice and counsel, Martin Luther King, Jr., offered, “Thich Nhat Hanh’s ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.”

A personal sentiment for a strategic objective is to have a democracy that is measured, evaluated, and incented based on achievement of common good. This is an overwhelming task when one climbs into a satellite and looks around. There are millions of global citizens with inner consciousness, psychology, purposes, values, goals, objectives, physics, biology, and neurology. There are myriads of families, collectives, cultures, groups, and communities with music, art, political values, and connections. And there are multitudes of institutions, social systems, economies, and environments. In today’s diverse, politically sorted world, integration is certainly not an easy task! Where does one start to create processes that are measured, evaluated, and incented based on contributions to the common good? Perhaps a nice place to start is with a definition of common good.

“In philosophy, economics, and political science, the common good refers to either what is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a given community, or alternatively, what is achieved by citizenship, collective action, and active participation in the realm of politics and public service.” (Wikipedia)

Today, it feels like human chaos rules; and he-she who creates the greatest chaos rules and becomes today’s distraction from what needs to be done. President Putin and his cronies will continue to have the same assortment of candies and perks while Ukrainian citizens suffer, Russian citizens suffer, and other global citizens suffer. The war in Ukraine is wrong! Absent mindfulness, awareness and self-restraint, people, events, and places are simply distractions that mask the need for action to hasten the journey to common good. Nice reads are Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness, Lotus in a Sea of Fire and Peace in Every Step.

[1] Thich Nhat Hanh was a peace activist, prolific author, poet, and founder of the Plum Village Tradition, the foundation of Engaged Buddhism. Known as the “father of mindfulness,” Nhat Hanh was a major influence on Western practices of Buddhism. (Wikipedia)

TRUST THE SUBCONSCIOUS

Posted on February 19, 2022

The golf course has been a wonderful place to learn about and practice the art and science of mastering the self; health, wellness and well-being; and mind”full”ness, awareness and self-restraint. The game’s gifts reminds of General Douglas MacArthur’s words, uttered in the context of West Point, Black Knights of the Hudson football: “Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that at other times and in other places, bear he fruits of victory.”

A recent journey, inspired by the golf instruction to trust the subconscious mind to swing the golf club, has been into the wonders and world of the subconscious mind. Little did I realize that the subconscious mind touches everything we think and do; that our character, personality, mentally and magnetism are expressions of the subconscious mind; and that we receive back the programming we have consciously or unconsciously offered to the subconscious. A frequent question has been: Why didn’t I learn about the subconscious mind in school? Two answers that have emerged are that folks want to control the evolution of the lives of others; and that awareness and understanding of the subconscious are subjective and not scientific. Consequently, as humans we wake up, grow up and show up through the conscious mind where only 10% of who we are exists. Unfortunately, we miss 90% of who we are.

Recent golf experiences with the power of harmony between the conscious and subconscious mind offers that trusting the subconscious to swing the club has resulted in playing golf that is the “funest” and “bestest” ever. The disposition and attitude about life and living are more positive, there is more patience, swing thoughts have become almost non-existent and health, wellness and well-being have moved to the front of each day with mantras. A nice mantra is “Every day in every respect, I am getting better and better.” (Emile Coue’) If your desire and will are fired up and you are ready to learn more about the subconscious, Christian D. Larson’s The Great Within might work for you. Have fun, trust the subconscious and hit ‘em high and straight…be one with the environment, club, ball and target.

GOLF as GURU

Posted on February 12, 2022

Why write Golf as Guru: Mindfullness, Awareness and Self-Restraint? WOW! What a learning journey golf has opened for a student of life and the game of golf, all the way from growing up in Northwestern Ohio playing golf with Mom and Dad, circling the globe and arriving here in Arizona continuing to play golf, year-round with my wonderful wife of almost 50 years. As the title and subtitle offer, the sport of golf has been a great coach and teacher; has evolved a concept of mind”full”ness; has breathed a peek at how awareness really differentiates professional golfers from average golfers; and has been a mighty fine instructor when it comes to the learned skill of self-restraint. It really is fantastic to remain sane after two shots in the lake to the right of the fairway! Everything is OK the way it is!

A significant experience has been that if a golfer is open to new learning and is psychologically ready, golf offers infinite messages: at practice on the range; on the golf course; while perking reflections about the sport and relishing golf literature; during a work-out; and just sitting in silence and solitude to experience personal behavior in life and on the golf course. Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, a widely read English author and scriptwriter, nails it: “To find a man’s character (and personality), play golf with him.” Woody and Birdy Ball, Golf as Guru’s entertaining characters, chuckle on every page as they think about playing partners and continue to dream about set-up, ball position, turn and tilt, the backswing, transition, forward swing with turn, tilt, hip-turn and pull, release, impact, extension and finish; and contemplate smoothness, timing, tempo and rhythm on every putt.

Golf as Guru is simply a thank you to golf as coach and therapist. It is indeed integral and reminds of General Douglas MacArthur, in the context of football at West Point, when he remarked, “Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that at other times and places reap the fruits of victory.”

LIFE IS A GIFT

Posted on February 5, 2022

Today it feels like the raging fire of polarization needs water! Simply, a view of the values of Self, others, and the collective through the lens of integral leadership, love, and compassion: visionary, worldview perspective, evolving and emerging now; words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, giving gifts and acts of service; and humanness. Simply merging with others and co-creating the change and transition the world needs now.

Political parties and politicians do not address root causes of issues for Americans. Unfortunately, they work problems, chat about symptoms, and offer tokens that offer temporary patches, permit posturing, and earn votes. And the cycles continue, election after election. The diversity of values of the Senators from the 50 states and 435 voting representatives create a complex process that is certainly indicative of a government that is currently not able to accomplish much for Americans. Adding to the caldron of values complexity are ingrained, diverse, individual and collective cultural values—persons, families, neighborhoods, small towns, and cities—of Americans, and competing political parties and politicians who are marketing and selling changing and evolving, diverse party platforms, while lobbying for votes and salvation of jobs that pay personal bills.

After completing a quick and dirty review of the diversity of the Republican Party and Democratic Party platforms, partisan differences highlight the reality of limited and partial truths and the downsides of today’s political party sorting as fundamental to individual and collective identity. Moreover, there are glaring inadequacies of both parties because of a lack of view big enough to address the complex issues facing America and global partners today. This certainly helps one understand partisan political division, discord, and complexity in today’s evolving, awakening, and growing world; and it reinforces why folks are unable to agree on what America needs to unfold for generations to come. We each have values and are growing and evolving; our respective communities and cultures have values, are growing and are evolving; and we are all OK.

And political parties and politicians will not get this job done for us! They can help us! We need good leaders who are aware of and have a track record of successes in awakening collective intelligence beyond cultural addiction to authoritarianism and hierarchy. This requires awareness of the potential chains of ego; personal success with the journey of merging and becoming one with others; and successes with managing and leading dynamic change and transition. Integral captures the essence of the process, the unhealthy self, the healthy self, the true self, and the authentic self; and it demands a long-term process, not a one or two term posture game. We the people must get committed to get it right because this is our process, not some process sold to us by a vote getting politician. And they are OK, too. However, they are not the ones who will save this country. We are!

Integral is simply a map of consciousness and human development; a way of comprehending life and reality in broad yet precise terms; a concept that incorporates the core truths of hundreds of theories; and organizes the profound insights of the spiritual traditions, philosophy, modern science, developmental psychology, and many other disciplines, into a coherent whole. It simply grows values, builds awareness, and integrates the perspectives that great thinkers, teachers, and researchers have brought to our understanding of self and world, the individual inner and outer and the collective inner-and outer. (Wilber)

Despite all the characteristics that differentiate us—race, language, religion, gender, wealth, and many others—we are all equal in terms of our basic humanity…The problem is that when we see ourselves only in terms of this or that group, we tend to forget about our wider identity as human beings…A key element in biased feelings is what we call “attachment”…What I am calling for is that we move beyond our limited or biased sense of closeness to this or that group or identity, and instead cultivate a sense of closeness to the entire human family. The attitude of “us” and “them” can and often does lead to conflict, even war. Much better, and more realistic, is the attitude of “we.” (Dalai Lama)

The evolutionary impulse intends to transcend and include, to improve the political processes, and to resolve the political party sorting issues. We are interdependent, share humanity, and target for happiness and avoidance of suffering. Life is short! Let us nurture universal compassion and a sense of “We the people.” To plant the seed, other countries have done this, and we can, too! (Beck) The journey from me, my and mine to we, our and us is manifesting in each of us.

“When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” (G.K. Chesterton)

Sources

• Beck, et al. (2018). Spiral Dynamics in Action. NY, NY: Wiley.
• Wilber, et al. (2008). Integral Life Practice. Boston, MA: Integral Books.
• Dalai Lama, Beyond Religion. (2011). NY, NY: Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt.
• Cohen, A. (2011). Evolutionary Enlightenment. NY, NY: Select Books.