The
Hawaiian Culture uses the term lokahi(lo-kah-he)and
fulfilling the need to be in lokahi with
one’s self, with others, with Spirit… was the ancestors main objective
in life.
These ancestors saw no distinctions
between nature, each other, and spirit. Lokahi,
the sense of connection with all things, is Pono
(poh-noh). Ka Hana(kah-hah-nah)
Pono is the means by which one brings this philosophy into
every day life. Ho'oponopono ( Hoh-oh-poh-noh-poh-noh)
is the time-honored, therapeutic practice of putting one's self back
into right relationship with
everything.
Why does it
seem most other cultures (other than American), particularly tribal
cultures, share connection and oneness to all things as a fundamental
and governing belief system?
I think this is
a very important concept to ponder because it causes those of us who
live in the United States to question our heritage and the fundamental
belief system upon which we operate. Millions of Americans have been
raised without rituals, traditions, or rites of passage and as the
"cultural-melting-pot" of the world, are starting to feel the effects of
an identity crisis brought on by the "lack of connection" or "oneness"
of a spiritually empty culture.
A Culture of Connection-less-ness
America's
mixture of differing cultures is a fascinating phenomenon... perhaps
causing our beliefs around work, family, and spiritual expression to be
lost. The global information economies obsessive focus on technology is
fundamentally changing the worlds' cultures by diluting the belief
systems that once made specific cultures unique and self-engaging...
It's time once again to adopt the prime directive.
Because America
is a democracy with a free market system we are at the front of this
"technical cultural dilution". American business is at a point where our
own belief system must shift from purely profit to one where we design
our individual cultures to meet the collective needs of those that our
businesses touch. Like never before we are touching all areas of the
earth and we need to ask… “How are our products, services, and processes
diluting the belief systems of the cultures we do business with? Not
because it’s a nice thing to do, but because it can give us a strategic
advantage in a fiercely competitive global market.
I operate from
the fundamental belief that regardless of the massive changes brought on
by the advancement of technology, human nature is relatively unchanged.
Shakespeare’s account of the toils of men thousands of years ago give
rise to the argument that human nature just might be immune to
evolutionary constructs.
Although our
ancestors didn’t have the convenience of answering their cell phone and
communicating with someone on the other side of the globe, they were
however, according to the expressions of their belief system, more
connected to the world around them.
As a business
leader… what needs might be on the horizon as a result of this clash of
cultures in this “technical cultural diluted” world? Might these needs
give rise to new business opportunities?
Some of the world’s best business minds tell me
that my business,
Grainger Leadership Institute is
poised as an authority when this perceptual shift becomes a tend… what
are you doing with your business to help your customers, and employees
return to that sense of connection… or as our Hawaiian ancestors would
say “lokahi”
But I want to know
what you think... share your thoughts by clicking the "comments" link
below.
Engage Your Passion,
~M
