[Neurons] Meta Reflection #43

[meta]

L. Michael Hall

Meta Reflections #43

September 24, 2007 



TRANSCENDING CULTURE #4





In the previous three Meta Reflections on transcending culture, I first focused on defining "culture" (what it is and where it is) and then I focused on identifying the structure of "culture" as a logical level within our minds. What is "culture?" It is our inner understanding about the community and the community life we share and how we frame our shared-sense-of-reality. This makes it one of the logical levels of our mind. And because we were born into a "culture" and culturalized to those frames, culture is one of our highest and most unconscious frames of meanings. 

So given this, is culture itself a problem or an opportunity? Ah, an either-or question! It is both. At different times and in different ways, what we call culture can operate as either a problem or an opportunity. It all depends.

It depends first and foremost upon how "good" or "bad" the society is. And what is the criteria for "good" or "bad?" Simple, self-actualization. A good culture fosters universal self-actualization so that every single person is encouraged and enabled to actualize his or her best gifts and potentials. In Motivation and Personality Maslow wrote:

"A good society [is] one that gives to its members the greatest possibility of becoming sound and self-actualizing human beings. This means that the good society is the one that has its institutional arrangements set up in such a way as to foster, encourage, reward, produce a maximum of good human relationships and a minimum of bad human relationships." (1970, p. 255)

Then in Toward a Psychology of Being, Maslow wrote about the absolute critical role that culture plays in our development and it better "better" or "poorer" according to self-actualization:

"... we know that a culture is a sine quo non for the actualization of humanness itself, e.g., language, abstract thought, ability to love; but these exist as potentialities in human germ plasm prior to culture. This make theoretically possible a comparative sociology, transcending and including cultural relativity. The 'better' culture gratifies all basic human needs and permits self-actualization. The 'poorer' culture does not." (1965, p. 211)

Enculturalization is the process we all go through as we become members of our culture. Our minds and hearts are cultivated to think and feel in such a way that we fit in with our culture. Our speech and behavior is also cultivated so that we are talk and act the way that others of our culture talk and act. The way we carry ourselves, the rituals we engage in whether greeting rituals, eating rituals, study, work, mating, whatever easily identify us as part of that "culture." This is true whether that culture is a religious one, business one, national one, racial one, language one, etc. As such it enables us to find our place in the world, understand and effectively relate to those who nurtured us, and feel "normal." To that extent, culture is inevitable and essential in our humanness.

But to the extent that we have been completely and totally enculturalized, it can also very much set limits, inhibitions, and taboos upon us and so diminish us as human beings. To the extent that all we aim for in life is the conventional, "normal" life, to that extent the culture has become a Procrustan bed stretching or shortening us as necessary to fit in. This works against actualizing our unique gifts, talents, and dispositions. It works against self-actualization.

This is in-your-face evident when we think of some really sick cultures and societies. When we think about the culture of violence, the culture of victimhood, the Nazi culture of Hitler, the culture of Hollywood, the culture of anorexic models, the culture of corporate greed, the culture of political corruption, etc. To become enculturated into such cultures and to become "normal" would not be a good thing. Sure you might be able to "get along" and be accepted and not be looked upon as strange and weird, but the price you'd pay for such would be immense.

How then do we change culture? What are ways in which we can operate as effective cultural change-agents and bring about human and humane change to cultures that are poor, inadequate, hurtful, sick, even neurotic? Maslow asked that question in The Farther Reaches of Human Nature and provides a most intriguing answer:

"How is culture improved? What are the good effects of the deviant? We know that culture can never advance or be improved without deviants. Why have they not been more studied? Why are they generally considered to be pathological? Why not healthy?" (1970, p. 289)

Ah, cultural deviants! This is what we need? Yes, we need more people who wear their conventionality lightly, who know and recognize that getting along and fitting is a means objective, not an end goal. And so they can easily rise above and transcend their culture, criticize it, and work to bring about change. So, are you a cultural deviant? If so, to what extent and in what way?

Maslow's comments calls for deviants-deviants who can advance and improve culture. If you have been enculturalized to such an extent that you cannot rise above it, evaluate it, transcend it, then you will not be able to change it. You will be a slave to that culture because you have identified with it and it now defines you. You are more a member of that culture than you are a member of the human race and that puts a leash around you preventing your full self-actualization as well as the actualization of each and every culture. What's needed is a new and higher level of social and cultural consciousness.

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Coming soon --- Meta-Coaching Modules --- Sydney Australia
---  Oct. 23-25, 2007  --- Module II:  Coaching Genius (or APG)
--- Oct. 27- Nov. 3, 2007 --- Module III: Coaching Mastery
     Contact Colleen or Michelle ...  cshephard at equilibrio.com.au  or michelle at equilibrio.com.au

    http://www.meta-coaching.org/expert_coaches.asp
    www.equilibrio.com.au

    http://www.meta-coaching.org/AustraliaOct2007Facts.asp

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The Ultimate Self-Actualization Workshop: Unleashing Potentials for Peak Performance is the newest Neuro-Semantic Training . We launched it in Portland Oregon with Rich Aanrich and Cat Wilson of Apositiva and the second training of it has just finished in Gold Coast Australia with Martin Urban of Inspired Focus. 

2007 Schedule 

7) Oct. 1-6, 2007. Geneva, Switzerland sponsored by Brief'r Formations (Info at pnlcoach.com www.pnlcoach.com). 2 day training. 

8) Nov. 20-22, Lisbon, Portugal. EvoluiTech Formacao e consultoria. Amalia Duarte, aduarte at evoluitech.pt 

9) Nov. 23-24, London, England, NLP Conference. Jo Hogg, Director, jo at nlpconference.co.uk. Three hour workshop: Actualizing Your Highest and Best.

10) Nov. 30 - Dec. 3, 2007. Avignon, France sponsored by Formation Evolution et Synergie and Gilles Roy, Neuro-Semantic and NLP Trainer. gilles.roy2 at orange.fr www.coaching-pnl.com 33 (0) 4 90 16 04 16. 

11) Dec. 7, 8, and 9, 2007. Italy, Bologna. Sponsored by an Institute of Neuro-Semantics and Lucia Guiovannini and Nicola Riva. lucia at blessyouitalia.eu nicola at blessyouitalia.eu www.blessyouitalia.eu +39 348 229 2562.





If you or your organization would like to sponsor the Ultimate Self-Actualization Workshop, contact me. I'm looking to present it as far and wide as possible.

2008

1) April 4-7, Portland OR. sponsored by Apositiva, Rich Aanrich and Cat Wilson (www.apositivechange.com rich at apositivechange.com). (503) 525-0595. 

2) May 17-19. ID Com. International, Montreal Canada. Isabell David. Phone: 450-224-5398 / 514-815-5457. idcom at cgocable.ca / idcom at idcominter.com

Web: www.idcominter.com 

This training will be delivered in English and simultaneously translated to French. 80% of the participants in 2007 spoke both English and French; with 20% speaking only French and 10% speaking only English. Come and enjoy a taste and feel of Europe in Montreal as you self-actualize.







L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.
Neuro-Semantics Ltd., Executive Director
ISNS - International Society of Neuro-Semantics
P.O. Box 8
Clifton, Colorado, 81520 USA
www.neurosemantics.com 
www.meta-coaching.org
www.self-actualizing.org 

Email: meta @onlinecol.com @acsol.net @mindfocus.co.za
(970) 523-7877
(970) 523-5790 FAX
(877) 686-2867 toll free in the USA only
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