Oh, Arthur, thank you so much for that. Selma
----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, September 08, 2003 11:28 AM Subject: RE: Fw: [Futurework] The world of work > Sometimes one loses the constant inner chatter and is at one with the > project at hand. Ironing, writing, downhill skiing, whatever. It is the > fact of integration that is important. > > Most times in our lives we are doing one thing partially and thinking of > what else we should be doing, etc. There is a constant inner chatter. When > it goes away there is "unself conscious behaviour" ....Behaviour without > doubt. > > So I am with you Selma. I too experience these moments of integration and > in the same sorts of activities. > > Yes, this male irons, cooks and also writes. > > arthur > > -----Original Message----- > From: Selma Singer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, September 8, 2003 9:40 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Harry Pollard > Subject: Re: Fw: [Futurework] The world of work > > > Harry, > > I'm afraid you've missed the point of the embroidery story. For me, it > points to the possibility of people working for the sake of working in the > context of a spiritual milieu that generates connection of people to each > other and to a larger whole. And, as Lee points out so eloquently, it can > happen as easily when one is alone and when one is with others. > > I would love it if we, here on this list, would exchange stories of > experiences we have had that approach what Lee is talking about. I believe > that we can create a society in which children grow up learning that work > can have this quality. Of course I must always add the caveat that all of > the institutions must be in balance in order for this to be the prevailing > mode but that doesn't mean that we cannot start to work toward things like > this. > > I have this experienceoften when I am writing. I haven't done much writing > lately but it is an exhilarating experience that feels as though I'm > connected to something enormous; Lee expressed it for me in a way I cannot. > There is a sense of touching and being touched by something-the words that > come to mind seem to me to beg for misunderstanding but they are the words > that describe it for me- being touched by something cosmic and there is an > overwhelming feeling of wholeness. > > I have had this experience when I've been washing dishes; it is a sense of > serenity and again, connection; when I am making lunch for my family, with > or without the help of my grandchildren. I have had this feeling while > ironing clothes. And I have had this feeling while standing in front of a > class and teaching with all of us being in the same place of connection. > > I have great difficulty finding the words; Lee does it so very well. I would > so love to hear from list members who, I'm sure, could describe it in the > various forms it takes for them. Then we might start to think about how, in > the classroom, in the workplace, we might create an environment that > 'allows' for this? 'encourages' this? > > I now have a strong urge to reread *Flow The Psychology of Optimal > Experience * by Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi (chick sent me high ee). > > I do remember that one of the qualities of this experience that he explores > is that there is a loss of 'self-consciousness' which is totally different > from a loss of the sense of self-in fact, it enhances the sense of self but > self in the context of the larger whole. > > Help! There is so much to this and it is so important. > > Selma > > > > > > > > If we can understand that that is an experience that can be common and > pervasive, we can work toward creating an environment which has that > potential. > Selma > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "Selma Singer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, September 08, 2003 2:32 AM > Subject: Re: Fw: [Futurework] The world of work > > > > Selma, > > > > Your story of the Tikopia reminded me of the free market, where people run > > their own affairs rather than have the visible hand of the collective > > pushing them in the "right" direction. > > > > As you may recall, my InterStudent High School Program is run like a > > competitive free market. Cheating pervades the high schools. Practically > > everyone cheats because it's the thing one does. So, what to do in this > > highly competitive Program which places responsibility on the individual > > student, and in which students find that the way to handle the competition > > is to cooperate within their Groups? > > > > InterStudent encourages the students to lie, cheat and steal. We even give > > higher grades for creative cheating. > > > > The result? InterStudent classrooms are certainly the only places in the > > School where there is no cheating. If you were to cheat me, Selma, no-one > > would condemn you. Rather, they would laugh at me for allowing myself to > be > > cheated. The result is a high rate of personal responsibility - so much so > > that trying to cheat becomes a waste of time. > > > > So, the kids stop it. Cheating is so widespread in High Schools that we > had > > to take drastic action. > > > > Tikopia is a different matter. When people have grown up there is no need > > to monitor them. They will cooperate and be friendly because it makes > > sense. They don't need a Big Brother to keep them in line. > > > > The embroidery story was delightful! > > > > Harry > > -------------------------------------------------------- > > > > Selma wrote: > > > > >I sent this excerpt from the Dorothy Lee book "Freedom and Culture" last > > >February in response to a discussion about 'who should clean the toilets' > > >which discussion seems to be occurring again. > > > > > > > Lee has a chapter entitled 'The Joy of Work as Participation'. She > writes > > >of > > > > having made a discovery while she was working on a Christmas present > for > > >one > > > > of her children on Christmas Eve when it was very late, she was > exhausted > > > > and "I was working against time, wishing I were in bed." > > > > > > > > She also speaks of the conflicts she was experiencing at this time, > trying > > > > to balance her work as an anthropologist with her responsibilities to > her > > > > two children, her husband and her home. She felt guilty about > neglecting > > >her > > > > professional work and needed to justify whatever she did for the > family; > > > > making a blanket for the doll crib of her 3-year-old daughter seemed > > > > justifiable because she couldn't afford to buy it. > > > > > > > > "As I sewed this Christmas Eve, I was suddenly astonished to discover > that > > >I > > > > had started to add an entirely unpremeditated and unnecessary edging > of > > > > embroidery, and, simultaneously, I was aware of a deep enjoyment in > what I > > > > was doing. It was a feeling that had nothing to do with the pleasure > the > > > > work would give to my daughter on the morrow; it had nothing to do > with a > > > > sense of achievement, or of virtue in duty accomplished. And I knew > that I > > > > had never liked to embroider. There was no justification for my work; > yet > > >it > > > > was the source of such a deep satisfaction, that the late hour and my > > > > fatigue had ceased to exist for me. > > > > > > > > At this moment of discovery, I knew that I was experiencing what it > meant > > >to > > > > be a social being, not merely Dorothy Lee, an individual; I knew that > I > > >had > > > > truly become a mother, a wife, a neighbor, a teacher. I realized that > > >some > > > > boundary had disappeared, so that I was working in a social medium; > that I > > > > was not working for the future pleasure of a distant daughter, but > rather > > > > within a relationship unaffected by temporality or physical absence. > What > > > > gave meaning to my work was the medium in which I was working-the > medium > > >of > > > > love, in a broad sense. So far, my rationalization and justification > of my > > > > work had obscured this meaning, had cut me off from my own social > context. > > > > It suddently became clear to me that it did not matter whether I was > > > > scrubbing the kitchen floor or darning stockings or zipping up > snowsuits; > > > > these all had meaning, not in themselves, but in terms of the > situation of > > > > which they were a part. They contained social value because they > > >implemented > > > > the value of the social situation. > > > > > > > > This was a tremendous discovery for me, illuminating in a flash my > > > > experience and my thinking. My mind went immediately to the Tikopia, > about > > > > whom I had been reading, and I said to myself, 'This is the way the > > >Tikopia > > > > work.' I had been puzzled about the motivating forces in the life of > the > > > > Tikopia. These were people who were without organized leadership in > work, > > > > yet who carried out large undertakings. And without any authority to > > >impose > > > > legislation and mete out punishment, the business of the village was > > >carried > > > > out and law and order were maintained. Raymond Firth, the > ethnographer, > > > > answering the unspoken quesitons of western readers, spoke of > obligations, > > > > duty, fear of adverse opinion, as motivations. I did not like his > choice > > >of > > > > words, because he spoke of the obligation to perform unpleasant tasks, > for > > > > example, and yet the situations he described brimmed with joy. Now I > saw > > > > that the Tikopia did not need external incentives. > > > > > > > > This was all very well, but when I came to examine my discovery, I > could > > >not > > > > explain it in any rational or acceptable way. My society did not > structure > > > > working situations as occasions which contained their own > satisfaction; > > >and > > > > it assumed the existence of aggregates or collections of > indiividuals, > > >not > > > > of a social continuum. I had learned to believe in the existence of a > > > > distinct self, relating itself externally to work as a means to an > end, > > >with > > > > external incentives and external rewards. yet it was obvious that if I > got > > > > satsisfaction from participating in a situation, there must be some > > >medium, > > > > some continuum, within which this participation can take place, If my > > >family > > > > and I were aspects of one whole; there must be some positive > apprehension > > >of > > > > a continuity which made me an aspect of my family, not a separate > member; > > >it > > > > was not enough to say that my physical being and my sensory experience > did > > > > not in themselves prescribe the limits of the self." > > > > > > > > She goes on to explore the meaning of self among the Tikopia; I'll > leave > > > > that for another time. > > > > > > > > > > > > > I would just ask the members of this list if they have ever > experienced > > > > anything similar to what Lee describes as she was working on that > blanket. > > >I > > > > know I have and I have felt it as a gift of enormous proportions; > mostly, > > >in > > > > our society, it occurs in spite of the social and economic > environment, > > >not > > > > because of it. But I strongly believe that it is possible to stucture > a > > > > society and to develop cultural values that make this kind of > experience > > > > possible and common for everyone. > > > > > Selma, > > > > > > > > **************************************************** > > Harry Pollard > > Henry George School of Social Science of Los Angeles > > Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 > > Tel: (818) 352-4141 -- Fax: (818) 353-2242 > > http://home.comcast.net/~haledward > > **************************************************** > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > ---- > > > > > > --- > > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > > Version: 6.0.515 / Virus Database: 313 - Release Date: 9/1/2003 > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
