Fear & Greed, Economics & Business – Zen, Now & Tomorrow

In The Wisdom of Crowds, previously mentioned in my blog on 8th July, author James Surowiecki makes the following observation:

“It’s a familiar truism that at any one moment, financial markets are dominated by either fear or greed. But the healthiest markets are those that are animated by both fear and greed at the same time.”

While I understand what he’s saying, the use of the term ‘healthiest’ in this context strikes me as an oxymoron. I have to ask how such a system can ever be healthy?! I’m not an economist, but I do know that fear and greed are both characteristics of the ego-based illusion. So, if humankind is to evolve beyond this era of ego, what will it mean for global markets and the nature of future economics?

Taking it further, what does it mean for our approach to business, especially for people who regard themselves as ‘spiritually aware’? The argument often put forward is that we have no choice other than to play by the rules of the game, as it is presently played. I assume that what we mean by this is that we’ll do it differently once the rules change. But the reality is that the way we do business presently is based on an underlying assumption that there’s not enough for everyone – hence fear and greed, dog eat dog. If we truly believe that this is not the case, as most spiritually aware people claim, then why do we have to continue to operate according to the competitive model? Should we not put our monies where our mouths are and start playing by the rules we profess to believe in?

There are many people who profess and believe themselves to be examples of ‘how to live successfully by the rules of the Universe’. The fact that they’re materially successful is, to them, proof that they are getting it right (and thus, in effect, that the Universe has no choice other than to bless them). And yet, in many instances, their success is built on exploiting the rules of the illusion – in short, getting people to part with their money by provoking a sense of fear or greed. When you stop and examine the underlying message that accompanies their product, it goes something along the lines that if you don’t have the product you will in some way be lacking something, and worse, that you may be doomed to a future of abject insufficiency. No matter how subtle the marketing strategy, the underlying message remains the same.

What does success that’s based upon the most honest principles of love and trust look like? I suspect we can quite easily find out by checking in with ourselves as we go about our business. If we’re not doing our business that way, we’re effectively denying what we profess to believe – that it is safe to live in integrity, that the Universe offers us more than we could ever possibly need, and that there is more than enough for all now! I’m not saying it’s easy, and I’m not saying I’m innocent. I’m just saying we should try to be honest with ourselves about it. We may believe ourselves to be sincere, but when we depend on provoking fear and greed in others in order to make our living, we reveal the fact that we ourselves are motivated in the same way. We can’t wait for someone else to change the rules of the game. The rules will change when we choose to live in alignment with what we say we believe.

Trans-egoic creative collaboration

In my previous blog, I made reference to the book "The Wisdom of Crowds", by James Surowiecki. Coincidentally, a few days after posting the blog, I came across an article that also referenced the term, which I found really encouraging. It's called "Thinking Together Without Ego: Collective Intelligence as an Evolutionary Catalyst" and it was written by husband-and-wife team, Craig Hamilton and Claire Zammit (see http://integralenlightenment.com/pages/articles/index.php?id=763899701).

The article starts by addressing the issue of 'groupthink', which typically hampers creative intelligence, then goes on to paint a picture of a truly beautiful alternative:

"Imagine a group of people gathered for a creative strategy session with an unusual mandate. The entry fee for this conversation is that everyone has made a sincere and educated effort to check their "ego" at the door. With personal agendas temporarily set aside, there is a noticeable absence of self-consciousness, or self-concern of any kind. The familiar jockeying for position has vanished, and along with it, all approval seeking. No one seems invested in being right, appearing smart, or appearing any particular way at all. In the absence of these familiar negative social behaviors, there is simply an authentic, innocent, undefended interest in creatively engaging the task at hand. Without the familiar, primitive "mental noise" blocking the system, listening is deep and there is plenty of space for considered reflection. Unified by a heartfelt and soulful commitment to a greater good, the group flows easily from one idea to the next. Diverging points of view are engaged organically, effortlessly, in the recognition that a diversity of perspectives represents a rich field of data to mine for insights. All questions and concerns are welcomed into the inquiry. Aware of the ever-looming specter of paralyzing group dynamics, an atmosphere of humility pervades, and an embodied knowledge that confronting the questions that challenge our deepest assumptions is our only safeguard against collective error."

Isn't that an amazing picture?! Hamilton and Zammit admit that it may seem like wishful thinking, but as thought leaders in the field of evolutionary consciousness, they also know that there is a collective shift taking place - they know that more and more people are relinquishing the cynicism that characterised so much of the past few decades and are coming to a heart-knowledge that something big and beautiful is taking place in the consciousness of humankind. With this in mind, they present a list of 10 key principles that reflect a culture of genuinely non-egoic collaborative thinking. It's high-quality article, and I'd encourage you to read it.

The principle of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts is never more powerfully demonstrated than when like-minded, spiritually-oriented people begin to think and work harmonically. It results in an extraordinary amplification of heart-based energy that can transform the deepest darkness into beautiful light. Many of us know this to be true and many of us believe that it's possible. And, as far as I can see, there's no reason why we shouldn't get on with it!

Having the courage to express your own view

In his book, The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki makes the following observation: "You do not need a consensus to tap into the wisdom of a crowd... the search for consensus encourages tepid, lowest-common-denominator solutions which offend no one, rather than exciting everyone. Instead of fostering the free exchange of conflicting views, consensus-driven groups - especially when the members are familiar with each other - tend to trade in the familiar and squelch provocative debate. If, as the saying goes, a camel is a horse produced by a committee, it was undoubtedly made by a committee looking for consensus."

It takes no courage to agree with the prevailing view. But progress only happens when people stand up and question the prevailing view, and when they present information that doesn't fit into the accepted models of 'how things work'. We can't put consciousness in a box, because it's always unfolding. And each one of us experiences the unfolding differently. Courage is choosing to be a peace with the tensions that ever-unfolding consciousness generates... tension between individuals and groups, because of their different experiences and perceptions, and tension within ourselves, as we sit with the things that don't yet make sense to us.

And on that note, I'd like to disagree with Mr Surowiecki... the committee that designed the camel did an excellent job... it kept the end clearly in mind and came up with a design that really works...... it may not be pretty and it smells like hell, but it definitely works!