An index and guide to the tutorials is forthcoming, when I’ve finished the series. Meanwhile, here is the post from one of my related blogs that sparked this series of tutorials.
In the darkest of times, just before the dawn …
In the darkest of times, just before the dawn, we long for superheroes to appear on our horizon. And as we know from every cosmic epic and comic book episode, every real superhero relies on a sidekick. So, henceforth and forthwith: I am – – wait for it – – SuperHero Sidekick!
(Actually, I do go by several other SHS aliases, which I shall reveal as time goes onward. But for now, methinks I must get focused on how I use my own superpowers of helping people identify, validate, amplify, and activate their superpowers – and, hopefully, help them keep from distributing any kryptonite-krud on others.)
And this blog is: “Spiritual Entrepreneurship and Adventures in the Quadruple Bottom Line.” What’s that all about? Well, let me tell you. Every time I feel it’s time to start a new blog, there’s some story or another behind it. Here’s the history on this one.
I’ve been blogging since 2003. This is my fourth blogging platform, and my tenth blog. There are some intriguing parallels between that first blog and this tenth one. For instance, the two people who nudged me to start my very first blog were also present for the birth of the idea for this one: Andrew Jones (TallSkinnyKiwi) and Shannon Hopkins (Matryoshka Haus). Back then (April 1, 2003) (and yes, I am most definitely an April’s Fool), the catalyzing event for a new plotline was WabiSabi – an intercultural forum on how paradigm shifts and cultural changes were affecting our ability to collaborate across lines of paradigms, gender, and generations. Andrew and Shannon suggested I had something to say and that I should start saying it. So I started a diary-type blog on the theme of “spiritual realities beyond posthuman.” Yeah, sort of heady stuff, but hey – authentic to my own story.
This time (planned launch date, October 13, 2009 – multi-anniversary of the infamous Friday-the-13th slaying of the Knights Templar) (and no, I’m definitely not a Knights Templar fan, friend, or follower), it was after Full On Good – an intercultural TED-type event focusing on the emerging phenomenon of social entrepreneurship. I’ve been involved in social activism for nearly 40 years, which certainly is longer than the average age of people at this conference. And one surprising observation there made me think I had something to say and that I should start saying it. So I talked with Andrew and Shannon about it. They affirmed I should blog thereupon, with a combination of theory and practice drawn from my non-profit work in culturology, futurology, and theology, and organization systems design that interconnects these three -ologies. Hence, SuperHero Sidekick takes flight!
And, you may ask, “What was the ‘surprising observation’ of which you speak?” Although I rarely heard Full On Good participants talk about a specific philosophy, or religion, or faith, I did hear the language of spirituality in almost every presentation and conversation. How can we even talk about doing “good” to affect our world for “the better,” unless we believe there is also a “bad” or a “toxic” or an “evil” that will otherwise turn our world for the worse unless we push back on it? How can we talk about choosing to pursue transformational enterprises unless we have some kind of underlying destiny or design that urges us in that direction? How can we even talk about a future and a hope and transformation unless we believe in something transcendent?
Part of the triple bottom line is about transparency. This fourth bottom line is about transcendency – ideals, aspirations, legacies for the next generations. So, how can we talk about being holistic, with a triple bottom line of benefiting everyone, the economy, and the environment, yet leave out a fourth bottom line befitting the spiritual?
I’ve worked in multiple sectors and with different combinations of bottom lines for a long time. I’ve also experienced the unfortunate consequences of leaders and institutions that attempt a “quadruple bypass” of the social, economical, ecological, and spiritual. It creates its own catastrophe! But, I believe, we’re aware of the damage only because we humans universally exhibit a desire for the good, for hope, for personal and social transformation toward an ideal. So, I’d suggest that if we want to amplify the new tradition of the triple bottom line, we have to surround our activities with a fourth boundary line: the spiritual.
I know, I know … it’s part of my SuperHero Sidekick special sensory perceptory … this will not be easy! But – in a world increasingly polarized by differences in paradigms – can’t we go beyond ourselves and find ways to collaborate? Those who attempt to overcontrol or undermine the process should not be kicked out, but called out. How else can we maintain a stance of cooperation without colonization? And meantime, those who want to pursue a holistic and more spiritual superhero perspective need a sidekick. Perhaps my experiences will help. And so, I begin, and we shall see how this storyline unfolds.
Not all blogs are meant to last forever. But I have a sneaking suspicion that SuperHero Sidekick might go on for a while. Perhaps even quite a while. Hope you’ll join me on our forthcoming adventures …
Next post? Tentatively an overview of how the cultural interpretation systems I’ve developed tie together our past-and-present situation and setting, with goals, and how to bridge them toward fulfillment through organizational system strategies and infrastructures.
Wow, that was a mouthful. I’ll work on that, see if I can simplify …
… but for now, SuperHero Sidekick, onward and upward until next time.
This post originally appeared on my SuperHero Sidekick blog, on October 13, 2009.
