第4章 Introduction: Beyond War and Peace (第1/2页)

OURTWOMOSTCOMMONwaysoftryingtoaddressourtoughestsocialchallengesaretheextremeones:aggressivewarandsubmissivepeace.Neitherofthesewaysworks.Wecantry,usingourgunsormoneyorvotes,topushthroughwhatwewant,regardlessofwhatotherswant-butinevitablytheotherspushback.Orwecantrynottopushanythingonanyone-butthatleavesoursituationjustasitis.
　　
　　Theseextremewaysareextremelycommon,onallscales.Oneonone,wecanbepushyorconflictaverse.Atwork,wecanbebossyor"goalongtogetalong."Inourcommunities,wecansetthingsupsothattheyarethewaywewantthemtobe,orwecanabdicate.Innationalaffairs,wecanmakedealstogetourway,orwecanletothershavetheirway.Ininternationalrelations-whetherthechallengeisclimatechangeortraderulesorpeaceintheMiddleEast-wecantrytoimposeoursolutionsoneveryoneelse,orwecannegotiateendlessly.Theseextreme,commonwaysoftryingtoaddressourtoughestsocialchallengesusuallyfail,leavingusstuckandinpain.Therearemanyexceptionstothesegeneralizationsabouttheprevalenceoftheseextremeways,butthefactthattheseareexceptionsprovesthegeneralrule.Weneed-andmanypeopleareworkingondeveloping-different,uncommonwaysofaddressingsocialchallenges:waysbeyondthesedegenerativeformsofwarandpeace.
　　
　　AcharacterinRent,JonathanLarson'sBroadwaymusicalaboutstrugglingartistsandmusiciansinNewYorkCity,says,"Theoppositeofwarisn'tpeace,it'screation!"[1]Toaddressourtoughestsocialchallenges,weneedawaythatisneitherwarnorpeace,butcollectivecreation.Howcanweco-createnewsocialrealities?
　　
　　TWOFUNDAMENTALDRIVES
　　
　　Toco-createnewsocialrealities,wehavetoworkwithtwodistinctfundamentalforcesthatareintension:powerandlove.Thisassertionrequiresanexplanationbecausethewords"power"and"love"aredefinedbysomanydifferentpeopleinsomanydifferentways.InthisbookIusetwounusualdefinitionsofpowerandlovesuggestedbytheologianandphilosopherPaulTillich.Hisdefinitionsareontological:theydealwithwhatandwhypowerandloveare,ratherthanwhattheyenableorproduce.Iusethesedefinitionsbecausetheyringtruewithmyexperienceofwhatinpracticeisrequiredtoaddresstoughchallengesatalllevels:individual,group,community,society.
　　
　　Tillichdefinespoweras"thedriveofeverythinglivingtorealizeitself,withincreasingintensityandextensity."Sopowerinthissenseisthedrivetoachieveone'spurpose,togetone'sjobdone,togrow.Hedefinesloveas"thedrivetowardstheunityoftheseparated."[2]Soloveinthissenseisthedrivetoreconnectandmakewholethatwhichhasbecomeorappearsfragmented.Thesetwowaysoflookingatpowerandlove,ratherthanthemorecommonideasofoppressivepowerandromanticlove(representedonthecoverbythegrenadeandtherose),areatthecoreofthisbook.
　　
　　OURFULLWORLD
　　
　　Wecannotaddressourtoughchallengesonlythroughdrivingtowardsself-realizationoronlythroughdrivingtowardsunity.Weneedtodoboth.Oftenweassumethatallittakestocreatesomethingnew-whetherinbusinessorpoliticsortechnologyorart-ispurposefulnessorpower.Thisisbecauseweoftenassumethatthecontextinwhichwecreateisanemptyworld:anopenfrontier,awhitespace,ablankcanvas.Ingeneralthisassumptionisincorrect.
　　
　　Let'slookatahistoricalexample.In1788,BritishsettlersarrivedinAustraliaandencounteredtheindigenouspeoplewhohadarrived40,000yearsearlier.Thishistoryillustratesnotonlythecourageandentrepreneurialismofpeoplewillingtotravelacrosstheglobetocreateanewsocialreality,butalsothehumanandecologicaldevastationthatthispioneeringmind-setcanproduce.Formorethantwocenturies,theconflictbetweensettlersandaboriginalpeoplesinAustraliawasframedintermsofthedoctrineofterranullius,aRomanlegaltermthatmeans"landbelongingtonoone,"or"emptyland."Itwasnotuntil1992thattheHighCourtofAustraliaruledthatthecontinenthadinfactneverbeenterranullius,andthatthemodern-daysettlershadtoworkoutanewwayoflivingtogetherwiththeaboriginalpeople.
　　
　　Noneofuslivesinterranullius.Wecanpretendthatourworldisempty,butitisnot.Ourearthisincreasinglyfullofpeopleandbuildingsandcarsandpilesofgarbage.Ouratmosphereisincreasinglyfullofcarbondioxide.Oursocietyisincreasinglyfullofdiverse,strong,competingvoicesandideasandcultures.Thisfullnessisthefundamentalreasonwhy,inordertoaddressourtoughestsocialchallenges,weneedtoemploynotonlypowerbutalsolove.
　　
　　Achallengeistoughwhenitiscomplexinthreeways.[3]Achallengeisdynamicallycomplexwhencauseandeffectareinterdependentandfarapartinspaceandtime;suchchallengescannotsuccessfullybeaddressedpiecebypiece,butonlybyseeingthesystemasawhole.Achallengeissociallycomplexwhentheactorsinvolvedhavedifferentperspectivesandinterests;suchchallengescannotsuccessfullybeaddressedbyexpertsorauthorities,butonlywiththeengagementoftheactorsthemselves.Andachallengeisgenerativelycomplexwhenitsfutureisfundamentallyunfamiliarandundetermined;suchchallengescannotsuccessfullybeaddressedbyapplying"bestpractice"solutionsfromthepast,butonlybygrowingnew,"nextpractice"solutions.
　　
　　Thefullnessofourworldproducesthisthreefoldcomplexity.Wecanpretendthatweareindependentandthatwhatwedodoesnotaffectothers(andwhatothersdodoesnotaffectus),butthisisnottrue.Wecanpretendthateverybodyseesthingsthesameway,orthatourdifferencescanberesolvedpurelythroughmarketorpoliticalorlegalcompetition,butthisisnottrue.Andwecanpretendthatwecandothingsthewaywealwayshave,orthatwecanfirstfigureoutandthenexecutethecorrectanswer,butthisisnottrue.
　　
　　Whenwepretendthatourworldisemptyratherthanfull,andthatourchallengesaresimpleratherthancomplex,wegetstuck.Ifwewanttogetunstuck,weneedtoacknowledgeourinterdependence,cooperate,andfeelourwayforward.Weneedthereforetoemploynotonlyourpowerbutalsoourlove.Ifthissoundseasy,itisnot.Itisdifficultanddangerous.
　　
　　

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