The Control Illusion

Practices

When you find yourself engaged in a debate, argument, dialogue ask yourself what bigger context or framework, which if you embraced it, would allow you to consider and listen to the different parts and aspects of the topic under discussion.

When you are expressing your opinion on something are you willing to express how this opinion is entirely shaped by your own particular experiences rather than present it as the truth?

Notice the selective nature of what you read and listen to is filtered by what you already believe.

When you are doing your genuine best at being responsible and living up to your beliefs, take a moment to reflect whether you are falling into control and win/avoid losing behavior.

Questions

When you are listening to someone or somebody making sense of something, how often do you do your own research versus a quick acceptance or rejection of their sense-making?

Is talk about sovereignty and rights more about control and ego than equality and fairness?

Is racism your problem or someone else’s?

Who owns the planet as a whole versus only their part?

Are the current topics of Climate Change, Racism, Territorial & Trade Disputes, Immigration, Pandemics, Energy Sourcing more shaped by the parties and authorities gaining control, power and survival versus planet-wide transformative solutions?

As for me, in my remaining years, I have embarked on a dialogue with my four grandchildren. We agreed to learn from each other on an equal playing field. For too long, the educational paradigm has been too biased in ‘old to young’, those who know and have more experience over those who have less knowledge and experience. Many of the protagonists for tackling today’s issues justify it by saying it’s on behalf of the next generation. A reasonable sentiment, however, is to also focus and ask that on helping the next generation to solve these and other issues that are not yet even on the horizon, to avoid bringing the same level of thinking that created them.

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¹ The Ending of Time, J. Krishnamurti & David Bohm, 1985, ISBN-13: 9780060647964

² Koestler, Arthur (1967). The Ghost in the Machine (1990 reprint ed.). Penguin Group. ISBN 0-14-019192-5.

³   White, Frank, The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, 2014, ISBN-13: 978-1624102622

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