Healthier notes

Top left: "When at cusp of ambiguous commitment to action, meaning and zeal will be found by leaning into the ambiguity and ensuring that you choose to commit to those actions in alignment with your greater sense of purpose/intention."  e.g. not sure how you feel about something you claimed you'd do/losing sense of purpose about doing it. Assumes clarity one's own intention/purpose already established/underway or at least nascent outside of the particular situation.

Midsection: distinguishing kinds of discomfort in ambiguous situations. Side note lower left corner on ambiguity/uncertain risk references this guide to embracing complex systems with risk governance.

For examples with context, note post on desperation. Summing them here:
Intrinsic discomfort: am I willing to forsake something good enough most people try to rely on--though evidence and experience points to it not working--and believe that a better way for living exists?
 
Circumstantial discomfort: if desperation constitutes the core subject for laughter and ridicule in the film among viewers, and an individual actually lives under the same stresses created by those circumstances--is it better to stay in hopes of learning something new or leave to preserve peace of mind?
For both the guiding question might be "what is the courageous choice?"


Upper right: A=Anxiety D=Depression S=Shame
All three link into a negative self-sustaining loop. All three have near-term
potential tactics for intervention.The note on "Healthy forgiveness" references this particular interpretation of forgiveness.

You can click on the images to read in full size.

Proactivity & Humanitas as Ethos

To enact sustainability and viability, I hold an ethos of proactivity and humanitas in high esteem: Creative, solutions-oriented initiative with clear outcomes envisioned for the near and long term. The notion of empowerment and the idea that everyone can humanely make a difference in the world create the core of my understanding of "humanitas".

I find my bearings in that process of difference making through a spiraling cycle of humane education, empowerment, and engagement which I attempt to integrate into my presence at every event I attend or create. More specifically, I seek to inform, educate, empower myself and others to take relevant and significant action in the world and repeat with evaluation (which enters the next level of the spiral by informing and educating myself and others about what I've learned from the most recent action).

"In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught." -Baba Dioum

Our personal values and worldviews are fostered by what we learn. These values ultimately inform the kinds of information, problems, and solutions we tend to consider and pursue. In this regard, respecting and cultivating the dignity of others to learn and act through compassion make them crucial habits for social sustainability.

Social sustainability ultimately shapes our capacity to understand and act toward comprehensive sustainability. Social sustainability concerns everything from how we communicate with art, non-violence, education, compassion, love, peace, just governance, and democracy with a backbone in living the humane ethics we aspire to understand and share as individuals and collectively. In essence, when focusing on social sustainability, one strives to cultivate lasting and fulfilling relationships.

Trust, security, confidence in other people, in the land we live with, and any other beings we share the planet with are necessary for taking prudent action. To me, prudent action is the essence of economics.

For resolving complex socio-economic challenges and wicked processes like "the tragedy of the commons", people require trust before they can manifest quality collaboration across a diversity of stakeholders. I'll share the Russian phrase "doveryai, no proveryai", "Trust, but verify." I'll also add that love, even in a fairly definitive non-romantic sense, has its role in conservation (conservation in the environmental and economic sense toward sustainability).


To ensure tangible change, we must look to how our environment--social, economic, and physical changes in a result of our heartfully intended actions.

Swingin' musings of love

After a day contemplating existential ethics of romance and time-sensitive self-promotion, here's my say: There's a possibility I'll perform a cookin' handful of early jazz and blues tunes for a Valentines swing dance night with Alex Belhaj (or with him and his quartet) this Wednesday evening in Ann Arbor [1].

Even for those without a valentine, Ann Arbor has one of the best swing dance scenes in Michigan where you can pick up the basics of swing dance--no partner or previous experience required! For me at least, dancing and music yield vibrant moments and memories in life. There are some who’d argue that that’s what love’s really about. More than the romance, it’s about finding ways to embrace life to its fullest with other people whom you can trust [2]. In a vague way, I suppose that’s a shallow iteration of love to everyone reading--it’s not always obvious, but there’s a community willing to step forward, take your hands, and go for a dance. There’s a community willing to share the best music that they can make. And if instead of finding content in your solitude you suffer loneliness [3], I hope you’ll recognize and offer solace to another who shares a similar state, as you've got an opportunity to improve the community at large with fundamental compassion.

That said, I’ll hope the music and dance are enough to content the hearts of several who do attend.

[1] https://www.facebook.com/events/523669560995472/?ref=14
[2] http://www.theschooloflife.com/blog/2013/02/romantic-love-busting-the-myth/
[3] http://www.theschooloflife.com/blog/2013/02/the-pleasures-and-pains-of-solitariness/

From credibility to cohesion

As I was writing a cover letter for an internship, I began to write down what I've experienced as an employee, head of a string ensemble, Co-President of a debate team, Boy Scout, and anything else I've been through where leadership applies. Since most of this was copied and pasted out of my letter, this may be my pithiest post yet. However, I may be tempted to deliberate further.

I have learned that credibility—much like talent—is only a beginning. No matter how good it may be, hoopla can expire. Especially when showing off prior accomplishments won't do your job for you. The delegation of responsibility is an implementation of trust, and when the designated individual successfully communicates reliability, organizational cohesion ensues. Whether working with colleagues as the Co-President of the University of Michigan-Dearborn Debate team, or employers as an ensemble liaison, this process cultivates a conductive working environment and promotes healthy interrelationships. When conflict arises, it interferes with this ongoing exercise of trust, someone—better yet, everyone involved with the issue at hand—needs to find ways to amend their problems, and the best thing to address that there may be a problem in the first place is once again, open communication. Honestly telling someone what's going on. In some cases, it may even require utilizing some self-disclosure.