By: Giles Hutchins
Contrary to popular belief, our capitalist economic system is not the root cause of our problems. Yes, it is unfit for purpose and life-damaging, along with our addiction to consumerism, yet it is not the root. There is a deeper primary problem which is easily overlooked.
Woven into our scientific-philosophy and socio-economic thinking at deep and partly unconscious levels is a corruption of the most fundamental degree. It is a flawed logic that sets us apart from each other and Nature. It is what Einstein spoke of as an optical illusion of consciousness which now manifests a devastating delusion. Large swathes of modern humanity are inured and institutionalised by this illusion of separation; an illusion that creates the belief that life is innately competitive and evolution is a process of selfish ascendance. It breeds fear and egotism which spawns a carcinogenic behaviour hallmarked by a desperate desire to 'have', 'want', 'own', 'consume'. It is a logic that is seldom questioned yet it is dreadfully inadequate and costing us life on Earth.
Peter Drucker once famously said, 'In times of turmoil, the danger lies not in the turmoil, but in facing it with yesterday's logic'. So often, we find ourselves applying the very logic that created the problems to our design and delivery of well-intended solutions. The new spirit of business must be rooted in a new logic that transcends this illusion.
In activating this new logic, we liberate ourselves from the restrictions of the self-limiting mind-set that created the problems in the first place, and provide for a shift to occur: from egotism to empathy; from separation to synchronicity; from power over to power with; from fear to courage. This shift activates new ways of leading unshackled from illusion that, paradoxically, are less about leading and more about facilitating a learning environment where each of us learn how to open up the permeability of our egos to something greater, and develop our capacity to become authentic co-creators within a life-affirming future.
The good news is we can activate this new way for free. It requires nothing more than our undivided attention and a love for life. Making space in our schedules to be in Nature or in a quiet place is a good start. Here we may allow ourselves to tune-in to the wisdom of Nature flowing through each evolving moment. Great minds such as Einstein, Da Vinci, Pythagoras and Confucius all knew of this inherent wisdom flowing throughout Nature, and there is no time like the present to allow our self-limiting ego-mind to permeate with this greater presence.
While it may not always feel like it (as there is much to be down-beat about these days) we are in the midst of a seismic paradigm shift. The challenge of our time is less about intellectualising adaptations utilising yesterday's logic and more about creating space within our manic schedules for a real embodiment of the innate wisdom life affords us. This will open up our awareness to the shift already afoot. Whether we are activists or accountants, engineers or entrepreneurs, midwives or musicians, these transformational times demand we activate this new consciousness now and for all time.
These themes will be addressed in more detail through the Pioneers for Change Fellowship kicking off on March 23 and 24, 2015 in London. Pioneers for Change is an initiative of Adessy Associates.
About Giles Hutchins
Giles is a visionary speaker, writer and adviser who goes one step beyond conventional sustainable business. Formerly a management consultant with KPMG, more recently Global Director of Sustainability for Atos and co-founder of Biomimicry for Creative Innovation, he applies ancient wisdom and pioneering new thought to the activation of a new consciousness inspired by and in harmony with Nature. Author of The Nature of Business and recently released The Illusion of Separation, Giles blogs at www.thenatureofbusiness.org. He invites you to engage in the conversation through the Facebook community, Twitter, and videos.