Exploring the Field of Possibilities
When we let go of our attachment to the known, we open the door to the field of possibilities. Aldous Huxley believed, “There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.”
Our economic and business markets have been created and based on competition and a need to be number one. The author who sells the most books is considered the winner in the marketplace regardless of whether the books are read; or not. Success is tied to sales and growth.
Many organizations talk about innovation but when we actually look at their strategies, we find their growth comes from acquiring smaller companies. The result of modern-day innovation is giant monopolies that each of us is supporting through our consumption. While this is happening on a scale not seen in the past two hundred years, it cannot last because the most basic need of humanity is to freely exchange ideas.
A Field of Exploration
And while many people believe they need certainty and predictability, there are more questioning what it is we actually need. There is a realization that what is emerging cannot be easily found in the mainstream or is actually known. It is becoming clear that we simply need to do our own exploration and take risks.
A grassroots nonprofit in Greece mapped the country’s food co-ops, alternative producers, parallel currencies, and local exchange systems. They ended up uncovering hundreds of small initiatives ranging from carpools to free kindergartens.
To mainstream economics, such things seem barely to qualify as economic activity—but that’s the point. They exist because they trade in the currency of experiences “free” time, networked activity, and free stuff. An entire alternative to a global system was created with a foundation of trust, relationships and community.
With an opportunity mindset, we can discover unique possibilities. And then, create healthy markets, products, services, and, most importantly, meaningful experiences for people.
A Field of Consciousness
As we make conscious choices or stand up for ourselves, healthier paths for living and working emerge. As fewer of us follow the noise of what is expected of us and instead follow our intuition, we come across multiple fields of possibilities.
Pema Chödrön reminds us: “When we are training in the art of peace, we are not given any promises that, because of our noble intentions, everything will be okay. In fact, there are no promises of fruition at all. Instead, we are encouraged to simply look deeply at joy and sorrow, at laughing and crying, at hoping and fearing, at all that lives and dies.
We learn that what truly heals is gratitude and tenderness. It isn’t that we say, ‘It doesn’t matter about me all that much, but if I changed the world, it would be better for other people.’ It’s less complicated than that. We don’t set out to save the world. We set out to wonder how other people are doing and to reflect on how our actions affect other people’s hearts.“
At the end of the day, writing and reading every day is a journey of the unknown.