Liquid Ontology
13th April, 2016
I spent a day with a group of learning and development professionals investigating the concept of identity. As part of an mBraining and Blue Mind exercise, we explored the idea of personal fluidity delving into their truly subjective narratives asking:
- Who do they consider themselves to be?
- What would they describe as the pivotal parts of their story so far?
- How did the individual and unique set of circumstances they had experienced lead them to be the person they think they are right now?
- What were the generative learning moments, without which their personal and professional qualities would be fundamentally different?
- What is their sense of self when they are in a state of flow and where do they currently think their story might extend?
Less of an exercise in filtering for a concise individual Unique Selling Point and more an approach to truly connecting with a sense of self-authoring… As you may or may not know books, music, plays and art tend to have working titles, which are often only decided for certain once complete. Even if you sense that the title has been set the subtitles, tone and nuances within the content are very certainly within the scope of personal creative influence. Of course many authors, poets, musicians and artists create more than one piece and whilst the thread of an idea or a creative style might run through a collection of works, the direction of each story, sound and image can be wildly diverse, or take very different perspectives on a common theme.
So, what did all this have to do with this group? Well… we were working with detachment from fixed ideas about ourselves and others asking questions such as:
- How might life be if we shifted our sense of who we are to being something much more fluid?
- What would be the impact of really questioning how we know what we know about others, the world and ourselves?
- How could a shift in questions of intention and moral imperative create a greater immediacy of action? Changing “why am I here and what is my purpose?” to “how can I express purposeful existence with meaningful actions?”
- How might what shows up to us in the world alter if we were to deliberately place our focus on progressive insights, attending to that which enriches our lives and / or moves us forwards? Viewing life through a lens of gratitude, awe and curiosity?
As you might imagine, this exercise was never meant to create finite answers and instead intended to raise awareness of an accessible less static way of being, removing historical limitations for a new way of living. This is a fundamental aim at the heart of mBraining. mBIT Coaches work with clients to surpass conditioning for fuller and aligned self-expression and coherence. Blue Mind is a state of being that also creates a sense of connection with self, people and place – a fluidity and freedom of consciousness which enables flow and ecology for planet-wise choices.
The depth of exploration, arising possibilities and insights shared by the group were profound and so I invite you to find a quiet space to reflect upon the following questions… you may very well find a place with water present – the perfect environment to access your Blue Mind. Observe the connections between your thoughts and feelings and notice how these can manifest in action… and feel free to share your insights if you wish…
Removing fixed boundaries of who we are provides greater freedom to evolve creating a sense of moment to moment self expression that would be unlikely to come from believing “I am who I am” or “What is happening right now is a result of my upbringing”… so think:
- How might a more liquid sense of self alter your world?
- How much of your sense of self is historical lacking current relevance?
- Who are you really at this time of your life and how can you convey this?
We can find new insights through really questioning our way of knowing. If we explore how we construct our sense of truth about people and situations, we become open to widening the evidence we trust and as a result more options emerge… so consider:
- What might be the impact for you if you chose to truly embrace more ways of knowing?
- How else can you gain awareness of the truths you navigate life by?
- What additional information and evidence can you pay attention to?
If a fluid yet pervasive reason for existence is that the world is a better place because you showed up, our sense of moral imperative becomes something transcendent of time…. Cogent assertion for raising awareness of the potential universal implications of our actions in the here and now… so contemplate:
- What does ecology of intent and action truly mean to you and others?
- How does your deepest sense of self define the term “meaningful”?
- What might living purposefully really entail?
What we pay attention to and the thoughts we entertain are largely within our control. Deciding to notice options, find solutions and adopt an appreciative state of mind must surely be more resourceful than defaulting to a negative stance… so get a sense of your world right now:
- What are you paying attention to and noticing?
- How can the way you view your world provide additional choices for expressing yourself fully with wisdom?
- What will you change in order to experience the world differently?
I hope these questions provoke useful awareness and a freedom to be more you… right now, without necessity to fix, freeze, contain or set permanence upon your identity.
Wisdom lies within fluidity… Be more water!
