According to Buddha
Sometimes we feel that one individual’s action is very insignificant. Then we think, of course, that effects should come from channeling or from a unifying movement. But the movement of the society, community or group of people means joining individuals. Society means a collection of individuals, so that initiative must come from individuals. Unless each individual develops a sense of responsibility, the whole community cannot move. So therefore, it is very essential that we should not feel that individual effort is meaningless – you should not feel that way. We should make an effort.
***
a day or so ago Keephills ~ Alberta’s Coal Phase-Out ~ Wabamun Lake area ~ home of the Paul First Nation, AB ~ March 2022
yes, this is so right and powerful
yes, it was also a powerful landscape…have a fun day Beth ~ hugs hedy🤗🌸
I can see where Maslow (or ‘Buddha’ if you prefer) is coming from in terms of self-motivation towards effort for change – which is what he was writing about – but while society, communities, institutions and other organisations consist of individuals acting together I don’t think they well reflect the responsibilities of the individuals who constitute them.
In fact the more people involved in an organisation or movement the less their senses of individual responsibility influence outcomes. In part it’s compromises to work in tandem with others who might not have identical senses of responsibility, in part it’s the ‘bystander effect’ where people abdicate their individual responsibility to that of the crowd, but mostly it’s the structural and organic demands of the organisation asserting itself against its own members.
So you’ll get vision submerged by solidarity and demand for change compromised by the need for stability (especially financial stability, as anyone who has belonged to an externally funded NGO can tell you). The behaviour of the group is emergent rather than reflecting the accumulated motives of its members.
So if you want a group to work towards change, rather than seek to perpetuate and entrench the conditions that cause it to flourish as a group, you have to pay a lot of attention to the social ‘ecology’ in which it operates, how it’s structured and encouraging actionable feedback as to whether it’s meeting the goals and responsibilities of its members.
☺️thanks ·neurodrooling*…for your comments appreciated…well I got this Buddha quote from page 89 “1400 Lessons from The 14th Dalai Lama”…buddhas always have lots to say right,🤓I read Maslow as about where we are positioned…so I trouble basic concepts, such as the needs for self–esteem and self–actualization as they are accepted without question🤓…not sure what motivates humans these days🤷♀️and not sure how any of these theories work currently…but I do imagine☺️so in this post my mind was here on Alberta’s climate change policy framework…coal…and seeing the other side of Wabamun Lake…knowing I don’t trust our UPC government.
sending joyful thoughts of good things ~ hedy
Fantastic industrial landscape and words.
it was a space I wanted to see…learned more along the way…it’s good to cross the tracks…surreal with the weather and size of the buildings…have a good day Alex ~ hugs over the pond🤗☀️
Each of us is made up of 50 trillion cells all working together to enable us to think and to act. It is not too difficult to imagine that 8 billion humans are also connected, but somehow are not able to work together 🙏
Right Ashley…probably not surprising…small groups maybe 🙃🙂🤓sending you joy hedy💫
My thoughts drive my vessel. What happens in a crowd is not the result
of any decisions that I make. I simply look in a mirror to see myself.
brilliant work Hedy. hugs, Eddie
☺️🤓wisdom dear Eddie ~ sending hugs and joy💫
Happy Spring Equinox dear heart
In these times it’s interesting to see how some people withdraw and embrace their individuality .. with some energetic ego edge. Others open their hearts and try to find that common illumination and connection, but may loose boundaries. There is no right or wrong, but this is a time to observe how we are reacting or responding to the international world events. I’m calling it an In Between Time.
Nice Val🤓☺️makes sense in between time 👌 sending you joy💟✝️🕉hedy
Powerful set! Alleen=Al Een.. Alone=All One.. See you, Hedy! 🙂
☺️🤓ahhhh yes I’ve been told I’m alien😉🙃🙂Al Een👽sending joy hedy💫
Great shots, very moody and dystopian!
Right…very much that sort of feeling indeed🤓appreciated Stevie ~ sending joy hedy💫
AMAZING PICTURES HEDY AND WISE WORDS.. 💖💖🌻
🙏appreciated Cindy…always curious for me to see these spaces…and what lies next to them🤓have a joyful day ~ hugs hedy💛💙🤗
You’re most welcome dear one and for us to. xoxo 💖💖🌻🙏
Indeed. An effort. That’s the basis of democracy ain’t it? One vote doesn’t matter, millions do.
Not sure where Maslow’s pyramid fits in. (A comment above) I’ve used it in market research. It is useful in relation with Socio-economic levels in a third world country such as Mexico. But there are limitations to his framework.
Thanks for the post Hedy. 🙏🏻
not sure what his framework was intended for but for sure it’s used in many sectors…millions of votes matter I agree Brian 🤓
Not sure either, but since it is a classification of needs, it’s been used extensively in Marketing.
Millions of votes… Sigh. For the first time in my life I am considering not voting in the next Presidential election in France. Not one single worthy candidate… Damn.
PS. You and your reader got me thinking. There is a growing loss of responsibility in the West. Apathy some say. Maybe your reader is right: the more involved the less responsible?
Or, I think Democracy is in peril by its own success? Electors in the West have gotten used to delegate responsibility to more or less “efficient” and “honest” politicians whom we designate every 5 or 5 years to “take care of business” and not bother us with details…
Problem is, are those politicians still as honest and efficient as before? Shouldn’t we get more involved instead of delegating everything?
🤔
I don’t know anymore Brian…the words of my father can haunt me “you never know when someone knocks on your door”…it can all be gone”…not sure who is in and who is out…feels uncertain to me…I’ve deleted news as much as possible…my heart feels tender and heavy these days…sigh, imagine a different world I do🤓🕊hugs hedy
Your father was right. (Was he/are you jewish?) I’ve lived in many countries where that has happened. Cambodia was one. Ethiopia. Just to name a few. In fact almost all the countries I lived in (except Holland, France) ended up in bloodbaths…
News? I don’t watch TV anymore, but I still read the French news. As a way to keep ties with the old country… Though I’m not sure I understand them anymore…
A heavy heart? Yes. I think of Stefan Zweig.
Then I think Peace comes after war… Complicated thought.
“Spring” is coming. (Better phrase than “winter is coming”, right?)
Hugs back
I’m Dutch and we had Jewish relatives and I remember a few stories my father told me about hiding family under the floor boards😰😩he didn’t talk much about it…I’m sure there was a great deal of trauma fro him as a little boy…he just taught me a lot about not taking democracy fro granted…and yes I’m not sure about *who* wants to rule humans…I’m just don’t know anymore Brian…democracy is complex not sure it was ever meant for such large groups of humans…I also stay in touch with my Dutch cousins…and yes the rhythm of seasons does certainly seem to be certain and we only get 4 months of warm…I’m disliking being here very much these days😒maybe I need a nap…thanks for cheering me up☺️🙏🌸🕊
Our parents did not talk so much about the war did they?
And your father was right. Democracy is not for granted. (See Trump in the US or Zemmour in France)
I also agree that democracy in Athens meant about 30-40,000 “citizens” and more than 100 000 “Ilots” (slaves). So for millions? We might need additional mechanisms.
If I recall, you wanted to travel March last year. It may be time to think about it again this year, in a couple of months?
Naps are good. I always take a short one after lunch. Lie down, read a little, nap a bit, and revive…
🤗
☺️and brand new 24 hours…I do try daily mediation🧘
That is a good discipline. I’m lousy at that. I should change my ways…
I try my best…I’m also lame some days🙄
it’s all right. We are all entitled to Lameness from time to time… 😉🤗