The Paradigm Shift

                                                                    
                         Paradigm Shift                                  
  Values or Beliefs That If Internalized Would Change My Life Profoundly 
                                                                         
     The Old Paradigms                Alternative New Paradigms          
                                                                         
                                                                         
I must find ways to express my    My call is evident when I find it &    
gift. I must find my call, my     it is confirmed by my community        
"bliss".                                                                 
                                                                         
I need to know about what kind    Love is most profound and easy to      
of people I am compatible with.   create when I recognize it as my       
I will find or create love when   ability to create joy, or comfort,     
I find a good prospect. Love      or delight in another person.  If      
emerges best when one finds       love is alive in me I will have        
someone who meets one's needs.    opportunities for sharing it.          
                                                                         
Good works & charity are an       Mission is an essential part of my     
important part of our lives.      spirituality.  My life will be less    
Remember "there but for the       if I am not engaged at the point of    
grace of God go I".  Compassion   need of my brothers (neighbors).       
is an important part us.                                                 
                                                                         
I need to be loved & affirmed     I am loved and I am affirmed through   
by someone who meets my           faith and through community.  Because  
criteria of what sort of person   love and affirmation are within me,    
I will accept love and            I share them easily with others.  The  
affirmation from.  Sex, praise,   richer that love is within me, the     
and inter-dependance are very     more easily I share it.  The more open 
important in love & affirmation.  I am to community and to forgiveness,  
                                  the more I will experience love and    
                                  affirmation.                           
                                                                         
It is essential that we be        The concept of self-sufficiency is an  
self-sufficient.  Give            illusion.  We cannot be, and the       
importance to the attitudes       reality is that our conections with    
and skills that will ensure       others and with the planet run so deep 
your self-sufficiency.            that it is only meaningful to consider 
                                  ourselves in the context of community. 
                                                                         
When I am threatened, I need to   When I perceive a threat in this       
protect myself, returning the     world that is filled with pain and     
hostility is usually my first     longing, it probably doesn't need to be
instinct, but there are probably  a threat.  How can I depersonalize it  
better ways.  We need to learn    and understand it and decide if or how 
effective ways for protection.    I wish to respond to it?               
                                                                         
My relationships live in          My ability to engage relationship      
concentric circles in terms of    rests in my ability to be present to   
how close they are to me.         relationship.  Shared language, values,
Marriage (or boy-friend or        experiences, personal compatibility,   
girl-friend) and family are       and admiration are often ways we talk  
first. Friends, school, church,   about relationship, but the only       
work, & neighbors are outer       requirement for relationship is being  
rings that are also important.    present for it now while it is         
We need to learn how to do a      happening.  No matter what shared      
good job in all these areas       language, values, experiences,         
while keeping a good perspective  compatibility, or admiration we have,  
on these priorities.  Keeping     relationship will deteriorate if we    
alert to shared values and        are not present to it in an authentic  
compatibility in choosing         way.                                   
friends is helpful.                                                      
                                                                         
To communicate with someone       To communicate with someone            
means                             means                                  
to express yourself with them     to listen to them                      
and also to listen to them.       and also to express yourself with them.
Cherish a good listener           I often forget to listen well.  If I   
when you find one. You'll grow    were a good listener, the quality of   
thru expression of yourself.      my conversations would improve.        
                                                                         
We go to school to get a useful   I will need to continue my learning    
education and then we begin       throughout my life.  Schooling is the  
our careers to put it to work.    platform from which my learning will   
Choose an education that can      begin.  Choose an education that can be
translate to a meaningful job.    a platform for continued learning.     
                                                                         
It is important to develop and    My life must be grounded in a clear    
keep good friends.  In tough      and positive sense of myself and in    
times we are going to be awfully  a clear identification with God,       
grateful for the dependable       or with the Universe, or whatever I    
friends we have made.             choose to call the mysteries that are  
                                  greater than I ("spirituality"). No    
                                  spouse or group of friends can possibly
                                  provide the grounding that my life will
                                  require.  But I can have richer        
                                  marriage and friendship if I am        
                                  spiritually grounded, and I will have  
                                  far more to give and far less to       
                                  require of other people if I am        
                                  spiritually grounded.                  
                                                                         
                                                                         
                         Paradigm Shift                                  
          Some Observations About How the World is Changing              
                                                                         
     The Old Paradigms                Alternative New Paradigms          
                                                                         
                                                                         
"we-they"     "win-lose"          "win-win"                              
                                                                         
The earth is the basis of our     We must be good stewards of the earth  
sustenance.                       so that it can continue to be a basis  
                                  for sustenance.                        
                                                                         
God, the Father.                  God, the Mother.                       
                                                                         
The role of parents is to create  The role of parents is to teach        
opportunities for their children. the ability to make good choices.      
                                                                         
We must seek new values with      Resurgence of old values is needed.    
which to cope with a rapidly                                             
changing world.                                                          
                                                                         
the most important friends are    we must learn to be authentic and      
life-long friends                 present in friendships which may be    
                                  transient                              
                                                                         
Competition is the style by       Cooperation is the style by            
which we will achieve progress.   which we will achieve progress.        
                                                                         
America is a melting pot where    Diversity is inevitable & good.  New   
diverse cultures become aborbed.  image of our society is a "rich, varied
                                  tapestry, in which we weave together   
                                  the strength and wisdom of the young   
                                  and old, men and women, all races and  
                                  all classes.  We can also recognize    
                                  and offer support to the wide range of 
                                  family styles that now exist."         
                                  ("At the Crossroads")                  
                                                                         
Economy is production based.      Economy is service based.              
"industrial era"                  "communications era"                   
A person's basic task is the job. A person's basic task is learning.     
                                                                         
verbal & math intelligences       multiple types of intelligence(Gardner)
                                                                         
traditional teaching styles       new styles of teaching & learning      
                                                                         
authority based on position       authority from competence, knowledge,  
and power                         and wisdom                             
                                                                         
nationalism, identification       identification with our planet         
with our nation                                                          
                                                                         
Medicene repairs damage to        healthful lifestyles including diet,   
health when it occurrs.           exercize, stress management,           
                                  and mental & spiritual disciplines.    
                                  Preventive medicene.                   
                                                                         
Conflict resolution through       Legal mediation for conflict resolution
the courts.                       might be creative and even healing in  
                                  nature.                                
                                                                         
government does....               neighborhood self-help.....            
                                  public-private partnerships            
                                                                         
hierarchical management styles    participative management styles        
                                                                         
commercial banking                depositor directed banking             
                                                                         
Centralized national government.  Greater community based or market      
                                  based governance.                      
                                                                         
                                                                         
Sources: Gordon Cosby, Bob Theobald, Vincent Parmentola and others.