Summary:
== limiting language and where it comes from
== do words force fragmentation?
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Jamie,
In a message dated 96-03-01 03:05:44 EST, you write:
>. Language, while it can be very
>powerful, also has so many limitations. One is that words force
>fragmentation. If someone asked you "tell me about yourself" you would
>tell them about work, family, hobbies, friends. They are really part of
>one whole, your system. But language makes us believe that we can
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>seperate work from family and so forth. It is a potential barrier to
>creating systems thinkers.
Ooohh... this deserves a separate thread! Jamie, I'd like you to consider
that people who respond that way to the request "tell me about yourself"
are missing a key distinction that you have, in the area of... let's say
"the interconnectedness within which we find ourselves as humans." And
the language of the question and the answer are given by the
non-interconnectedness that most people experience, or believe to be true.
Perhaps there might be a way for you to ask the question, and also a way
for you to answer it if asked that is given by the distinction
"interconnectedness."
For example, in my homeland of Jamaica it's not uncommon to ask someone
"How's every (little) thing?" or "Is everything alright?", whereas here in
the US the more common question is "How are YOU?" In Jamaica, the
question is meant to be far more inclusive than "How are you?"
Will you think of a question and an answer that is given by the
distinction "interconnectedness" and then let us know what you came up
with?
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Maybe it's not that the language itself that is limiting, in terms of it
being the cause of the limitation. Maybe it's a missing distinction, and the
prevailing language is a perfect reflection of the prevailing distinctions.
If so, there's hope!
Francis
--Francis Wade Consulting 908-699-9116 fwade@aol.com 39 Sturbridge Drive 1-800-484-7402 x1098 Piscataway, NJ 08854 http://home.aol.com/FWADE --Reengineering --Coaching change agents -- Developing leaders --Transforming corporate culture
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