Hello all
Dick Wolff hit the nail on the head in his post about"genuine" personal
mastery is not found by looking for who's got wealth and power. I've run
across a lot of variations on the theme (and theologic systems) connecting
health/wealth with some kind of achievement or goodness.
I've observed that some of the truly effective individuals - who make a
genuine difference in the world-are most often not noticed by the rest of
us. Have you noticed that when famous individuals are interviewed, and
asked "who influenced you the most-toward your success?" these people will
often describe a teacher or mentor that no one has ever heard of that
worked in some low key job, or way that had that rare combination of
wisdom or insight, personal example, and the ability to stir to action.
My own mentors list includes a very obscure (and if measured by the wealth
indicator-a real dud financially) ditch digger who had a passion for
bicycles, cars and airplanes, and who taught me to think of the mechanical
systems in a wholistic way, that allows me to slip right into the "Senge"
style systems thinking discussions with ease. He was a good friend, and
he helped teach me how to think. He made a difference-and he will never
appear in who's who.
Personal Mastery is a wholistic concept. Wealth is a very specific and
focused thing. I use the "renaissance man" as a model of personal
mastery. My picture is of a person fluent in both the technical /
scientific arts as well as the artistic/spiritual dimmension, and who can
think well beyond the moment or immediate situation that person finds
themself in. If I should become such a person, I don't feel that money or
fame should follow-and in fact could become quite an obstical to achieving
or maintaining that kind of mastery and could have me participating in a
very narrow and socially dangerous way to be (wealthy people are often in
control or seriously effect other peoples lives... If wealth is their
driver, then a price is placed on human things that should never have a
price placed on them.)
I agree whole heartedly with Dick- having a set of skills that get
money-is not the whole show by a long shot.
Thanks Dick
later...
Michael Erickson
sysengr@atc.boeing.com
On Tue, 23 Jul 1996, Dick Wolff wrote:
> Replying to LO8602 --
> Gary Scherling writes :
>
> > We all have to learn how -to achieve Personal Mastery-, and I'll
> > pose this question, how do you learn how? Where do you go? Who do you
> > seek out? The people who have already acheived it.
> > ... If they truly have achieved Personal Mastery, you'll find them in
> > 'Who's Who?" , and they will be wealthy.
--clip--
> I'm sorry, but this, frankly, is naive nonsense of a peculiarly American
> type. It is also dangerous. Most of the great religions have been
> concerned with 'Personal Mastery' for over a thousand years, and I cannot
> think of one that associates worldly wealth and fame with it....
--clip--
> The idea that God favours the spiritually successful with material wealth
> is a rather obscure variation of some Calvinist theology which just
> happens to have provided a theological undergirding for the exploitation
> of North America by Protestant European settlers....
--clip--
> The reason it is dangerous is because it sets material wealth up as an
> indicator of "success" in Personal Mastery.
--clip--
> The "Personal Mastery", in this case, means nothing more than personal
> mastery of the market capitalist system.
--clip--
> The personal mastery *I* seek is that which enables us to overcome the
> dangerous inadequacies of this System, not one that enables me to profit
> from it!
> --
> Revd Dick Wolff
> Mission Enabler to the Wessex Province of the United
> Reformed Church
--Michael Erickson <sysengr@atc.boeing.com>
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