Forgiveness is a powerful healer.

I know I am not alone in feeling so very saddened by the apparent disregard some humans have (one would hope only a tiny minority) for other creatures that share our environment. The recent slaughter of seals on the Kaikoura coast leaves the vast majority (I hope) incredulous that anyone could kill so many (over 20 and counting) so cruelly and for no apparent reason.

Wild creatures going about their business already have to live the best they can whilst we influence their environments and sometimes even destroy them completely for our own benefit. Most don't have the capacity to adapt to change as fast as we do. "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change." Charles Darwin.

Companion animals like dogs, cats and many others too serve humans in an exchange every animal lover values deeply. To cut off a puppy's ears with sissors or to burn a dog alive in it's kennel as happened in Tauranga recently too must surely be a sign of ignorant people who have no understanding or awareness of the responsibility they have that goes hand in hand with freedom to choose their actions. Our visceral anger and the upset this behaviour has evoked is a great sign from my view. The emotions are indicative of the affront to our values as a society. Our outrage probably won't transform the perpetrators though. Do you think they can even care what we think and feel?

Whilst our responses to each other's actions help us define or confirm what we personally believe and value, we must acknowledge that it is parents and caregivers that are raising our children, raising the seedling children that will one day have the power to deliberately choose their own actions in life. Clearly some are growing up without the necessary brain connections that come from the healthy attachments that create deeply embedded connections in our developing brain. These form the foundations of our capacity for empathy, respect and compassion in our psychology. Maybe these people are conforming to some other driver - peer pressure, twisted logic or some other unfathomable motivation. If so, they won't be feeling too good about themselves and what they have done. If it was funny at the time I bet it isn't now. If they were egged on by others maybe now they are wondering at their actions. I truly hope so because if they are they can change, make different choices.

We humans make mistakes. Period. We also learn fastest by imitation. When we know these things and accept them - like Emma Woods did when her 4 year old was run over in front of her - we can make a choice that uplifts us and minimises suffering. Woods has been named NZ Herald New Zealander of the year - because she forgave the young driver who killed her son. Her demonstration to us all of the power of forgiveness and her acknowledgement that it is simply the way that has worked for her, is powerful testimony to emotional maturity and conscious awareness in the face of the worst heart and gut wrenching experience.

How tragic the people who walk a path of cruelty and the relationship with life that goes with that. It can't be pleasant deep down. Imagine having to live with yourself knowing you had killed those seals or harmed those dogs. We have likely all made choices we came to regret, especially in our youth.

I guess its up to us to realise we can choose in any moment to use those choices, who we have become and what we have experienced as a platform to stand on going forward - to redeem ourselves and find our way to our own blossoming - even if the growth comes as a result of our own worst mistakes and choices.

Forgiveness is a powerful healer. Whilst our behaviour can be deemed inexcusable at times, our forgiveness can melt the hardest hearts and repair damaged souls. Thank you Emma Woods for showing the way.

And that's it, from my view.
Amanda

The birth of a ‘Super City’ - an evolutionary view on the positive potential of a community

The new Auckland ‘Supercity’ entity, birthed after a long and sometimes contentious gestation is loaded with positive potential. It is uncoordinated yet - just like a newborn and the quality of ‘parenting’ it gets in these early days will set the course for a generation (and more).

Those who voted and those who didn’t have in truth co-created the team that will lay the foundations and facilitate the unfolding future of the Auckland region. Everyone of voting age is responsible for who will now serve the community going forward - we have expressed ourselves. If we are truly to take responsibility for our choices, the consequences are now ours to keep. For better or worse, the new team is now in place and the accelerated evolution of the Auckland region has begun. There is a great mix of talent, experience, knowledge, skills and passion present in abundance on the new council, along with youthful exhuberance that will hopefully have the courage to call a spade a spade when crusty old thinking threatens to inhibit wisdom based progress.

Like cells joining together to create a whole new more complex and cooperative system (as life has done countless times from the very beginning), we in the Auckland region have the chance to see ourselves in a fresh new light, to expand our identity - led by the new council. Just like the great Kiwi traveller who begins with identifying with a small area of the country, once overseas we relate to the whole - we are Kiwi’s. If we were far out in space our nations would dissolve and we would become earthlings - members of a whole species living on one home planet. This expanded view of ourselves as Aucklanders is something we must come to grips with going forward - even as we rightly retain our smaller community identities and sub cultures. Let’s have decision making based in wisdom and forethought and what is sustainable and good for the whole instead of scrapping over the parts. Those who fear the ‘loss’ of local community identity are missing the chance to not only retain and enhance that identity but to connect, coordinate and collaborate with other ‘sibling’ communities and see ourselves as one family expressing all parts fully, being MORE of who we are, not less.

Anyone who has had the joy of being part of a truly high performing team knows that the key to success is all about robust relationships and alignment on a common purpose, vision and values. A skilled team of champions doesn’t often win over an equally skilled champion team - the joy that isn’t shared gets lonely too. The quality of relationships in our new council team will lay the foundations for relations with all the other players: Iwi, central Government, the CCO’s, Community Boards, the people, and other life forms that live here. There is right now a genuine opportunity to model what excellent teamwork in community looks like and what is possible as a result. And therein lies the evolutionary challenge of the new council - to quickly align as a united team and to grow through any individual limitations. The current ‘moment’ of opportunity is potent!

Call me Pollyanna but I see a wonderfully attractive future potential of One Auckland flourishing, and serving the whole country in that.

I believe in the new teams’ capacity to engage in the process. They are now forever the first ‘One Big Auckland’ Council. Their legacy is in their hands and hearts and heads - the spirit of a united region is what they will seed, set on its way towards a future we can only dream about now...

If this council can align on a common purpose, vision and values it will have a better foundation than many countries and by understanding the transformative process itself, they will be much better equipped to serve the community. If council can demonstrate its’ willingness to find the truly collaborative ‘super council’ inside them as a team, it will be easier for the community to understand, support and cooperate with the process simply because it will be clearly in the interests of everyone to do so. This has both individual and collective components - personal and group transformation. Yep - call me Pollyanna but I see this as our positive potential. We are the species that can choose our own destiny - we can consciously respond to our environment.

Mine is not unlike many visions of a better future but the signposts to it that I am seeing point to a path that is profoundly challenging and utterly compelling at once. Willingness to grow as individuals and as team is at the heart of it all.

The new council leadership team with Len Brown and Penny Hulse at the helm have a range of great gifts around the table that can compliment their own. Their faciltation skills will be needed to harness and shepherd the talented ‘starter pack‘ they have been gifted to work with. I for one believe that between them, with the support of each other, their loved ones and a decent bunch of us backing them up, they absolutely have a shot at co-creating something very special. There certainly seems to be a clear intent to unite.

Change is challenging, exciting and can be as stimulating as hell if it is well understood and communicated about. Sure we will all need to let go of some things in order for the new to emerge - just like pruning a fruit tree, but that shouldn’t worry us, if we understand what is happening and that’s why effective communication with the community will be vital.

The One Auckland example reflects the wider challenge we face in today’s New Zealand and the world at large. If we can foster individual brilliance and collective teamwork we can set a wonderful example for others to follow - this is what true leadership is all about - modeling the way. Yes - the community has birthed a baby with unlimited potential - one that can (if we cooperate) grow us as we grow it, towards a more co-creative future worthy of our greatest aspirations!

May the new council transform our address to One Auckland - Planet earth. A universal destination, a source of inspiration, a true model of collective leadership in human affairs - one that calls forth the very best of our natures and our individual and collective genius.

My view is an ideal, a personal dream on the level of dynamics - and - if we even lumbered slightly in that direction, meeting the challenges and seeing them as the grit that makes pearls rather than something to avoid, we would manifest our dreams whatever they may be, and enhance our quality of Life. Politicing and power struggles are handbrakes - we have a chance to do things differently so here’s hoping the chance is grasped with all hands! Remember Pollyanna did manage to melt the stingiest heart - eventually.

And that’s it, from my view.
Amanda

The 'Why' of joining sites like 'Linked in'

Don’t know about you but I am feeling the world hoofing it ahead of my current technical skills and understanding. I am 51 years old, passionate about my life and work (same thing really) in the domain of the ‘conscious evolution’ potential of our species and I am rapidly realising I need to learn to embrace a new type of relationship, one I have only ever been on the fringes of. I’m calling it ‘the e-rel’ and it spans the spectrum between the most superficial of connections, to the deepest ‘soul connection’ with those you may never ever meet in person, yet deeply connect with via a passion or interest you share. Cyber space relationships are creating many many opportunities on many many levels - the ones that interest me are those we can use for the purpose of being part of the conversations and actions that are shaping our world.

‘Linked in’ for example is a platform to join groups and observe or participate in conversations that interest you - for the purpose of learning new things and connecting with like minds - and hearts. It is a platform that has primarily been used as a recruiting tool but is fast becoming the professional person’s networking site. It gives people a place to play and practise and learn from others and there is so much to learn! It’s pretty easy to get started - just google ‘linked in’ and from there you can join groups in your areas of interest. I hope you will want to ‘link’ with me there as well!

So go get some learning - locally or via the net, or on a course if you like group learning. Do what works for you - there are some great resources on the internet in video and audio as well as written form. Do what works for you. But do it. Even if you are hanging on by your fingernail (like I often feel), at least you are in the game. We have such huge potential as a species - let’s get the best of our natures working in alignment!

And that’s it, from my view.
Amanda

The Uncommon Path: Awakening the Wisdom within

Amanda has recently finished Mick Quinn’s excellent book "The Uncommon Path". It is a truly growth promoting offering for the serious student of higher learning. Mick Quinn, Irish-born author of Amazon #1 Bestseller - The Uncommon Path; 2009 WINNER - National Best Books Award - Spirituality. Website: www.mickquinn.com.

Check it out here >>

When the Collective gets a bee in its bonnet about something

It is fascinating to me to track what happens when the Collective gets a bee in its bonnet about something. When a nagging feeling spreads, if there’s legs on the issue, if there is an integrity involved that stirs us deeply and nudges consciousness along, it multiplies...when the matter is unresolved it won’t just go away. Take the case of baby twins Chris and Cru Kahui who were killed in June 2006. The collective integrity senses there is something deeply troubling about a group of adults closing ranks and protecting themselves when a terrible terrible thing has occured - two innocent babies, victims of the ones they were most dependent on to protect them are dead. To date the case remains unsolved, largely because no-one in the family will talk about what they know about what happened to Chris and Cru. How could this happen? How could something so disturbing be allowed to occur? How can the adults be protected at the expense of justice for the babies we wonder?

Surely we all know deep down that rearing humans is the most vitally important job on the planet. It is sacred work. To take on the responsibility of shaping a new centre of consciousness, a human child, is a mighty privledge (one I never had the guts to step up to), and a huge repsonsibility in truth - one we can take on from an infinite range of possibilites and styles, and it takes no particluar state of awareness to procreate. There are basic essentials that seem to contribute to the Whole Health of a child and they are pretty obvious. Things like a safe environment, loving care givers, loving interaction, attachment, structure and routine, emotionally mature parents and so on. The form these environments take can be in all sorts of weird and wonderful permutations - still with the basics intact. It doesn’t need to be perfect - we all need a little adversity to build our resilence and equip us for life in the world, and parenting is certainly an ‘on the job training’ experience. Humans are at their most vulnerable when they are babies - they are completely dependant and they stay that way for longer than any other species. They rely on others to provide what they need and they have only the basics in terms of communicating what those needs are. They are also pretty robust when you think about how powerful the life force in a baby really is.

The nature of us too is that we are brilliant learners and we learn fastest through imitation. If we grow up in an abusive environment we will either perpetuate (adapt) or rebel against (break the patterns) of our foundation learning. Whether we grow to repeat the past or break free from it - we all seem to do a little of both along the way as we become equipped to find our own way in Life.

It will be a fascinating study to observe the Kahui dynamic as it evolves. Someone is responsible for two baby’s deaths. The people who know what happened are keeping silent. Money has now been introduced - contributed by a wider community who stands for the innocent children (or maybe is hell bent on bringing the ‘criminals’ to justice from a righteous place inside) - the community integrity is activated and it is spreading. There is a will for the pressure of money, to crack through to the truth. Will greed overcome whatever is maintaining the silence? Will someone out there be exploring their minds right now for how they could justify to themselves that it is now ‘right’ to tell the truth and collect? Are they bargaining inside to come up with a figure that would allow them do it - that would be ‘enough’? And if one is thinking this way, maybe others are as well - and will that provoke competition for who can get to the money first - a gamble to get the money - loyalty now out the window in an effort to ‘save one’s own skin’? Or will none of that matter and the truth will stay buried? Will the threat of it all coming tumbling down be enough to unite the players in this awful drama?

Yes it will be fascinating to see how this completes - I get the sense this matter will not rest until it is resolved. How can it?

When I attempt to move beyond my own sense of rights and wrongs and judgements that are pretty compelling and I attempt to make my own meaning of the deaths of those children (and so many others who have suffered and still suffer at the hands of terrible abuse), children who were and are part of my wider community as New Zealanders, when I look with evolutionary eyes, I can see only that they were and are angel children who gave their lives that we might open our hearts a little more, that we might learn something important - about ourselves. Those two souls, born into that family were and remain a gift to the whole whanau, and to all of us if we care enough, if we let it matter to us that there are people out there not well enough equipped to manage the sacred role of nurturing and growing baby humans, not mature enough to accept responsibility for their actions.

In my view it is inhumane to perpetuate the hate and derision for those who do not have the resources to do things differently. If the solution to child abuse is to build more prisons to house the perpetrators, are we not being deluded if we think this actually works to lessen or eliminate the problem? Doesn’t that just salve some part of us that wants retribution without dealing with cause? In my view the solution lies in education.

The current mentality - the punative response - seems to only breed more violence and hate and resentment - every which way we look. When we humans make mistakes and feel attacked (even if we ‘deserve it’), we can find it too hard to ‘own’ those mistakes and we instinctually defend instead. Who hasn’t defended themselves against the uncompromising nature of the truth at some time in their lives? We deny, justify, rationalise, attack and otherwise do psychological gymnastics in an attempt to suppress our conscience.

I can only feel compassion for the ones who carry this burden of knowing what they have done (and maybe continue to do), in the face of the visceral hatred of a community that supposedly knows better. It takes awareness of wrong doing to own up and face the music. It takes courage to be aware and own up in the face of one’s own fear of the response (in the Kahui case it would no doubt be the rejection of a whole country). How much courage and humility would one need to acknowledge what you know, live with yourself and feel the full force of community derision? I bet that family think of those babies every single day - how could they not?

Damage done, too late now to change it so how about spending the next multi-million dollar prison budget on educating parents and would-be parents en mass, assisting them to grow through their own unresolved pasts so they model something new to the next generation. There are brilliant organisations out there with the programmes that could really help that could reach so many more if they had the resources. If we want to stop the problem rather than create employment for more under-resourced prison officers and social workers, we are the ones who need to face the music and stop being distracted by seeking out who is to blame. It’s our community - it’s our responsibility. We all do our best with the resources we have, so let’s stop judging others for not having the resources we think they should have, and provide those resources in ways that are easy to access, hold no stigma, and learn from the deaths of all the abused babies - make their tiny lives meaningful, let them help us co-create stronger more healthy communities. All it would take is the vision of a new possibility and the will to make it manifest in our community.

And that’s it, from my view.
Amanda

Consciousness is expanding all over the planet

Consciousness is expanding all over the planet - we are waking up to our potential to profoundly influence our experience in numbers we have never seen before and its happening really fast. The shackles of dominator structures are falling, the systems that maintain the masses as powerless victims are crumbling.

Cconsciously evolving ourselves as individuals, communities, nations and as a planet beats swapping time for money in a thing called a job any day! Conscious evolution is the most exciting, stimulating and satisfying adventure in town. It’s a transformation from the old ideas of victim consciousness, powerlessness and suffering. It fosters great communication and relating to others, wonderfully exciting teamwork and purposeful, meaningful leadership. Visions everywhere are becoming more and more life affirming, meaningful and uplifting....we live in such exciting times!

Surrender the old and outmoded and get with the programme....the future is a moment away and we can all co-create it together - we are already so why not be part of a future you feel excited about - not just for yourself but for the whole planet? And why wait for a crisis to push us to it - we can tune in and co-operate with the impulses inside us in ways that help us survive...or we can co-operate with the flow, really go for it and thrive...one view has its roots in fear and one has its roots in love. Which I wonder would give us an evolutionary advantage? If you want an example to study how this is operating at a national level there are probably few as profound as Rwanda right now...so recently a nation in turmoil, the people have lived through incredible pain and suffering and are now a nation largely united, on the road to reconciliation and healing, and forging their way to a new tomorrow. Watch that space. Go Rwanda!

Natural disasters bring out the best in us

Call me ignorant but does anyone else find it weird the way natural disasters bring out the best in us - the world unites to help survivors rebuild their lives with the massive mobilisation of resources and logistics support - even as somewhere else on the planet - many places in truth - there are people from the same countries willfully killing and destroying the lives and property of others in the name of war - only to have to use even more precious resource to help them rebuild again? Surely this is madness? How can it be that innocent people are killed in a war and it’s called ‘unfortunate‘ (followed often by an apology at a political level) and yet all over the world we are so touched by the miracle of an 8 year old boy and his 10 year old sister surviving eight days trapped in a building (and what a victory for hope that was!).

Our Humanity drives us to keep searching and hoping and praying and fighting to help one child live... whilst we destroy other children, other desperate innocent children in places where there is conflict over who has the ear of the real God, who has resources coveted by others, who are bonafide humans, who owns bits of the planet and so on. What a species! We have the knowledge and awareness and power and ability to create another way for ourselves, to consciously evolve, yet we still get stuck in religious, political, cultural, egoic bogs that inhibit us and even threaten our own demise. I know, I know ‘it’s complicated’ and I just don’t understand the realities of the global village....maybe none of us do. All the more reason to pursue real solutions to our problems.

Haiti has suffered an utterly devastating and catastrophic earthquake. I have blogged before about my vision of transforming the ‘armed services’ into simply ‘The Services‘ - highly organised professionals from all over the world who can be mobilised at short notice to go where they are needed and provide food and water, shelter, medical aid and infrastructure support, along with empathy and compassion and emotional support. I predict we are going to need more capacity for responding to large scale natural disaster as (especially) storms and floods occur as a result of climate change (regardless of what is causing it). Surely we have enough on our plates to manage without adding war to the mix? We still don’t have everyone on the planet fed, housed and educated by a long shot. Wouldn’t people serving in ‘The Services‘ get more job satisfaction from saving lives and empowering people and communities rather than destroying them?

As help flows more effectively to survivors in Haiti and they begin to rally and support each other in their grief; as time ticks by creating some space from the shock, death and destruction, the stories of community unification are now emerging out of the chaos. Haiti faces a new reality and will adjust to it in time - the people are a lot tougher and more resilient than perhaps we might be given a similar event here in New Zealand. And, unlike the massive earthquakes in Pakistan and China in recent times, we are up close and personal with Haiti because every news agency seems to be there with cameras - we are having a CNN survivor reality TV show - the media is doing its ‘media thing’ and we seem to be addicted.

Haiti’s earthquake is a teacher for us all. The question is, are we willing learners? What would happen if we had to deal with a ‘biggie’? Are we ready? Info for Kiwis is at www.getthru.govt.nz - check out your own local authorities plans and information. If it doesn’t give you the info you need contact them and ask for it. We may never need to put our plan into action...and...be like a girl/boy scout and be organised at least minimally for a crisis - that is what real ‘insurance‘ is - conscious preparedness for the worst scenario without obsessing and living in fear of ‘what if...’. I call it being practical and sensible and taking personal responsibilit.

I find myself personally challenged by Haiti to consider how I can contribute in an emergency rather than assuming I will be a victim someone else will have to take care of. We can all do our bit to be as ‘sorted’ as we can so the resources can be deployed where they are really needed in a crisis - for the young, the old and the vulnerable.

Returning to Haiti, there are certainly plenty of ways you can help, - one organisation is www.Avaaz.org. Avaaz is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in Ottawa, London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Buenos Aires, and Geneva. To support the people of Haiti via Avaaz go to: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_haiti.

I stand with the millions all over the world who are holding the people of Haiti in our hearts as they navigate thier way through this devastation.