Today the world rejoices because Barack Obama, a man of humble origins has become the first African American President of the United States. Beating all odds, and doing politics using the philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry. This philosophy of doing, and living, rather than negating, is resonating with communities across the globe.
It must have been really mind-blowing for the philosophers of the Enlightenment to share their thoughts, to engage in heated discussions, and notice how their theories turned to trends, and how these trends turned to movements that helped shape the world we live in today. Granted, many of our daily actions don’t seem to relate directly to the Enlightenment’s thinkers, but our current behaviors are, however, constructed directly upon their shoulders. What we do, and who we are today, relates to the people who felt so passionately about something, and felt they had to spread the word. These people were often imprisoned because of how radical or uncommon their ways seemed to their peers. Now, we see these philosophers as wise men, responsible for today’s advances in Science and Freedom. And in fact, people often quote them as sources of wisdom, even though they disagree with their philosophies.
It is with the same intensity as Voltaire, or Descartes, that I write to you today, with the absolute excitement of sensing a new system take shape. This system is rich, hopeful, and filled with colors. It consists of individuals taking responsibility for their actions, joining communities, and using emerging tools of communication to create truly democratic organizations. It is today that I see how, as birds who fly together perfectly in sync, we the people can become a giant organism capable of making informed decisions that can lead us to a better tomorrow. For the first time in a long time, we see the patterns of the future take shape today.
This organic society is one in which educated citizens are connected enough to take direct and immediate action when faced with life’s adversities. This system encloses many smaller systems of alternative living, that make each other stronger by supporting the one that’s next to them. Because of this, we see the birth of Appreciative Inquiry.
Appreciative Inquiry is a relatively recent terminology composed of two words: “appreciative” implies positive affirmation, while “inquiry” refers to questioning, to investigate and explore. In other words, this new system is one of positive questioning, which leads to positive action. The thought of such system in which humans are capable of improvement and cooperating with each other in respect has defeated previous ideas of militant action or unilateral dynamics as being the means to perform any social change. It takes away the previous sense of helplessness that a growing world had upon it’s everyday citizens.
What Appreciative Inquiry does is consider social structures to, not only be alive, but also be a source of infinite constructive capacity. This is very close to a true grassroots movement, in which governments and businesses mirror the actions and lives of regular people, who in turn lead extraordinary lives. Obama winning the presidency of the United States today shows a shift into a world of appreciate inquiry. This world places action, and personal responsibility ahead of negative thinking, problem-focused philosophies, and the politics of fear. In this world, one “no,” equals two “yes”; negation means only affirmation. So, a true “no” can only be expressed by lack of action, while a “yes” correlates with action.
Examples of Appreciative Inquiry:
1. Communities that, regardless of the government’s inertia, and the private sector’s sabotage, have emerged into being leaders in the development of alternative fuel and energy.
2. Communities that focus in organic farming, and in bringing those products to their neighbors. Training people’s palettes so they appreciate natural products. Also, bringing back honor to the manual art of caring for the Earth.
3. Individuals who are connected with all things DIY. Basically, these people are regular folks who feed that flame that inspires their peers. They are everywhere. They come from all classes, ages, religions, sexual orientations, race, and gender. These people are that little tipping point that shift the mentalities of everyday individuals. They are the arteries that feed the organs of this grassroots movements.
4. Communities of artists who think outside of the box. These artists use different mediums to create dialogs that inspire both pleasure and change. They see art as a powerful medium that can be used for therapeutic purposes, and also as a ways to connect with the spiritual.
5. Communities of scientists who challenge the establishment and find themselves able to spread their results faster, and with less censorship thanks to the Internet. They are the ones who experiment, who try to look for alternative sources of fuel, organic medicine, and technological systems, bringing with them a different ideology that challenges the previous stigmas science once carried.
6. Companies that try to take a stance against the status quo by taking risky decisions, and letting their progressive views show. It is true that they do it in part to drive sales, but the exposition these companies give to movements turns out to be quite beneficial in shifting ethos of people who aren’t as connected to their communities. It is companies that have an eye on the latest trends that can reach disconnected individuals.
We all must take part in these organisms that drive the world to the future, because apathy can only breed tyranny; lack of passion for information will only take people one step backward; and lack of culture will only turn us into “literal” rather than “figurative” beings. Literal people cannot understand satire, irony, metaphors, or other expressions of human intelligence that distinguish us from most animals. We must know our history, and not try to stick line-by-line to the words our ancestors spoke; It is important though to be inspired by those words, and to interpret those teachings in their historical context. They will aid us shape our new philosophies that are relevant to our times. What will be the progress the future brings? We do not know. But what we do know is this… The closer we come to respecting each other and allowing communities their autonomy to exist with dignity is key to a bright future.
Lets not forget the feminists in the 90s who would say: “The personal is political, and the political is personal.” So today, lets get political. Today, let us get personal.
Doggone it.
-Alex
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