Segment 1: Dialogue Where There Is Division.
Our guest on this edition of The Doug Noll Show is Aakif Ahmad, co-founder and Vice President of Convergence, a non-profit, non-partisan organization “dedicated to bringing dialogue where there is division, consensus where there is conflict and solutions where there is stalemate on issues of national consequence.” Through Convergence, Aakif helps Americans and Pakistanis work together as well as Democrats and Republicans work together. He’s found that there isn’t much space for our elected officials to cooperate because they are tied to lobbyists and it is difficult to identify where common ground is possible. However, there is a shift in how people see each other when they’re able to step back from the positions for which they’ve been advocating and identify the values from which those positions come. Personal narratives begin to be articulated and they discover places where they can work together to achieve common goals. It is a patient process, and Convergence has benefitted from supporters who want to be part of something geared toward problem-solving.
Segment 2: An Inclusive and Safe Space.
One of the goals that Convergence works towards is not only to identify a framework that feels inclusive and safe for the stakeholders, but also to attain a level of creative thinking. It is through creative thinking and open dialogue folks begin to conceive of ways to work together. Even major stakeholders working on opposite sides of issues can flourish in this environment.
There is no bias on the outside of the process. Convergence looks for a series of indicators that suggests that a particular issue and the stakeholders around that issue have reached a point where the fight is no longer leading to incremental gains. Research is a large part of the process. They do a tremendous amount of research to find “ripe” issues that might find success with a different approach.
Segment 3: The U.S. and Pakistan Relationship.
Convergence has organized a series of events in Pakistan and Washington D.C. where Pakistanis and Americans with leadership roles outside of government have a chance to meet and get to know each other as groups. They talk candidly about their relationship and their hopes, dreams, concerns and fears for their countries. It is at that moment when positions evaporate and common values arise. The groups realize they can work together and that it’s not just a conversation about fear; it’s a conversation about opportunity.
Segment 4: The Momentum Continues to Grow.
There is no “one size fits all” approach, and not every issue is ripe and ready to seek an alternative approach. It’s a sincere privilege for the folks at Convergence to assist stakeholders working toward a common vision. Convergence has been around for 3 years and the momentum continues to grow. Their hope is that they can help their current stakeholders achieve the breakthroughs they are striving towards, as well be in a position to extend their services to others through continued support and resources. To learn more about Convergence, please visit their website: http://www.convergencepolicy.org/.>
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Segment 1: Our guest on this edition of The Doug Noll Show is Cindy Wigglesworth. After receiving a Master’s Degree from Duke University and spending over 20 years in Human Resources at Exxon Mobile, Cindy founded her current business, Deep Change, in 2000. She is the author of SQ21: The Twenty-One Skills of Spiritual Intelligence, and a recognized expert in the field of Spiritual Intelligence.
Cindy’s personal journey started when she spent a few years in India as a child. It was there that her interest in different cultures and ideas began. She was raised Roman Catholic but always had nagging questions like: we need to love one another but where is the practical advice about how to do that? How does this world make sense? How can we all get along? What is the purpose of life?
Cindy developed her Emotional Intelligence as an adult and then through personal research stumbled onto Spiritual Intelligence. She found that EQ and SQ were hugely important for strong leadership but no one had the ability to talk about these topics because they didn’t have the language. Emotional Intelligence as a body of literature was not available. She began by using Myers Briggs personality tests and observed how people could communicate clearly and get tasks accomplished but not be overly annoying. She began to imitate what she was seeing in order to become a more effective leader.
Segment 2:
Emotions are big part of how and why we make certain decisions. When Cindy teaches seminars on Spiritual Intelligence she asks her students: what spiritual leaders do you admire? What are the character traits that cause you to admire them? Then, once the traits are named, she asks if any of those character traits are not appropriate in the work place (no). Eventually her students learn that wisdom and compassion have to coexist for Spiritual Intelligence to be effective.
Segment 3:
The most important piece of language surrounding Spiritual Intelligence is the understanding that we have an ego self and a higher self. The ego is the normal operating system that typically runs our lives (with high drama and proneness to flight of flight), which is fine if our only objective is to stay alive. However, if we have other objectives like having a purpose or having joy in your life, the ego can get in the way. The higher self is the part of us that can calm the “drama queen” limbic system. With practice we can rewire the triggers that anger us. It takes discipline and practice, but it can change.
Segment 4:
So how do we learn a compassionate response instead of a fear response? The first step is to understand the voice of our ego and higher self, and get clear about our core values and belief systems. Then we need to be able to get ourselves “into the mind” of anyone, which is essentially being empathic. In doing so, we become profoundly aware of the interconnectivity of life. We are not solo players. When we do things there are repercussions. When we feel threatened, we contract and the ego-habituated path takes over, which doesn’t serve us. To override this response takes practice and motivation, but it is possible.
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Segment 1: The Larger Context of Peace and Love.
Our guest on this edition of The Doug Noll show is internationally acclaimed author and spiritual leader Marianne Williamson. Marianne has published ten books, many of them New York Times Best Sellers, as well as been a guest on shows such as Good Morning American, Larry King Live, Charlie Rose and Oprah. She founded Project Angel Food in Los Angeles and the Department of Peace Campaign, a grass roots campaign to establish a United States Department of Peace. Her latest project, Sister Giant (http://sistergiant.com), was created to help foster a new conversation and consciousness in American politics. Its mission is to transform the political environment in America by engaging women in politics.
Marianne grew up in a generation where the idea of spiritual and philosophical pursuits was not separate from the idea of political pursuits. She saw her political pursuits within the larger context of peace and love. Marianne’s interest in the philosophical and spiritual ideas that were so pervasive in the 70’s remained a life-long calling for her. When she read A Course in Miracles a world opened up for her, although at that point in time there was no professional niche as there is now. In time her interest in philosophy and spirituality became what she “did” full time: writing books about miracles, shifts in consciousness and the personal spiritual journey.
Segment 2: A Cancer Underlying Other Cancers.
Marianne believes that the undue influence of money on our political system is like a cancer underlying other cancers. She speaks of two important points: the United States has a 23.1% child poverty rate and we have the highest incarceration rate in any nation in the world (and in history). We spend more on prisons than on education, and there is a direct correlation.
Our job is not to try to convince others of our beliefs but to speak with greater savvy and organizational skills to those who already see the world the way we do. Those who speak with a loving tongue are not speaking loud enough. Violence is the most primitive form of conflict resolution and as long as we rely on primitive forms and not rise to more sophisticated forms we will continue to have problems.
Segment 3: Sister Giant.
The purpose of the Sister Giant event (Nov 10-11, 2012) is to reconnect our own higher philosophical and spiritual visions with the idea of serious political issues. We need to see politics within the context of the larger yearning for the evolution of the species. Marianne will be moderating and hosting the event, and guest speakers will focus on child poverty, incarceration and the Citizens United issue.
Segment 4: A Purpose Greater Than Ourselves.
Marianne believes that enlightenment is the path of the heart. The violence of the heart is behind all human suffering. Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. When the heart is open, a miraculous power flows through us and makes the universe self-organizing and self-correcting. When we are willing to heal ourselves we become used for a purpose greater than ourselves. If we learn to use that power collectively, there is no end to what we can accomplish.
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