Have you already switched the TV on today? At first sight, it is daunting and depressing what we have seen occurring around the world lately. It seems as if human beings have forgotten their values and the real purpose of life. Fundamentally, they should be guided by respect and compassion for each other, instead of selfishness and intolerance. People have been obliged to flee their countries in search of better conditions of life. Violence in big cities has jeopardized the rights of citizens to come and go. Corruption has prevented people from having access to education, health, and housing. As a consequence, people have essentially lost their self-esteem and also, in many cases, their dignity which has led them to suffering and despair. Feeling uneasy and looking for answers, in 2013 I bumped into a very special theory that made me think and realize the positive side that is hidden on the edge of chaos.
This theory is an invitation for those who are looking for a new way of thinking and dealing with current issues that have threatened social coexistence. It has helped people become aware of their highest future possibilities even when things seem to be discouraging. It has allowed them to open their minds, hearts and will towards a social shift that is about to emerge from a currently broken socioeconomic system. This theory is known as a social technology that has been wisely named as "Theory U" by its author Otto Scharmer. It has allowed people to truly reconnect with their authentic self. The one that, unfortunately, has been ignored and neglected in order to fit into a social field which has mistakenly followed the path of disorder and disrespect. But, paradoxically, the only one able to bring about fulfillment and happiness into life.
According to the author, for us to successfully access this deepest source of knowledge and inspiration, it is essential to go down on the left-hand side of the U. It does mean, firstly, suspending habitual patterns in order to see reality clearly. Secondly, redirect our attention from what is out there to what is in here. And ultimately, let go old identities and intentions. In doing so, practitioners of this theory naturally stop being guided by past experiences and habits, allowing something new to come into being. As the author says, the bottom of the U is a fundamental threshold one must pass through to touch their essential core. Establishing a quality connection, not only on an individual level but also on a collective one, is the turning point to start the journey towards the right-hand side of the U. It begins with letting the new vision that wants to emerge from the future come; following, prototyping it to encourage the learning process by doing; finally, the journey ends with performing and embodying new ideas and turn them into actions, infrastructures, and practices.
Otto Scharmer warns that none of this will be possible if practitioners do not face at least three enemies that might prevent the new idea from coming into reality. The first enemy, known as Voice of Judgement (VOJ), blocks the gate to the open mind which helps us to see with fresh eyes. The second enemy, called Voice of Cynicism (VOC), blocks the gate to the open heart that allows us to empathize with others. And eventually, the third enemy, named Voice of Fear (VOF), blocks the passage to the open will that prevents us from letting go of the old self and, consequently, letting come of the new one. He says that unless we succeed in tackling this three inner voices of resistance, we will not be able to access our authentic self and really come up with meaningful and relevant ideas.
Speaking heartedly - and summing it up - I would like to cite John Steinbeck who brilliantly wrote in his Nobel-prize winner "The Grapes of Wrath": "There was the hills, an' there was me, an' we wasn't separate no more. We was one thing. An' that one thing was holy. An' I got thinkin', on'y it wasn't thinkin, it was deeper down than thinkin'. I got thinkin' how we was holy when we was one thing, an' mankin' was holy when it was one thing. An' it on'y got unholy when one mis'able little fella got the bit in his teeth an' run off his own way, kickin' an' draggin' an' fightin'. Fella like that bust the holiness. But when they're all workin' together, not one fella for another fella, but one fella kind of harnessed to the whole shebang—that's right, that's holy".
No further to say!!!
This theory is an invitation for those who are looking for a new way of thinking and dealing with current issues that have threatened social coexistence. It has helped people become aware of their highest future possibilities even when things seem to be discouraging. It has allowed them to open their minds, hearts and will towards a social shift that is about to emerge from a currently broken socioeconomic system. This theory is known as a social technology that has been wisely named as "Theory U" by its author Otto Scharmer. It has allowed people to truly reconnect with their authentic self. The one that, unfortunately, has been ignored and neglected in order to fit into a social field which has mistakenly followed the path of disorder and disrespect. But, paradoxically, the only one able to bring about fulfillment and happiness into life.
According to the author, for us to successfully access this deepest source of knowledge and inspiration, it is essential to go down on the left-hand side of the U. It does mean, firstly, suspending habitual patterns in order to see reality clearly. Secondly, redirect our attention from what is out there to what is in here. And ultimately, let go old identities and intentions. In doing so, practitioners of this theory naturally stop being guided by past experiences and habits, allowing something new to come into being. As the author says, the bottom of the U is a fundamental threshold one must pass through to touch their essential core. Establishing a quality connection, not only on an individual level but also on a collective one, is the turning point to start the journey towards the right-hand side of the U. It begins with letting the new vision that wants to emerge from the future come; following, prototyping it to encourage the learning process by doing; finally, the journey ends with performing and embodying new ideas and turn them into actions, infrastructures, and practices.
Otto Scharmer warns that none of this will be possible if practitioners do not face at least three enemies that might prevent the new idea from coming into reality. The first enemy, known as Voice of Judgement (VOJ), blocks the gate to the open mind which helps us to see with fresh eyes. The second enemy, called Voice of Cynicism (VOC), blocks the gate to the open heart that allows us to empathize with others. And eventually, the third enemy, named Voice of Fear (VOF), blocks the passage to the open will that prevents us from letting go of the old self and, consequently, letting come of the new one. He says that unless we succeed in tackling this three inner voices of resistance, we will not be able to access our authentic self and really come up with meaningful and relevant ideas.
Speaking heartedly - and summing it up - I would like to cite John Steinbeck who brilliantly wrote in his Nobel-prize winner "The Grapes of Wrath": "There was the hills, an' there was me, an' we wasn't separate no more. We was one thing. An' that one thing was holy. An' I got thinkin', on'y it wasn't thinkin, it was deeper down than thinkin'. I got thinkin' how we was holy when we was one thing, an' mankin' was holy when it was one thing. An' it on'y got unholy when one mis'able little fella got the bit in his teeth an' run off his own way, kickin' an' draggin' an' fightin'. Fella like that bust the holiness. But when they're all workin' together, not one fella for another fella, but one fella kind of harnessed to the whole shebang—that's right, that's holy".
No further to say!!!
