Indigenous Leadership
You are not what you know, but what you are willing to learn.
- Mary Catherine Bateson
I am really worried about the health of all beings on this earth, about the sustainability of earth, about the emotional and social stability of human beings’ state of mind to get us out of this mess we got ourselves into. In response to the increasing awareness of the downsides of capitalist markets and business models focused on growth at the expense of planet and people, is a growing focus on a whole systems consciousness, understanding of social transformation from within and a driving redefinition of power to create space for the local economy in a global world which embraces indigenous (local) values to help bind us all.
But what is the path forward?
Being critical of our past and ways of our being isn’t enough and often seeks blame, which does more harm than help. We need a new narrative, a new perspective of social and economical advancement for all beings on this earth. One which includes indigenous cultures such as Buen Vivir, a culture of life from indigenous peoples in various regions of South Africa which emphasizes human mutuality (“I am because we are”) and focuses on the attainment of the “good life” in a broad sense; or a radical ecological Swaraj as in India, which stresses governance and oversight by self-governance through individuals and community building and not through a hierarchical government and so much more; or Ubuntu, an African philosophy which practices:
Your pain is My pain.
My wealth is Your wealth.
Your salvation is My salvation.
These worldviews differ greatly from today’s notion of development and prosperity, challenging the dogmatic belief that the path toward a better future is through economic growth and profit with an underlying assumption that the weather of one equals the wealth of many. These indigenous ways of being are intrinsically different, but universally express common fundamental values such as harmony, diversity, and connection with oneness with all.
Understanding the principles of organization that sustain the web of relationships called “life” cannot compensate for direct experiences in generating affective feelings towards humans or their surrounding environment, nature. For the majority of human evolution (99.99%), humans have been intricately connected with nature for every day survival be it hunting and gathering, harvesting, or navigating the cosmos to find our way forward. Recently, however, researchers have estimated that humans now live upwards of 90% of their lives inside, which can yield isolation and alienation from our connection with the natural world and the benefits it provides us.
The paradigm shift I seek is, rather than blaming others for the situation we find ourselves in, how can we create a new narrative and collectively shift our ‘mental models’ from fear based isolation and extreme independence towards community, interdependence and relationship with other, not over other? What can we learn from our indigenous past and bring forward to help us reconnect? There is no easy answer, but we find the nerve to challenge conventional wisdom, the openness to learn a different way to live, and the courage to change the entrenched patterns of living – seeking an alternative way of being and doing within this world that is in harmony and balance with all things.
