How we communicate is how we see the world

The article and topic from this week concerned patterns of thinking and communicating in mainstream Western culture. What about patterns in thinking and communicating in indigenous non-Western cultures? How does this differ and what benefit could we gain in our culture from adopting new ways of communicating that differ from the mainstream? Clearly this would differ from each individual culture, but there is a lot we can learn from paying attention to how other people communicate.

I think you use a communication style that is most appropriate to your audience. In another class this semester we evaluated how research methodologies differ with indigenous cultures. The worldview leans more towards being contextual and relational rather than viewing individual's, societies, and nations as separate. I think the Western world would greatly benefit from adopting some of this style into their communication since we are now living in a highly connected world where the web of networks keeps intertwining.

In my own communication style and thought processes, I tend to lean towards a more holistic and relational worldview. I see and speak about the links between all people, creatures, and mama earth since we are all connected. I speak in a flowing manner and tend to ask more questions than give answers. I want people to think of answers for themselves. I think this worldview may challenge some people who only want to think in a linear fashion, but they will be challenged in a good way. Challenge is what pushes us out of our comfort zone and to the next level of our capabilities.

I have always thought of myself as being a right-hemisphere dominant person and doing this exercise reinforced that belief. Besides the obvious distinctions we tend to make about people who work most strongly from the right hemisphere of the brain (more intuitive and feeling based, artistic, visual), I also tend to be more visionary than down to earth with my ideas. I excel at dreaming ideas, but don't always follow through on the step by step process to create them into reality. I am exceedingly optimistic, but not always realistic.

Though I would like to cultivate within myself some of the abilities that seem to come so easily to people who work most easily from the left hemisphere of the brain, I find a lot of beauty in collaborating with others who have this strength inherently and wish to gain a little more right brain perspective. Some of the most creative and fruitful partnerships on projects have been with other people who think in more structured ways and can think up the methods to put something into action.

One of the many, many reasons I love communities and working together. Everyone has strengths and assets they can offer.

When I think about my future goals and I do not see the steps to getting to those goals I receive an image in my mind of my future destination suspended in air away from me with no road leading towards it. This image represents my frustration at times when what I want seems out of reach and I can not clearly see the ways to achieve my goals.

This is understandable when I think about my natural tendencies. I have always been able to visualize the big picture and think in terms of abstract concepts. I can see, smell, hear, and feel the land I would like to have in the future and what it can produce in terms of food, comfort, community, and the legacy for future generations. I do not do as well with figuring out the details to reach that goal.

I've never been a materialistic person and have lived a very fulfilled life with very little at times, but I have been working to visualize creative opportunities for more money in my life lately. I have no desire for money in and of itself, but for the ability to purchase land and the materials to build a personal home and a community center.

I once lived with a woman in a community who told me that the best way to achieve a goal is to visualize yourself already having achieved it and then to work in backwards steps from that goal. In other words, see yourself already having what you want and then think about the last thing you do to get it, the next to last thing, and work backwards to the first step you would take. She has since gone on to starting a community in Baja Mexico, so it obviously worked for her!

Right now I am firmly using the principles of creative visualization and picturing already completing my degree, already working in a capacity of community service, and already having the land and then I will start to visualize building the road to get to those goals.

And I will learn to also take it all one day at a time. . .

Help for those who want more green and less noise

One of the themes that kept reoccurring in the classes this week were the challenges that people living in rural communities faced when trying to access social services and assistance, finding employment, or dealing with transportation issues. Many rural communities do not have public transportation so a vehicle is almost always necessary if someone is trying to find work outside the community. Also, my understanding is that certain social assistance programs, such as food stamps, require someone to be willing or able to work at least twenty hours a week at a job. I know in my community of less than 2500 (per census) most people here earn their wages by working several odd jobs since this is the most reliable source of income for most people in town and a typical work load can vary from week to week or by season. Some people also choose to work to barter for housing or food. I think the different lifestyle of some people in rural communities in comparison to urban ones should be considered by social services. It is not always practical for an individual to seek employment outside of the area just because it may be more steady.

Receiving mental health services and health care services in geographically isolated areas can also be a challenge for some people and may limit their use of these services. I recently discovered something called Telehealth which allows patients to connect with providers by video conferencing, telephone, or home-monitoring devices. I could not find information on its availability through public healthcare systems, such as Medicaid or Medicare, but hope this may be incorporated more in the future so people in rural areas can have more access to health care. I think another more accessible option would be support for more traditional healers, midwives, birth doulas, etc. within health care systems since these people may be within the community of the rural resident and may be more trusted by and accessible to a rural client since they are within their personal network.

Comfortable in Silence

Silence is not only seen as empty, but also uncomfortable in our culture. Try sitting with someone you don't know very well in silence and more than likely they will try to fill it with mindless chatter just to avoid that "uncomfortable silence."

Through a few traditions I have studied with, silence is the only way to truly listen. Not only to the words being spoken by another person, but also the unspoken (body language, emotional "vibes", environmental observations) and also to messages from Spirit.

I once took a Vipassana course in meditation that involved complete silence for ten days. No speaking to anyone and even eye contact was discouraged. It was a powerful way to get in touch with stillness and connection within myself.

Working with silence has also taught me how powerful words are as tools (and weapons when used with the intention of hurting someone) and should be treated as such. It is beneficial for everyone to be more conscious and deliberate with speech. And since speech works both ways when engaged with another person or people, it is equally important to use that silence to listen.

Speaking out with Courage and Grace

"Mainstream Americans are reluctant to speak out in writing, even when it can make a real difference."

I find this statement to be alarmingly true. I myself have always felt more comfortable with speaking one on one and verbally rather than through the written word, but through writing we can usually reach a wider audience.

I went a bit further out of curiosity and found a short youtube video of the author giving a brief overview of why she wrote the book. She mentioned that it often begins in our childhood when external factors work to quiet our voice of dissent. I remember my own school experience as a child feeling like a sequence of remembering and regurgitating facts and having to give the "correct" answers rather than being asked to give a critical thought about a concept and to formulate and articulate my own ideas. This lead me to resist and reject traditional education for a number of years.

I think there are other institutional systems that are existing in a similar fashion. Systems that have relied upon doing things a certain way for so long that the players in the system don't even consider other options or methods. Finding a voice through writing can call out these systems and either introduce new ideas previously not thought of by others. I also think another possibility is giving a voice to concerns that others also have but they have not had the courage to stand up and address.

I've been using this blog so far as a place to do free writing and to put my thoughts down for others to see. This also helps me clear the cobwebs from my brain of being out of the loop of doing a great deal of writing and hopefully will clear the way to further insights.

Serving the World

I was inspired by the speaker this last Monday and her experiences in the Peace Corps. Though I do not feel at this time that the Peace Corps would be the right path for myself (a whole lot of bureaucracy from two countries!), I think that social workers in the United States have a unique ability to help abroad where our services may be relevant and needed. Community development, health care, food scarcity and management are just a few examples of issues that are facing developing nations. I have a strong draw to working outside the U.S. despite the challenges of being hundreds or thousands of miles from my family, friends, and all my comforts at home.

 One of our assignments for a class included a review of a social work website and the first section I read was the international social work page. The site not only addressed the issues we often think of when talking about international aid, but also a need to provided services and support for the international workers themselves. I can speak from personal experience about the emotions and challenges of being out of the country in a foreign environment for long periods of time in a working or volunteer capacity. Though the majority of my experience was very positive, there are always stressful days of being pushed out of your comfort zone. Also add on having to witness some very real suffering associated with poverty, hunger, and lack of resources of other people, and you have a prime potential for workers facing loss of motivation or, worst case scenario, a total breakdown. There must be a support network for those supporters and a system of everyone helping each other.