Sustaining is a spiritual calling for many of us. Creating partnerships between human beings, the environment, our society and our planet is the essential purpose of the sustaining spirit. It is his lifes work. A spiritual archetype can be thought of as an ideal type. It is an expression of our spiritual voice. It gives you direction and meaning to your life.
Recently President Obama announced new tough federal regulations to cut automobile greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks in order to reduce Americas dependence on foreign oil and raise fuel-efficiency standards to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. Amazingly, auto industry officials, environmentalists, union workers and politicians seem to welcome the new change but for different reasons.
Environmentalists applaud the tightening of emissions and fuel economy standards after decades of government delay and industry opposition. On the other side, the ruling provides auto makers with a single national efficiency standard and a reasonable timeline they need to meet production schedules. But can these diverse, adversarial groups work together to reach their goals within these new complex set of rules after years of conflict? Can a profitable, new form of transportation be produced and keep our atmosphere cleaner at the same time?
What kind of relationship would be most effective to face these concerns when the stakes are so high, the conflicts are serious and the outcome is uncertain? The traditional relationship where one group or person has the power over the other is not an option. The alternative is a partnering relationship where responses to changes are creative and practical. The partnering quality of the sustaining spirit is not about team building. It reaches beneath every economic, political, and social process to call people to learn what it means to be a partner. If the auto industry and environmental sector can learn to listen to the calling of their sustaining spirit, President Obamas initiative will have hope.
The sustaining spirit establishes partnering by way of three avenues intersecting. The first, intentioning, is creating purpose driven actions. In order for partnering to occur, both sides must have the same intentions. Too often human behavior is unintentional. Cultures often act from the memories of the past rather than towards the possibilities of the future. The auto industry fell apart economically because the framework of their social biography disintegrated, leaving them directionless. The lifelong job created by the innovation of the future disappeared. The auto industry embraced a social biography that no longer worked. A partnering relationship, including intentioning, between the auto industry and the environmentalists must start if we are going to move towards a sustainable and prosperous future.
Parity is the second characteristic of partnering expressed by the sustaining spirit. Parity is where partners recognize that each offers to the other something of value. This is crucial to the partnering relationship. The environmental group and the automobile group must recognize that each has valuable attributes necessary to reach an agreeable solution. This does not mean sameness. The sustaining spirit calls for equivalency but difference.
The third characteristic is learning. Partnering happens in a mutual and reciprocal learning environment. Reciprocal learning between nature, the human mind, modern technology, and all living things is necessary for partnering to succeed. Both groups must commit to learning from each other. Reciprocity is demanded by the sustaining spirit. Will each group be able to create new ideas and go about their daily lives giving strength to each other while receiving it back? The sustaining spirit says, Yes!
Changes in the automobile industry and in the environmental industry depend upon a thorough analysis of conventional and cultural beliefs. It will be essential to give up certain habits to reach goals. This task cannot be forced. Difficult inner work is necessary. The sustaining archetype is all about partnering. All of us can learn to partner with each other and with our earth, environmental and automobile enthusiasts alike, so that each of us and all of us are sustained. Without that, we are lost.
Recently President Obama announced new tough federal regulations to cut automobile greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks in order to reduce Americas dependence on foreign oil and raise fuel-efficiency standards to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. Amazingly, auto industry officials, environmentalists, union workers and politicians seem to welcome the new change but for different reasons.
Environmentalists applaud the tightening of emissions and fuel economy standards after decades of government delay and industry opposition. On the other side, the ruling provides auto makers with a single national efficiency standard and a reasonable timeline they need to meet production schedules. But can these diverse, adversarial groups work together to reach their goals within these new complex set of rules after years of conflict? Can a profitable, new form of transportation be produced and keep our atmosphere cleaner at the same time?
What kind of relationship would be most effective to face these concerns when the stakes are so high, the conflicts are serious and the outcome is uncertain? The traditional relationship where one group or person has the power over the other is not an option. The alternative is a partnering relationship where responses to changes are creative and practical. The partnering quality of the sustaining spirit is not about team building. It reaches beneath every economic, political, and social process to call people to learn what it means to be a partner. If the auto industry and environmental sector can learn to listen to the calling of their sustaining spirit, President Obamas initiative will have hope.
The sustaining spirit establishes partnering by way of three avenues intersecting. The first, intentioning, is creating purpose driven actions. In order for partnering to occur, both sides must have the same intentions. Too often human behavior is unintentional. Cultures often act from the memories of the past rather than towards the possibilities of the future. The auto industry fell apart economically because the framework of their social biography disintegrated, leaving them directionless. The lifelong job created by the innovation of the future disappeared. The auto industry embraced a social biography that no longer worked. A partnering relationship, including intentioning, between the auto industry and the environmentalists must start if we are going to move towards a sustainable and prosperous future.
Parity is the second characteristic of partnering expressed by the sustaining spirit. Parity is where partners recognize that each offers to the other something of value. This is crucial to the partnering relationship. The environmental group and the automobile group must recognize that each has valuable attributes necessary to reach an agreeable solution. This does not mean sameness. The sustaining spirit calls for equivalency but difference.
The third characteristic is learning. Partnering happens in a mutual and reciprocal learning environment. Reciprocal learning between nature, the human mind, modern technology, and all living things is necessary for partnering to succeed. Both groups must commit to learning from each other. Reciprocity is demanded by the sustaining spirit. Will each group be able to create new ideas and go about their daily lives giving strength to each other while receiving it back? The sustaining spirit says, Yes!
Changes in the automobile industry and in the environmental industry depend upon a thorough analysis of conventional and cultural beliefs. It will be essential to give up certain habits to reach goals. This task cannot be forced. Difficult inner work is necessary. The sustaining archetype is all about partnering. All of us can learn to partner with each other and with our earth, environmental and automobile enthusiasts alike, so that each of us and all of us are sustained. Without that, we are lost.
About the Author:
Mandy Ziegler, editor, professional speaker and promoter of When Your Spirit Calls - In Search of Your Spiritual Voice, by Warren Ziegler. Learn to discover yourself and your direction through nine unique spiritual archetypes. Learn how spirit can influence every aspect of your life to better your life, your work, and your relationships.
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