From: Tom Lane
Columbus
We seem to be in a war of values/beliefs in this country. Who is right and who is wrong. Mostly around our president. Got me to thinking about how most think it is a difference of “beliefs” that separate us. And that is somewhat true. We have a wide range of what is the “right” way to run our country.
As I ponder that, I see there is a deeper divide around how we look at the world. This is the level of “mindsets” or “paradigms.” Most folks do not understand what this means. Not trying to sound elitist here (heaven forbid), but a mindset is the invisible part of how we view the world. It is the part that “frames our seeing,” not what we see.
A mindset is like a pair of glasses. Anyone who has worn glasses knows that the first time you put them on the world is suddenly clear and amazing. After a while, you forget that you are looking through a lens that clarifies things. You focus on what you are seeing rather than the thing that lets you see. Mindsets are like that. You have them and forget that you have them.
There are two dominate mindsets in the world. One is the “competitive” mind and the other is the “integrative” mind. One looks at the world as a constant struggle of winners and losers competing for what they can achieve. Life is a “zero sum game” where what you get, I lose. I think you can see where our president is on this. It is how he frames the world.
The other mindset is the integrative one that sees everything intertwined and connected. Nothing in life happens by itself, but in a complex supportive system. Some things appear competitive on the surface, but underneath it is a dance of symbiosis. For example, most animals eat other animals. That is seen as a competition by most, or a symbiotic relationship of overall survival. How you see it determines what is real to you. Both are actual.
Beliefs are more conditional and self-constructed. We can look at the world as a competition and judge (by our beliefs) who should win and who should lose. We can battle others and build grand rationalizations about why “our side” should win. That is where most of the world lives.
If you see the world as interconnected, then values and beliefs are of a different nature. It is not about who should win, but how we support and connect in the world. This is why the discussion between some folks simply breaks down with no possible resolution. They are literally speaking about two different worlds.
Some try to reconcile this with shared beliefs, but beliefs are secondary to the mindset. This is hard to grasp for most people. We seldom question, or even understand that we have a “mindset.” We sincerely believe we have the answer based on belief. And we do with the mindset we work from.
