The Organizing Principle

The Purpose Of This Newsletter.

Content

As I sit here before the blank page, I wonder how to start. The easy starting point is to simply reflect on what is happening right now. Easy for journaling to myself, that is. Less so in public writing. Now, there is the presence of knowing that what I write here will be consumed by others and through that consumption, affect them. The intent to affect our environment and affect others will be a significant portion of this newsletter’s content. We live in sympathetic resonance and dialogue with our contexts.

Within each of us lives a variety of Organizing Principles that look upon the world we see, endeavor to make sense of it, and then take action to change what we see to a more desirable state. Each desire within us comes with its own voice, a blending of its want and our will to give expression to its fulfillment. In the fulfillment of a desire the state of the world changes, providing us a new landscape to look upon, and the opportunity to take another action to effect desired change. It is a feedback loop. Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. The world changes. Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. The world changes again. We will go more deeply into the nature of OODA loops in future writings. For now, let us stay with the intent of this newsletter as a whole.

The title of this newsletter is “The Organizing Principle”, and not “Organizing Principles”. It is clear that there are collections of desires seeking fulfillment through us and we find ourselves in the curious position of being their executor and the negotiator between them when they are in conflict with each other. We can develop the capacity for self-control and choose to act or not act on a particular desire if a higher or more fundamental desire is at play. This puts us in the perspective of being the singular organizer of the many desires that arise within us. How we cultivate ourselves, suppressing some desires while fanning the flame of others, gives rise to Embodied Character.

What is it that is choosing and selecting the character we embody and become? Aesthetics are a significant part of it. What then is choosing or determining our aesthetics? And here we find the doorway to a mystery. We can watch ourselves make decisions and choose between desires that arise that are in conflict with each other, but can we choose which desires to have to begin with? If we could choose what desires to have, what is choosing and desiring those desires? There seems to be a wall here, a bootstrapping problem.

A man can do as he wills, but not will as he wills. (Arthur Schopenhauer)

Through the life of this newsletter, we will be revisiting many topics. What is this sense of ME? Is there a singular ME? Or many MEs? As we grow and change through life experience, there is a durable sense of ME even when the body and mind have changed. The body ingests and is made of material that I don’t call ME. The mind is made of language and culture that came from not-ME before it became integrated into ME. Is there a Soul or Essence to ME? What is Free Will? What is making a choice? Is it all pre-determined? If so, is it all predictable? Does my disposition or belief on any of this make a difference? How is it I have this deep yearning to become more in-tune with ME? Am I not already myself? What am I that I can feel out of alignment with myself? How do I live a deeply meaningful life? What is the relationship between ME and what appears to “not be me”? Am I all of IT? If I am all of IT, why do I only feel like only a part of it? Why can I feel so separate one moment, and so connected in another moment? How do I become and feel more Healthy, Happy, and Whole?

There is at the core of us something yearning to be expressed. We want to feel like our voice and volition is able to participate fully in what is happening in our lives. There is a sweet spot to that sense of empowerment that is unique to ourselves, our own organization. Wrapping up all the contexts and facets of expression into a whole, we can call that which in us that is seeking embodied expression The Organizing Principle in our lives.

Beyond our individual sense of agency being able to participate in the world, there is also the development of the understanding of how everything works so that we may more intelligently and competently interact with it. The universe of phenomena and forms exists and there is a depth to explore in how it behaves and is all put together. This newsletter will also be an exploration of the Organizing Principles at play in the world we experience. And through study of the world and ourselves we will explore what is common and unites both aspects into the whole. Perhaps we will discover whether or not there is a singular Organizing Principle at play throughout.

How Do I Want To Affect The Reader?

As I indicated before, my writing here is not solely for me. I am writing for you, the reader, as well. It is my hope that this writing is informative, insightful, intellectually stimulating, inspiring, and received as an invitation to interact and explore these curiosities together.

It is my intent to use this writing as a vehicle for building communities for those who have an interest in exploring the inner mysteries of ourselves and sharing our findings with each other. Intentional community building is a profound endeavor that both requires and stimulates that inner exploration into how we operate and who we want to be. It is a vehicle for becoming more in-tune with ourselves.

Not all readers will have the desire or readiness to engage in community. For them, this newsletter will be fodder for contemplation and an opportunity to reflect on how they are showing up in their lives.

It is my hope that through writing this newsletter and engaging in community building that I learn to cultivate and share insights, perspective, and ways of being that feel integrative and empowering to the reader and improves the quality of their relationships with others.