Transformation and Inflection Points

Transformation and Spirituality

Jonas Salk, the medical pioneer who developed the vaccine for polio went on to undertake significant research into the cycle of existence for various species. In his work he concluded that there were three very distinct patterns to the lifecycle of any species.  In brief they were:

•             Following long and stable growth, the rate of growth suddenly spurts upward, after which the species ceases to exist;

•             Growth accelerates, then rapidly declines, then accelerates, then declines again, fluctuating throughout its entire existence;

•             A long period of steady growth is maintained, then spikes upward and then hits a plateau on which it maintains itself from then on (this is the normal pattern for species which survive).

In the third type of transformation, the species reaches a “point of inflection” which divides the entire mode of the species’ existence into two distinct epochs. At the point of inflection, a transformation is triggered in the existence of a species which creates the conditions conducive to the long term survival of the species. Salk concluded that the human species was entering the point of inflection and that there would have to be a significant shift in human values and modes of survival if the species was to continue to survive. Critical to this period was that Salk concluded that as a result of our work on genetics and other related fields we have reached a point where we can affect the genetic outcome, and closely aligned to this that we had reached a point where we could, through the application of human will, affect the outcome of our own evolution.

There can be little doubt that we have indeed entered a period of unprecedented change. The words of Yeats come to mind:

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.”

As a species we have lost the centre. Our global experiment with extreme free market economics has failed and we now face a period of significant uncertainty, not only as a civilization, but as a species.  So I pose the question – what values do we need to embrace as a species to emerge from this period of turmoil, not only surviving, but thriving.

The values which EcoThought, as a company, espouse articulate, for us, the behaviours which, we believe, start our transformation as an organisation, and as a group of individuals joined by a common purpose, towards those which will dominate in the post inflection human society.

This blog will tease out each of these principles over the next few weeks, but I wanted to start by jumping to the centre of the list. What of the spiritual aspect of human existence? It is unfortunate that this discussion has been dominated by the question of science vs. religion. Little of value has come out of this discussion apart from a lot of, at times, acrimonious debate about who was right or wrong. If the truth were told and understood, then, in fact, the methods of espousal used by the pro-science lobby bear little difference from the verve and conviction with which the ultra religious state their position.

The truth is that we are an innately spiritual being. We crave a sense of belonging, whether that sense comes from membership of a religious institution or a scientific institution. Even the most fundamental advocates of science would find it difficult to deny the deep sense of wonder which comes when a scientific breakthrough is made or the sense of awe that results at the beauty of a well constructed mathematical theorem. All of these experiences speak to the innate sense of spirituality which is an integral part of who we are.

We have framed this in terms of understanding the metaphysical value of those things we encounter everyday in making consumption decisions. But at the root of this value is an acceptance that a tree, for example, has value beyond the cubic meters of timber it contains. This is so for all things that we encounter. But most of all it is so for the humans we encounter everyday. The previous leaders of the US and Australia espoused a position that the role of people was to work, consume and produce more workers and consumers. Is this to become the measure of our value as humans?

Could I suggest that such values are the last gasp of pre-inflection society and the leadership of those who dominated that part of human existence. Now it is time for us to reclaim what it means to be human and in that process to reclaim the spiritual aspect of who we are. As we lower our consumption goals and expectations we will find something creeping back in, something which whispers that there is more to being human than going to work and going shopping or watching television.

About slade

Slade is an Enterprise Architect, Business Analyst and Project Manager with extensive experience in the Defence, National Security, Emergency Services and secure systems environment. Slade has been in the IT industry since 1988, and is experienced in systems engineering, systems architecture, systems integration, security assessment and development of sustainment frameworks for new systems. He is also a thought leader in human factors for the design of critical decision support systems and environments and the development of enterprise and solution level architecture for high information workload environments. Slade is the Director of EcoThought Pty Ltd