TRADITIONAL WISDOM & MODERN KNOWLEDGE: REAFFIRMING THE

WISDOM OF OUR PACIFIC ANCESTORS

PACIFIC RISK MANAGEMENT OHANAMARCH 17, 2010

WAIKIKI BEACH MARRIOTT

Presentor: Papalii Dr. Tusi Avegalio

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

VISIONS OF THE

FUTURE

TO UNDERSTAND A CULTURE ONE MUST UNDERSTAND ITS BASIC BELIEFS, VALUES,CREATIVE POWERS, SPIRITUAL RELATIONSHIP TO THE UNIVERSE AND ITS SYMBOLIC FORMS

THEY ARE THE SOURCE OF MEANING and the

BASIS FOR SOCIAL BEHAVIOR

Isaac NewtonMechanical Universe

Albert EinsteinQuantum Mechanics

CHANGING BELIEFS OF WESTERN SCIENCEFROM THE 17th CENTURY TO THE 21ST CENTURY

Isaac NewtonLikened the universe to a sealed clock work, giving birth to the

Machine Metaphor

NEWTON CONCLUDED THAT THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE WAS

B

• A GIANT CLOCKWORK OPERATING WITH MECHANICAL REGULARITY

•LIKE MECHANICAL PARTS OF A MACHINE, EVERYTHING IS SEPARATE FROM EVERYTHING ELSE

•THIS BELIEF IMPACTED WESTERN THINKING FOR THE NEXT FIVE HUNDERED YEARS.

•IT BECAME THE PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS FOR ORGANIZATION AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN THE INDUSTRIAL AGE

•WESTERN EXPLORERS DURING THE HEIGHT OF THIS ERA MADE FIRST CONTACT WITH PACIFIC PEOPLE

WESTERN SOCIETY BECAME MESMERIZED BY THE MACHINE

• LA METTRIE A FRENCH PHYSICIAN AND PHILOSOPHER DECLARED MAN HIMSELF TO BE A MACHINE IN 1748

• THOMAS JEFFERSON AND BEN FRANKLIN WERE SCIENTISTS AND INVENTORS AS WELL AS POLITICAL REVOLUTIONARIES

• MARTIN VAN BUREN INVENTED THE “POLITICAL MACHINE”

• TROTSKY SPOKE OF THE WHEELS AND SCREWS OF THE BOURGEOIS MECHANISM

• WE GO TO THE DR. TO CHECK WHICH “PART” OF US IS AILING AND IF THE DR. CAN “FIX’ IT.

• FOCUS ON LEARNING WAS REDUCTION AND ANALYSIS

The scientific view of the universe as a machine not only affected the

way we understood NATURE

• But the relationships between people and nature.

• And how we design our organizations, programs and activities.

• We divide work into separate tasks, work stations are designed for the individual.

• Differences emphasized, separation and isolation considered natural.

• People like parts are replaced or discarded when no longer needed.

• We manage our larger social systems such as the economy,Education, etc. in the same manner

Three Major North American Paradigm

ShiftsAgricultural Revolution (1776-1890)Importance of traditional religion, family ties, self

sufficiency, folk medicine

Industrial Revolution (1890-1963)Beginning decline of formal religion, move to cities,

emphasis on mass production/materialism, rise of consumerism, scientific method/management, machine bureaucracy, ‘modern’ medicine

Post-Industrial Revolution (1963-?)Belief in spiritual values, rise in ecological

consciousness, alternative medicine, holistic movement

In contrast to the machine metaphor of Isaac Newton,

The traditional pacific conceptualization of the universe is that……IT is

alive…

That nature---the universe itself—is not a passive rock or lifeless

machine

That the entire cosmos throbs with the creative energy of self organization

CONSTANTLY EVOLVING

with periodic bursts of explosive innovation

The view of the universe as a machine is changing rapidly

• The mechanical worldview is giving way to the more organic worldview

• Energy not matter is the most fundamental material in the universe.

• Static environments becoming increasingly dynamic

• Rigid organizational structures giving way to more flexible, net-worked, smaller and more responsive ones.

• Sapiential Authority: Information and expertise leadership is replacing position authority

The dominant metaphor of the machine with its characteristics of…

• Control, analysis, prediction, linearity, repetition, separate parts, and closed rigid structures

ARE BEING REPLACED BY THE ORGANIC METAPHOR WITH ITS CHARACTERISTICS OF….

• Spirituality, Insight, Vision, Intuition, Judgement, Wisdom, Synthesis, Emergence, Self organization, Unpredictability, Non-linearity, Flexible and Adaptive structures.

• We are moving from ‘linear operating’ to ‘holistic navigating’

AUTOPOIESISTwo South American biologists,

Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela

• Defined life using a term autopoiesis.

• Autopoiesis is Greek for “Self creation”

• A living thing is any entity that constantly creates itself. Basis for self-referencing

• This distinguishes it from a mechanism, because a machine cannot create itself.

• If a machine changes itself at all it’s probably broken…

• While a living thing is always changing or its “dead”.

the people of Oceania see the universe as living kin and

patterned their cultures to fit that view

ANCIENT WISDOMIN PACIFIC CULTURES

Hold that all Things are Connected and Related

Albert Einstein

Reaffirmed ancient wisdom of connections when he ushered

in the era of particle quantum physics, that emphasized the innate

connectedness of all things

Quantum Mechanics AssumptionsQuantum Mechanics Assumptions•Nothing is separate from anything else, despite appearances.

•Everything (including us) is part of one large,

seamless whole, and everything is connected to and influenced by everything else.

•There are no independent entities anywhere at the quantum level. It’s all relationships.

s

Quantum physics is not so much a ‘discovery’ as it is an

‘affirmation’

passed down through master navigators, passed down through master navigators, voyaging canoe builders, wood carvers, voyaging canoe builders, wood carvers,

navigators, traditional healers, priests and navigators, traditional healers, priests and leaders.leaders.

AWARENESS AND DISCERNMENT OF THESE AWARENESS AND DISCERNMENT OF THESE SUBTLE “QUANTUM” CONNECTIVITY’S IS SUBTLE “QUANTUM” CONNECTIVITY’S IS THE BASIS OF ANCIENT TRADITIONAL THE BASIS OF ANCIENT TRADITIONAL

WISDOMWISDOM

Embedded in Pacific and many cultures is the ancient wisdom of

connectivity

ALL MATTER EMANATES ENERGY AND RHYTHMS

• WHICH CAN BE DETECTED ‘IKE’ WITH TRAINING AND PRACTICE UNDER THE SKILLFULL

MENTORING OF

• MASTER NAVIGATORS, CARVERS, BUILDERS, AND HEALERS

THE VIBRATORY RHYTHM OF THE VIBRATORY RHYTHM OF LIFE EMANATES FROM ALL LIFE EMANATES FROM ALL

THINGSTHINGS

• CANOE BUILDERS CHANT TO THE TREES CANOE BUILDERS CHANT TO THE TREES TO DETERMINE SUITABILITYTO DETERMINE SUITABILITY

TRADITIONAL PACIFIC CULTURES THINK IN METAPHORS AND LEARN THROUGH STORIES; AWARENESS OF THE QUANTUM

CONNECTIVITY IS EXPRESSED THROUGH METAPHORBY THE KUMULIPO OF HAWAII

WAKEATAGAROA LAGI

POLYNESIAN GOD OF THE HEAVENS

PAPA

POLYNESIAN EARTH GODDESS

TAGAROA LAGI AND PAPABECOME FATHER AND MOTHER

TO ALL THINGS

IF WAKEA/TAGAROA LAGI (HEAVEN) AND PAPA (EARTH) ARE THE FATHER AND MOTHER FOR ALL THINGS

INCLUDING MAN:

•THEN MAN IS CONNECTED TO THE EARTH, ALL LIFE ON EARTH, AND TO THE STARS AND UNIVERSE

•THE EARTH MUST BE TREATED WITH THE RESPECTAND LOVE DESERVED BY A MOTHER

•THE HEAVENS MUST ALSO BE REVERED AND RESPECTED AS THE GUIDING FATHERLY SAGE

FOR SURVIVAL AND ENTRY INTO THE FUTURE.

‘ALL THINGS ARE SEAMLESSLY CONNECTED’

IF THIS CONCEPT WE GET FROM OUR CULTURES, AND REAFFIRMED BY SCIENCE

IS ASSIMILATED INTO OUR INTELLECT, ANDEMBRACED WITH OUR HEART…

THE SYNTHESIS OF TRADITIONAL WISDOM AND MONDERN SCIENCE WILL CHANGE HOW WE RELATE TO EACH OTHER, OUR ENVIRONMENT AND ASSURE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, OUR SURVIVAL AS A SPECIES

OUR SEPARATION FROM EACH OUR SEPARATION FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM NATURE…OTHER AND FROM NATURE…

““IS AT THE ROOT…IS AT THE ROOT…

OF MANY OF OUR PROBLEMS. OF MANY OF OUR PROBLEMS. OVERCOMING THEM CALLS FOR A OVERCOMING THEM CALLS FOR A

RECOVERY OF OUR NEGLECTED BUT RECOVERY OF OUR NEGLECTED BUT NEVER ENTIRELY FORGOTTEN BONDS NEVER ENTIRELY FORGOTTEN BONDS

AND CONNECTIONS”AND CONNECTIONS”

TRADITIONAL RITUALS, CEREMONIES AND SYMBOLS OF PACIFIC CULTURES

SUCH AS THE KAVA AND TATTOO CEREMONIES, CANOE BUILDING,

TRADITIONAL DANCING, AND BLESSINGS;

ONLY HAVE MEANING WHEN ONE UNDERSTANDS THEM AS ACTS OF CONNECTION TO SOMETHING

GREATER THEN SELF

IT CONNECTS ONE WITH LIFE AND

THE UNIVERSE THROUGH

BALANCE, HARMONY AND MUTUAL

SUSTAINABILITY

THE FUTURE IS POSSIBLE ONLY THROUGH THE SPIRIT OF

OUR CHILDREN

AND THE PRESERVATION, PROTECTION AND CONTINUATION

OF VALUES, RITUALS AND CEREMONIES THAT REMIND

AND REAFFIRM OUR SACRED TIES TO OUR PLANET, TO EACH OTHER

AND TO OUR UNIVERSE

We are like islands in the sea -separate on the

surface but connected in the deep.

THE BRIDGE THAT BINDS TRADITIONAL WISDOM WITH MODERN KNOWLEDGE IS EDUCATION ROOTED IN BALANCE, HARMONY AND MUTUAL SUSTAINABILITY WHERE ONE GIVES IN FULL MEASURE

WHAT ONE TAKES.

Designing Strategies Based on Functional Redundancy

Primary responder vs. First responder

1. Cultural social organization must be core to intervention strategy development, designs and planning. (Collective vs.

Individualistic)

2. Hierachical family and leadership structures must be considered as central to preparedness and disaster relief

(Ascribed status vs. Achievement)3. Collective intervention, recovery and relief designs encouraged to be socio-culturally congruant as possible. (Specific vs. Diffuse)

4.Cultural and traditional wisdoms must be considered as parallel methodologies with modern telecommunications, preparedness

and interventions. 5.Faith based organizations utilized as key preparedness points.

6.Training designs must be holistic and seamless

7. Social cultural protocols of food, drink and socialization essential to effectiveness

8.Institutionalize modern/traditional disaster preparedness, training, education in schools from K to 12.

MAUMAU MATAGI LELEIMOE LA MAHAEHAE

“Wasted are the fair winds when the mainsail is torn”

(Tongan sailing metaphor urges one to always be prepared, or opportunities will be missed)

ARE YOUR SAILS PREPARED FOR

The Winds of Change?

aaALOHA