Spiritual Activism?

The "Bleeping Herald", the online publication that started after the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?", just sent out its most recent e-mail. They interviewed with a famous Yogi named Seane Corn, who considers herself a "spiritual activist". I really liked this term.

Here are some of the highlights of that interview:

"I've never done any service that has been selfless. I don't even know what that means. I say that because every single time I've gone out there into the world to be of service in any capacity, I have gotten more than I have ever given. My life has changed on so many levels and all I have to do is give time, energy, money, or some effort but what I get in return has been truly indescribable and priceless."

"Bleeping Herald: In spiritual circles there are often those who believe it's not a good idea to focus on the "dark side" of things whether it be their environments, their lives in general, etc., with the reasoning that focusing on the more "negative" aspects will bring that into one's own life. Since you can't do as much service as you do without dealing with hard issues, can you address that way of thinking?

Seane: I've heard that perception before, I just don't personally relate to it. To understand the light I've had to also understand and respect the power of the shadow. It is the flip side of the same coin. Everyone has obsession and jealousy, anger, hate, judgment, blame and all those negative perceptions and if you don't acknowledge them and you repress them, they come out in other ways."

This response above is a very key message. I especially see it as a response to the very much popularized way of thinking through the book "The Secret". Brodie, President of AIESEC International 05-06 and a current McKinsey Consultant, also mentioned the same approach in his blog.

On with the interview:

"This idea that there is an other, a you against me is really what's perpetuating the wars, the terrorism, and all the dysfunction of this planet so as spiritual activists, we have to be willing to go above it and see the bigger picture."

"So the real battle first starts within the individual and then it can transcend out into the community."

The most inspiring part of Barack Obama's speech in Turkish Grand National Assembly

Here's how Obama finished his speech today in our Grand National Assembly in Ankara:

"I know there are those who like to debate Turkey’s future. They see your country at the crossroads of continents, and touched by the currents of history. They know that this has been a place where civilizations meet, and different peoples mingle. And they wonder whether you will be pulled in one direction or another.

Here is what they don’t understand: Turkey’s greatness lies in your ability to be at the center of things. This is not where East and West divide – it is where they come together. In the beauty of your culture. In the richness of your history. In the strength of your democracy. In your hopes for tomorrow."

He definitely has a point. Personally, I don't find the "Bridge" metaphor that is given to our country by many people satisfying enough. I think we should consider ourselves as the "Center" between the West and the East with a growing economy, a peacemaker role in the region, and a real democracy.

CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Outbreak Notice

The Center for Disease Control has issued a medical alert about a highly contagious, potentially dangerous virus that is transmitted orally, by hand, and even electronically.

This virus is called Weekly Overload Recreational Killer (W.O.R.K.). If you receive W.O.R.K. from your boss, any of your collegues or anyone else via any means whatsoever - DO NOT TOUCH IT!!! This virus will wipe out your private life entirely. If you come into contact with W.O.R.K. you should immediately leave the premisses.

Take two good friends to the nearest liquor store and purchase one or both of the following antidotes:

• W.O.R.K. Isolating Neutralizer Extract (W.I.N.E.)
• Bothersome Employer Elimination Rebooter (B.E.E.R.)

Take the antidote repeatedly until W.O.R.K. has been completely eliminated from your system.

You should immediately forward this medical alert to five friends. If you do not have five friends, you have already been infected and W.O.R.K. is controlling your life.

Paulo Coelho, bir arkadaş ve ben / Paulo Coelho, a friend and myself

Neden sürekli Web 2.0 kavramıyla ilgili yazıyorum?
Az önce güzel bir örnekle anlatabileceğim bir sahne çıktı karşıma:

9 yaşındayken okuduğum Simyacı'nın yazarı, ben ve "dünyayı değiştirme" fikrine kafayı takmış bir arkadaşım, enteresan bir şekilde aynı sitede buluştuk. Yukarıda gördüğünüz resim, o anki ekranımı gösteriyor (Eğer yeterince hızlı davranırsanız siteye giderek kendiniz de görebilirsiniz).

İlginç olan, arkadaşım diye bahsettiğim bu kişiyle hayatımda yüz yüze 2-3 defa karşılaşmış olmama rağmen son günlerde internette tesadüfen karşılaşıp durmamız. Ne demek "internette tesadüfen karşılaşıp durmak"?
Twitter'da olduğunu öğrendiğimde en son paylaştığı videoyu, yakın zaman önce benim blogumda da gördünüz. Arkasından bu arkadaşın websitesine gittim ve oradan çok güzel başka siteler keşfettim. Sayfasında yer alan "Hayatımdaki en kritik anlardan bazılarının özü, insanlarla yaptığım basit sohbetlerde yatıyor" sözü, benim için ilham kaynağı oldu. Az önce favori kitap anlayışımızın birbirine ne kadar yakın olduğunu fark ettim.
Ve bu "karşılaşma"ların hiçbiri doğrudan iletişim yolları (e-posta, anında mesajlaşma, sohbet vs.) ile olmadı, gene de her biri benim için küçük ve güzel bir tecrübeydi.

Ve bunların hepsini, Web 2.0 adı verilen teknolojiler bütününe borçluyum.

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Why do I keep writing about Web 2.0?
I just had a good example to explain it:

The author of The Alchemist (which was a book I read when I was 9), a friend who is obsessed with the idea of "changing the world", and myself somehow met on a website. The screenshot above is from that moment (You can see it yourself in the website as well, if you're fast enough).
The interesting thing is that I keep virtually running into this person that I call a friend, even though I have seen him 2 or 3 times face-to-face in my life. But what does "I keep virtually running into this person" mean"?

Lately in my blog, you've seen a video he shared on Twitter. Then I saw his website and discovered some other very cool websites there. His words "Some of the most crucial moments in my life boil down to simple talks." inspired me. And I just realized how similar our understanding of favourite books are.

And none of these "encounters" happened through a direct way of communication (e-mail, instant messaging, chat, etc.), and still all were small and nice experiences for me.

And I owe all of these to the collection of technologies known as Web 2.0.

Making Web 2.0 work in increasing the effectiveness of organizations

McKinsey Quarterly published another article on Web 2.0 this month. It is called Six ways to make Web 2.0 work. Not surprisingly, it's focused on businesses.

On the 4th bullet point, there is a recommendation that I find quite useful:

"Appeal to the participants' egos and needs—not just their wallets:

... a professional-services firm tried to use steady management pressure to get individuals to post on wikis. Participation increased when managers doled out frequent feedback but never reached self-sustaining levels"

I remember trying the same method (and facing the same challange) while I was working as a VP in AIESEC in Turkey Member (or, National) Committee in the Spring of 2008. We aimed to adapt wikis as the main instrument for knowledge management transition between Executive Boards that change each year. I was calling and sending e-mails to responsible people in Local Committees and reminding them to update their wikis, when they fail to do so by the deadline. Apparently, that was not the most effective management technique.

Let's read on:

"A more effective approach plays to the Web's ethos and the participants' desire for recognition: bolstering the reputation of participants in relevant communities, rewarding enthusiasm, or acknowledging the quality and usefulness of contributions."

I experienced this when I was working for the global virtual support team of Talent Management Unit 07/08. Since the team had to work virtually throughout the year, wikis and forums were our main channels of communication, rather than e-mails. And the thing that motivated me the most was our chair's recognition of good work. And for me, that didn't even have to be public, a private e-mail or an IM chat about my performance and some feedback (either positive or negative) was mostly enough.

I support the idea that a combination of both leadership and management will be even more required in organizations in the era of Web 2.0.

Basitlik İhtiyacı

Şu lafı duymaktan size de gına geldi mi?

"Gittikçe karmaşıklaşan dünya"

Ne yazık ki bu cümleden bize gına gelmiş olması, onun gerçekliğini azaltmıyor. Peter Senge'nin dediği gibi, hayatı düz bir çizgi üzerinde birbirine "sebep-sonuç ilişkileri" ile bağlı bir olaylar dizisi olarak görmek için artık çok geç. Gerçekten karmaşık bir dünyada yaşıyoruz ve bu da olayları karmaşık "sistem düşünceleri" çerçevesinde değelendirmemizi gerektiriyor. Ama en önemlisi, bu düşünceleri somutlaştırdığımızda, yani onları birisiyle paylaştığımızda, bir plana çevirdiğimizde ya da eyleme dönüştürdüğümüzde, yeniden basitleştirmesini bilmek.

"İşleri Sadeleştirme" konusunda en mükemmel örnek olmadığımı kabul ediyorum. (Yukarıdaki paragraf dahi yeterince "karışık" :) ) Evet, kendimi geliştirmeye çalıştığım alanlardan biri de bu. Neyse, konu ben değilim.

Söyleyeceğim şuydu: Dünya karmaşıklaştıkça, bizim için "basitlik ihtiyacı" da bir o kadar önem kazanıyor.

İnternete bu basitlik ihtiyacına karşı verilmiş çok güzel cevaplar var:

1. Google'ın her türlü ürününe bakın. Hepsinin temel özellikleri: Sade tasarım, basit kullanım, etkili sonuçlar.
   
2. Commoncraft Show – izlemesi en eğlenceli öğretici videoları yapan, iki kişiden oluşan (karı-koca :) ), süper bir şirket.
   
3. Son birkaç gündür sosyal medyada çok poplülerleşen ve daha da popülerleşecek gibi görünen, Küresel Krizi basit bir ve görsel bir dille anlatan The Crisis of Credit Visualized videosu. Ve daha az "basit" olduğu için daha az bilinirlik kazanmaya mahkum benzerleri.
   

Eminim bunlar gibi "n" tane daha örnek bulunabilir.

(Dipnot: Üretim Yönetiminde "Yalın üretim / 6 Sigma" tarzı kavramların bu kadar yoğun ilgi görmesi, bence buna dayanıyor. Artan karmaşıklık, beraberinde artan maliyet getiriyor. "Tedarik Zinciri Yönetimi" kavramının "Üretim Yönetimi" kavramının giderek yerini alıyor olmasını da, Sistem Düşüncesine yönelik artan ihtiyaçtan kaynaklandığını düşünüyorum.)

(Dipnot 2: Aklıma AIESEC'ten de iki örnek geldi:

1. Bu dönemin [08/09]Uluslararası AIESEC Başkanı Juan'ın internet günlüğünün ismi: Building Success from Simplicity!
   
2. Bizim TMU 07/08 sloganımız: "Simple Ways to Empower Talent" ;) )
   

Blogger'da görünüm problemi

Sevgili okuyucularım,

Son birkaç gündür blog'um bir garip görünüyor, farkındayım. En soldaki "widget"larım sayfanın en altına gitmiş durumda. Bu sorun anladığım kadarıyla sevgili hizmet sağlayıcımız Blogger'dan kaynaklanıyor. Son birkaç gündür bu durumu da mazeret bilerek tasarımda değişiklik yapmayı planlıyordum, ama Blogger Yardım Forumu'nda da görebileceğiniz gibi, Blogger üzerinde varsayılan şablonların dışında bir şablon yükleyemiyoruz bu aralar (böyle bir hata söz konusu). Şu an anladığım kadarıyla benim gibi madur olmuş n sayıda blogger var.

Nasıl çözüleceğini bilen varsa, bana mail atsın veya yorumlara yazsın lütfen.