Flow vs. Crunch - Roles and Egos - Middle-Ground

• ¶ Flow vs. Crunch - Shared Process and Adaptation ↴
• ¶ Source of Crunch: Roles and Egos - Use Only When Necessary ↴
• ¶ Seeking the Middle Ground - Heart of the Shared Wave ↴
• ¶ Setting the Golden Median - The 49-/51+ Split of Concern ↴

Hello, ___ and ___, ___, ___, anyone, everyone. I wish to share a couple of thoughts, a moment of reflection.

— Low tide, edgy reef rocks, weird breaking barrels.

Before you ask the question, what is this about? I'll cover that. It's the wrong question. If you ask that question, you're on the wrong track. This is not about any particular thing. All particular things are examples of the general thing, the pattern and the potential that I am reflecting on.

The second question, have I done something wrong? Well, yes, you have. A hundred things. And have I done something right? Yes, you have. A hundred things. That's called the way life is.

So let us not get caught up in reflecting, analyzing and lamenting on the rights and wrongs that are in the past. Look at the present. Look at the future.

How can everything be improved? How can I, from my side, do less wrongs and do more rights? For my own sake, to reduce reactions and my own suffering, and for the sake of everyone, to help the collective evolve as a whole.

Flow vs. Crunch - Shared Process and Adaptation ¶

As we do things together, as we engage in a process, it can be a flow, and it can be a crunch. When things are seamless, when there's optimal adaptation, reflection, we have the flow.

When there are chunky objects, cranky angles on the table, and in our space, that's called the crunch. Things are colliding against each other. There's friction, there are tensions, there are explosions. And those are not particularly pleasant.

Some of them are necessary. We cannot let everything into a state of free flow, uncontained. It'll go off track. But there is an optimum of structure and containment and surrender and facilitation of the flow, in the interest of the potential of all of us as a whole.

And so these crunchy chunks that cause friction, they're typically born of the ego, the reactions in our self-image, internal or external. And the models we operate with, very edgy models, that collide with others.

Source of Crunch: Roles and Egos - Use Only When Necessary ¶

Yes, there has to be some sort of organizational structure, hierarchy, and a certain chain of command. It doesn't have to be absolute. There are times when you need to make a call, and there are times when you don't, where it really doesn't matter who's going to open that door and who's going to press that button.

The job gets done, and it doesn't matter who gets the credit. We all get the credit. We did it together. The job got done. Great.

And in there, the question is, do I need to pull rank because it's an operational necessity, or do I need to pull rank because I'm basically in charge? So that's one angle of reflection. Whoever is entitled by position, background, to be in charge of whatever, mind when you exercise your authority.

Because if you do that when it's not called for, when it's not an operational necessity, you disempower people and you snuff out inspiration. The flow gets edgy. Barrels breaking weird.

Then again, we need to recognize merit, background, accomplishments. That's another leverage, another authority. Not authority by title, structure, and investment, but authority by merit, by expertise in a particular skill. And that needs to be respected as well.

Now for those with the skill and the clout and the street cred, they need not swag it and expect that "thy shall be done", because rock stars have their way every time. That cannot happen, right?

Yes, there are absolutely times when you need to let the master mind their craft and don't interfere, because you don't know what they're doing and why they're doing it, and you see that they get the job done. So respect for that.

And at the same time, the rock star is not beyond question. When called for, they need to make sense of what they're doing, especially if it's consequential for everyone else. And there, if the question is posed, what's the point of this? Why do we do it this way? There are concerns put on the table. Then it's time to sit down and review.

And it's not a matter of questioning your skill, whether you know what you're doing or not. It's a matter of bringing everyone more or less to the same page, to make things manageable, predictable. Skill and structure need to go hand in hand, because none of us operates in a vacuum. We all operate together.

Seeking the Middle Ground - Heart of the Shared Wave ¶

And collaboration begins with communication. From communication, coordination; and coordination, we cooperate. And when we seamlessly communicate, coordinate, and cooperate, then we can also co-create, co-manifest something that is much greater than the sum of its parts, each of us unto ourselves.

So with these reflections, let's all try and find that sweet spot in the middle of the wave. Find that middle ground where we meet, where we mirror, where we adjust, where we adapt, and learn to evolve together as a whole, each with our respective credits.

Now where is that middle ground? Certainly not exactly at the halfway point in the middle of the space between the two of you. It's not quite as linear as that, that we will now put this on the table and split 50-50 compromise.

It's not quite as simple as that. Complex operations, multi-talented individuals, lots of threads spinning. It's a multi-dimensional weave. It's an elaborate fabric for the context.

So take your time, be patient, but remember everyone needs to adapt, adjust, have to give, and then you get. Don't take, give and get. Don't claim just because you can. Invoke the claim by your merits witnessed in action.

It's a process, a long process, but a necessary and an avoidable process. There's simply no way around the necessity to adjust, negotiate, if we intend to co-exist in a productive stream, okay? And yes, we are not going to undergo instant ego death here. That too is a process, but in there we get to the golden median.

Setting the Golden Median - The 49-/51+ Split of Concern ¶

We cut it half and just a little bit more, making sure that 51% is for the collective as a whole and 49% or less is for ourselves and our self-image, our self-establishment.

That's how the spiral begins to turn constructively. Just one little step over the edge, unto others, above myself, and we are all nurturing, encouraging, complementing, fulfilling each other. A very simple principle, a very consequential principle.

Embrace that: you meet with cohesion. Ignore that: you meet with contrast and conflict. Embrace that: there is an evolution toward progressive union. Ignore that, reject that: all things lead to separation, entropy and termination in the end.

What could have been was wasted, simply because we put the wheel turning in the wrong direction. We just couldn't put that plus 1% beyond ourselves.

So these are things to remember, and with this I conclude the contemplations for today.

Always be well, always do your best to ensure everyone else is well as well.

All right.