Developing a 21st Century Mind 0679401059

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ALSO BY MARSHA SINETAR Monks and Mystics Money Will Follow

•

Ordinary People

•

Do What You

•

Elegant Choices, Healing Choices

•

Living Happily Ever After

Books

Children's •

Self-esteem

•

A

Person

as

Love, the

Is

Is

Just an Idea

We

Many Wonderful,

Have About Ourselves Strange Things

DEVELOPING

A

21st-CENTURy,

MIND

•MARSHA SINETAR

DEVELOPING

A

Slst-CENTURY

MIND

Villard

Books

New York 1991

Comments and

case illustrations are composites drawn from the hundreds of letters, conversations and interviews. None of these is meant to represent any one individual. Neither publisher nor author assumes any liability for the use or misuse of techniques described in this book; nothing in this book is intended as a substitute method for competent therapy profiles of

or professional attention.

Copyright

©

1991 by Marsha Sinetar

All rights reserved under International and

Copyright Conventions. Published \'illard

Books,

a division of

and simultaneously

in

Pan-American

United States by

Random House,

Inc.,

New

York,

Canada by Random House of Canada

Limited, Toronto. Villard Books

Random House,

in the

a registered

is

trademark of

Inc.

Grateful acknowledgment

made

is

to Liveright Publishing

Corporation and Grafton Books for permission to reprint excerpts from "let

go

it

—the" from Complete Poems,

1913-1962 by E.E. Cummings. Copyright

192.?,

1925, 19.n,

1935, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949,

©

1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 19.54,

Cummings

1955, 1956, 1957, 1958,

by the Tru-stees

1959, 1960, 1961, 1962

©

Trust. Copyright

for the E.E.

1961, 1963, 1968

by Marion

Morehouse Cummings. Reprinted by permission of Liveright Publishing Corporation and Grafton Books, a division of

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sinetar, Marsha.

Developing

ISBN 1.

21st-century

a

mind

/

by Marsha

Sinetar.

cm.

p.

0-679-40105-9

Self-actualization (Psychology)

2.

Adaptability

(P.sychology) 3.

Problem solving.

first

I.

Title.

II.

Title:

century mind.

BF637.S4S557

1991

90-45848

158—dc20 9 8

7

6

5

4

3

2

First P'dition

Typography and binding design by Marsha Cohen /Parallelogram

Developing

a

twentv-

/ lovingly dedicate this book to the

memory

Adele Sinetar.

of

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My

thanks to

many

several stages of this

when

I

first

people for professional support throughout the

work. Joan LaFlamme lent her

editorial expertise

conceptualized this book. During countless revisions and

my friends) Lynn DelliQuadri and Hannum provided valuable organizing and manicuring input. Vice

manuscript alterations, editors (and Jill

president and executive editor of \^illard Books Diane Reverand greatly

improved the cuts.

For

readability of the final draft

Each of these

clarified

remaining flaws

all

during

a

I

what could be

fault

it

is

to

Pam

highly abstract technique.

I

thank Linda Allen,

my

agent. Sev-

me interviews and sent me letters To all, I express appreciation. How-

granted

describing their creative process. ever,

a

only myself. For calm, steady patience

lengthy writing period,

eral exceptional individuals

by encouraging additional

Bacci, longtime friend

and

assistant, that special

applause and acknowledgment are due, since she resumed her processing on this book only days after the birth of her surely

is

what

it

means

to

go the extra

mile,

and

I

first child.

am

grateful.

word This

CONTENTS Introduction: Unitive Influences 1.

2.

3. 4. 5.

A A A A A

21st-century Mind

Is

Creatively Adaptive

7. 8.

9.

A A A A

9

21st-century Mind Playfully Solves Problems

33

21st-century Mind Incubates Solutions

53

21st-century Mind

Is

Logically Intuitive

65

21st-century Mind

Is

"Unfreakable" and Challenged

by Problems 6.

3

83

21st-century Mind Enjoys Ordering Chaos

101

21st-century Mind

131

Is

Visionary

21st-century Mind Transcends or Resolves Paradox

147

21st-century Mind

165

References

Is

Whole-Seeing

187

DEVELOPING

A

21st-CENTURy.

MIND

INTRODUCTION: UNITIVE INFLUENCES For part,

we know in part, and we prophecy in but when the perfect comes, the partial

will be I

done away.

used to speak

reason as a child; did

away with

.

.

.

When

as a child,

when

I

I

was

a child,

think as a child,

became [mature]

1

childish things. 1

CORINTHIANS 13:10-12

This

is

for people who feel themselves moving toward mature The move demands the relinquishing of childish things, yet

book

a

wholeness.

paradoxically asks for a renewal of child//^^ ness.

Only

the immature

aggressively cling to fixity, overcontrol or the wish for guarantees.

good humor, trust of the unknown are hallmarks of wholeness, book I describe a playful path to developing what I call a 21st-century mind. To me, this is the mind of integration and full, creative health: although this mind sheds light on our best options and Faith,

and

in this

solutions,

we

rarely hear of

it.

Almost everything we read and hear presupposes childishness, dependency, weakness, unproductivity. Today, neurosis, lovelessness, joylessness and addiction are considered "normal." \'igorous good health

is

notion,

a distant, largely idealized goal.

I

believe that

nothing special

—

this

when is

Yet

in

keeping with

their

normal condition. So,

as

I

write of

personhood or mature wholeness and creative adaptation, ordinary people ues into daily

who

Buddhist

a

people reach their highest perfection,

I

are simply bringing their highest truths

it is

full

refer to

and

val-

life.

Millions of people are increasingly perceiving this normality, view-

ing self and other as synergistically interrelated. Such people long to love and I

work

can only

way

— want

to sec the

for liberation

images of the this

is

report themselves engaged in

dance. Millions

from the constraining, punitive, polarizing ideas and Recent political events throughout the world reflect

past.

wish beyond

spirituality,

They

what more want to grow in this world connected and whole and safe. Thcv yearn

productively.

call a spirited

a

shadow of

on the

rise,

and

into whole-seers will enjoy

a I

doubt. Grass-roots wholeness, even

hope

that people

and benefit from

my

who

are developing

concept of Positive

Structuring.

Positive Structuring

is

a

novel consciousness-raising technit|ue and

DEVELOPING A 21ST-CENTURY MIND

5

process that offers psychologically healthy, mature adults a tool to

own way of

"play" with, to guide and develop their skill.

Positive Structuring suggests a

perfect" and does

away with

creative problem-solving

perceiving that sees "the

what the word wholeness means. Since hard-to-solve problems are on the rise and since the future, for all of us, is uncertain, globally we must look for ways to strengthen creative thinking. I suggest links between very probable future scenarios and very practical implications of enhancing the processes of our own minds. As we strengthen and illuminate what is best within our hearts and spirits, urgent if unusual answers come. Each chapter briefly outlines such links, since I'm describing a technique for cultivating a higher thought process, not specifically drawing a picture about the future. Despite my focus, none can afford to ignore the transitional upheavals that lie ahead, and therefore I mention some of these, with particular regard to work and economics. Our world is already characterized by constant, major, simultaneous change. Changes envelop and touch us all. Creative problem solving is the prerequisite

skill for

partial things.

This

is,

in fact,

successful 21st-century living, since resource-

minds ably handle paradox, the unknown and abstraction. Chapter 1 discusses the creative mind and reviews some of the key behavioral outcomes of what I term creative adaptation. This is my phrase for the psychology of "personal entrepreneuring" or "overcoming": it is a term I use to describe people who artfully meet the unknown, crisis or rapid change. Throughout this book, I use the concept of creative adaptation as a vehicle to describe varying facets of the method I call Positive Structuring. Creative adaptives do more than merely adjust ful

blandly to convention or tradition;

when

necessary, they successfully

bend what exists to their life-purposes. Their minds are able, alert and inventive, and they receive no small amount of pleasure from their own creative processes and products. At some point, creative adaptives discover that, instead of their coneven tinually submitting to the world, the world has adapted to them if only in part and over the long haul of their lives. To lean on Joseph

—

Campbell's inspiring phrase, they "follow their destructively or unproductively. sive narcissists or cold,

I

am

bliss"

— but

not

self-

not speaking of anarchists, exces-

cunning manipulators. As

I

try to

show

in this

book, the creative adaptive person functions effectively and helpfully

which he or she touches

to the degree to

consciousness."

I

each chapter, defining I

(or

is

touched bv) "unitive

explore this lucid, boundless, non-dual awareness in it

in

Chapter

describe creative adaptation in

1.

some

detail

in

my

book Living

— MARSHA SINETAR

6

Happily Ever

After. In this book,

creative adaptive ness.

The

I

examine the manner

mind demonstrates

its

own

in

which the

higher unitive conscious-

elevated, heightened awareness of the psychosocial

mind

sions of the creative

decades. For example, in 1979

I

outlined

first

atively gifted or self-actualizing adults differ in thinking

traditional-minded peers (Sinetar, 1980, pp. 749-55).

America's workplace

my

as

dimen-

me for almost three the way in which cre-

has been of interest to

I

from

their

originally used

arena of focus in this matter. In the most

general terms, in the seventies

my

observation was that anyone with

eyes to see could observe a global shift in thinking and perception.

What social scientists called a "paradigm shift," I saw as a collective rise Chapter

in unitive consciousness. In I

To

moving from an

me,

we

are

restate

1,

then more generally in subse-

my perspective about the elements of this shift.

quent chapters,

egocentric, fragmented perception

the childish perspective that "sees in part"

—to

a clear, synergistic,

whole-seeing mind that "does away with partial things." I

propose that the world's increasing interest in spirituality

is

yet

another signpost pointing to growing numbers of people influenced by unitive consciousness. Spirituality and spiritual insights are requisite, logical

outgrowths of the creative adaptive mind. In

spirituality in secular

gious might identify with, and find themselves a special

this

book,

I

discuss

terms so that even the unchurched or nonreli-

challenge for me, since

I

in,

these pages. This

is

myself am theologically inclined. The

mind of which I write has many sides, is infinitely varied and deep, and I wanted to speak a language that would draw in and include the widest possible number of people.

When

people

touched the

in

life, it is

of their

nected from their

some ways

in

fail

hem

own

which

own

inner

usually because they have not properly

heightened awareness.

kingdom

They

of riches. Chapter

are discon2

suggests

may address this deficit, and show how people might use the

Positive Structuring

each subsequent chapter attempts to

method to help develop their own creative adaptive minds. Throughout this book, I interweave three related strands. First, I show how Positive Structuring lets us plavfullv simulate the creative process and brings us progressively useful insights necessary for resourceful problem solving.

us observe our

own

I

describe

thinking. Next,

helps us develop creative adaptive

I

why

Positive Structuring helps

explain skill

how

Positive Structuring

by bringing us into

lively,

engagement with our own mental powers and with the problems that concern us. Gradually, imperceptibly, and imprecisely in positive

DEVELOPING A 21ST-CENTURY MIND most

cases,

daily

life.

I

we

learn to trust our

do not suggest

as a

7

minds

in the practical larger areas of

that Positive Structuring be used as self-therapy, or

technique for those struggling to overcome dysfunction or serious

emotional problems.* While clinical therapists, no doubt, will add

this

technique to their bag of favorite methodologies. Positive Structuring not really a psychological method

Although it holds enormous potential to assist creative learning and problem solving, Positive Structuring evolved out of my own keen interest in art, architecture and is

construction.

have successfully applied these interests to finding busi-

I

ness solutions for I

come

my

I

Only recently have this method to self-

clients for the past decade.

amazing application of

to appreciate the

development.

at all.

have developed

a constructive art that

seems, over time,

to raise consciousness.

As

show throughout

I

this

book,

many

people quietly experiment

along these same lines on their own, without fanfare. perseveres, those

who try

Anyone who

out this or that idiosyncratic approach to find

tangible solutions or reach far-off dreams,

may

be

psychologists, researchers and the press than those

the high

drama of psychological impairment or

ever, to

me, the former are

life's

less interesting to

whose

lives express

How-

self-destruction.

unsung, unrecognized heroes,

true,

because they continually manage to transmute negative forces into positive ones.

These pages

are full of illustrations of healthy, indepen-

dent and resourceful thinkers whose minds seem

full

of light.

study their examples, assessing ourselves in the process. But, Positive Structuring

Certainly,

and

a route to

Although I

a

it is

admit

I

is

not

a

quick

fix. It is a

We can I

repeat.

practice, perhaps an art.

way of understanding the specific demands of our goals perceiving reality as one whole, exquisite fabric.

describe Positive Structuring thoroughly in Chapter

at the outset that the

method

is

slippery, hard to quantify.

2, I

cannot say exactly why Positive Structuring works, provides answers,

promotes personal growth

—only

that

does.

it

Both creative adaptivity and Positive Structuring move us toward unitive consciousness and spiritual growth, allowing what psychiatrist

Reza Arasteh *If a person

clean

bill

is

calls "final

integration"

—our ultimate development, our

depressed or plnsicallv impaired,

it

is

essenrial for

him or her

to get a

of health from a physician before trying this or any self-improvement program.

is often biochemical or even genetic in origin and can masquerade as apathy, boredom, procrastination and low enthusiasm, a doctor's input is war-

Since clinical depression ranted

if

and when dysfunction

is

suspected.

MARSHA SINETAR full

humanity.

nique

It is

unitive consciousness

—that seeds our

and creative mystery here because consciousness, our deepest involved. But this seems just one more riddle of existence to

adaptation.

mind,

is

—not my, or anyone's, tech-

There

final integration, spiritual insights

is

hold lightly and appreciate with wonder as

we draw

near the perfect.

A 21st-CENTURy MIND IS CREATIVELYADAPTIVE The

slave, in the spiritual order,

whose bound hand and

choices have delivered foot, to his

what he

the [one] over,

own

compulsions, idiosyncrasies and that he never does

is

him

illusions, so

really

wants

.

.

.

but only what he has to do.

THOMAS MERTON, The Neiv Man

In

my practice of organizational change management, senior executives

in

Fortune 500-type companies regularly

long-standing

beliefs, stability

worked no longer

does. Their authority

vocal, sophisticated

tell

me

that they see their

and practices disintegrating. What once is

now undermined by

either

employee groups or by abrupt change. Often they own transfers or terminations from high-ranking

bitterly describe their

functions because of restructurings or corporate mergers.

One man

faced such reshuffling twice in three years. "Yes," he admits, "I'm well

—

—

compensated for this separation, but work not money is mv primary means of fulfillment. At my age, it's not easy to be rehired. All I wanted was a secure position with long-term job security. Is that asking too much?" Yes, If,

may

like

I

reply.

Today

this

is

my client, we still yearn for orderly,

be losing touch with contemporary

indeed asking too much. predictable lives, we, too,

realities.

A

brief examination

of America's disrupted workplaces reveals that mergers, acquisitions, restructurings and downsizings are

who

risk arenas for those ity."

making

large organizations high-

seek a "secure job with long-term job stabil-

Automation and robotization

are,

and

will be, shrinking the

force further. If only in terms of our occupational

life,

work

most of us

will

as we enter the 21st century. we are doomed to sell pencils on a street Ample and rewarding job opportunities exist

be affected by some sort of upheaval

This

is

not to say that

corner. Far, far from

it.

newly emerging, internationallv relevant entrepreneurial fields. Bv the year 2000, it is predicted that more than 70 percent of Americans will be engaged in some form of entrepreneurial work. By the end of the next century, almost all countries will have entered some form of /)av ^'^er,

'9/es

•t>

In the late seventies, place as

my

I

1991 Sineiar g Associates. Inc. Stawans Pomi,

first

outlined this

CA 95480

shift,

using America's work-

focus. (Sinetar, 1980, pp. 749-55)

minds and 21st-century minds

differ in the

As noted,

traditional

most basic and obvious

ways.

Of

course,

minds only change

as individuals do. Spiritually

matur-

they are by unitive con-

ing, creatively adaptive people, influenced