The best lever we have to shift the system is our choice of questions, because of the power they have to frame and influence the thinking in response, and affirm a priori one set of presuppositions, and invalidate others, just by asking.

The dominant individualistic, materialistic, reductionist, competitive paradigm can be characterized by its focus on separate entities, valuing material wealth and growth, reducing complex systems to their component parts, and promoting competition as a fundamental drive in human and natural systems. It is often tied to capitalism and industrialization and generally assumes a framework of separation and scarcity. Here are some fundamental questions that emerge from within this paradigm:

a. How do we maximize individual wealth and happiness?

b. How do we efficiently extract and utilize resources to fuel growth and progress?

c. How do we outcompete others in economic, social, or geopolitical arenas?

d. How do we increase efficiency, productivity, and innovation through specialization and reductionism?

e. How can we ensure our individual or national security in a world of finite resources and competition?

f. How can we control or manipulate our environment to serve our needs and desires?

In contrast, the paradigm of Ubuntu, interconnectivity, interdependence, systems thinking, and mutuality emphasizes the inherent connections among all forms of life and values the health and wellbeing of the whole system. This paradigm can be associated with indigenous knowledge systems, holistic or ecological sciences, and cooperative social structures. It assumes our embeddedness in local and planetary social and ecological systems and affirms the value of all life, human and non-human. Here are some fundamental questions that emerge from within this paradigm:

a. How do we maintain the health, resilience, and sustainability of the ecosystems that we depend on?

b. How do we foster meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships with others and with the natural world?

c. How do we balance the needs and wellbeing of individuals, communities, and the broader ecological systems we are part of?

d. How do we ensure that our actions and decisions respect the rights and value of all forms of life?

e. How do we contribute to the thriving of our communities and ecosystems rather than simply focusing on our own success or survival?

f. How can we learn from and work with natural systems, rather than attempting to control or exploit them?

So, what questions are you asking?

#Ubuntu #SystemsThinking #Sustainability #Interconnectivity #Interdependence #ParadigmShift