The Gaussian Animal/ Das Gaussisches Tier
I feel I have to bring back the concept of the Gaussian
animal as it was not taken up when I first brought it up in 2008 during an OECD
compliance meeting of regulators. Admittedly, regulators might not be true “motivationally
engaged”. So here it is again.
The concept assumes that one considers that one is not
perfect and that our meta-structures (countries, culture, governments, societies,
etc.) are not either. If you do not think so, then reading this will give you
thoughts to bring back meaning to your life. If you do think along those lines,
it will give you elements to live with a purpose.
If we are not perfect nor are our cultures, institutions,
families, etc., consequently striving to improve the self, and our society comes up as
a worthy endeavor, in fact as one of life’s purpose. I addressed the
development of the self in an earlier blog on swarmship, this time let’s
address society. The Gaussian animal has of course analogies with St-Exupery’s
little Prince and his hat, which was in fact an animal, not a static object.
The Gaußian animal is alive and describes our society has it moves from where
it is to what it becomes.
Within our society, we have those who initiate change and
those who fear it, and therefore fight it and, of course everything in between.
So on the left of the curve we have the reactionary, then the authoritarian,
and the by-stander. On the right of the curve, moving on toward the will to change,
we have the contemplatively engaged, then the motivationally engaged, then the
activist, and finally the visionary. Violence/extremism/fundamentalism can, but
not necessarily, come from both end of this curve.
Now to focus on what we can do, also on our life’s purpose, I
would argue that once the visionary in each of us came up with something, the
ones that will bring in the butterfly effect we might hope for, are from the
motivationally engaged. Also, those are the ones to talk to. If you look more
to the right, both activists and visionaries have their plate full and are
focused on what they do. The ones on the left, namely the contemplatively
engaged, the by-standers, the authoritarians, and most to the left, the reactionaries
are either not motivated to do something or are willing to fight for the Status Quo. With these groups,
especially the ones at the left of the center of the Gaußian animal, each gram
of energy invested by you creates a counter-reaction with the same negative energy.
Also all loss energy at best, or at worst counter-productive.
Once the ideas is shared with the motivationally engaged, it
starts to take shape, modifies itself and improves itself and in the process
gets adopted by that community. This moves a part of the curve toward the
right, also toward what we perceive at the time as an improvement. The beauty
of that process is that it responds to a wonderful biological paradigm, namely that
if there is a space that becomes empty in spite of the fact that it has
resources, it will fill up again. Also, as the motivationally engaged move
toward the right of the curve, it leaves a space on the left, which naturally
will be filled in by the contemplatively engaged. And this process is so
intrinsically strong that the by-standers will follow, and yes the
authoritarians, and finally the reactionaries will move to the right. And in
this way the Gaußian animal is moving to the right, in an attempt to achieve a
better society and in the process allowing people to have a more fulfilled life. And
as an example, the fact is that contrary to 400 years ago, nobody is willing to
kill for ensuring that the notion that the earth is flat will not be
challenged. Time is relative, and evolution is better than revolution, the latter
always serving the few as oppose to “the people”.
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