Walls, Boundaries, Barriers and the Like

Fixed fortifications, huh? Monuments to the stupidity of man.

When mountain ranges and oceans could be crossed anything

built by man can be overcome.

- George C. Scott (as George Patton in the film "Patton")

Robert Frost penned Mending Wall in 1914. For nearly a century now five of its most quoted words often remain misused. "Something there is," begins Frost, "that doesn't love a wall, that sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, and spills the upper boulders in the sun; and makes gaps even two can pass abreast." Frost places himself and a neighbor making their annual walk to repair the stone division between their properties after nature has completed her winter handiwork. In the midst of his share of rock laying Frost ponders aloud the need for a wall's existence. His neighbor hears this and replies with memorized certainty, "'Good fences make good neighbors.'" A reflective mood descends on him and he wonders, "Why do they make good neighbors?... Before I built a wall I'd ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offence." Those five words were arguably meant to cause us to think and consider other possibilities, possibilities that could make walls unnecessary. Sadly, many have used those five words to justify isolation.

Ironically the year Frost contemplated the rifts between and within people and completed that poem the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Ferdinand, was assassinated in Sarajevo. The result: The War That Would End All Wars raged for four years, split at world, created more walls, more fear and distrust, the remains of which stand to this day, not only in a physical sense, in that part of the world ... and here.

Today is June 30, 2008. A stark image (and its accompanying title, "The Great Wall of America") rips across the cover of Time Magazine and catches my attention. I buy a copy. A solitary black line cuts the white desert sand that joins (or divides depending on your viewpoint) the United States of America and los Estados Unidos de Mexico. Unrelated and juxtaposed (my opinion) another image appears in the magazine cover's upper left hand corner: the image of a gazing down Tim Russert. A man dedicated, at least the latter years of his life, to questioning lines drawn by people... lines sometimes based on inaccuracy or dishonestly or greed or without merit (again, my opinion) fashioned by people wielding huge amounts of social, political and/or economic power.

Time's cover urges my own reflection and I recall the small mining communities of my youth: Ray, Sonora, Barcelona and Kearny, all just a few miles north of the Gila River, which also cuts - though not as unforgivingly as the fence on Time's cover - across southern Arizona. The Gila constituted the U.S.-Mexican border until 1853 when James Gadsden and Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana signed a controversial deal that moved the border dramatically south and added about thirty thousand square miles to the U.S. Given the nature the deal, had it occurred last year (2007), Gadsden and Santa Ana would likely have been invited by Russert onto Meet the Press for a good grilling. Santa Ana (President of Mexico) squandered the money received... money badly needed by his citizens; and Gadsden, our Minister to Mexico who brokered the purchase did so to make possible a rail link between Texas and the Pacific, and in the process personally acquired corporate shares of the railroad involved. Then there's the little known case of Tennessee-born William Walker. A lawyer turned filibuster and businessman, Walker's righteous outrage and zeal to secure more land for America than the Gadsden Purchase allowed, led him and his band of mercenaries into Mexico in 1853. There he established the short-lived independent Republics of Lower California and Sonora. Of course this all happened one hundred fifty-five years ago. Shenanigans of this sort involving obscure deals at high government levels, blurred lines between public service and corporate (or personal) interest, and privatized armed incursions led by American civilians onto foreign soil establishing supposed sovereignties are impossible today. Correct?

Twenty years following Gadsden's deal and Walker's incursion, copper oar was discovered in an area north of the Gila River and Aravaipa Creek confluence. In the 1870's the small towns of Ray, Sonora and Barcelona came into being and from then until the mid-1960's they circumscribed the mine that sought the copper. This mine still exists, and is today one of the world's largest. Ray, Sonora and Barcelona, on the other hand, are dead. Were you to look where they once stood you would find no evidence of their existence. Their memory literally hangs in the air.

Initially an underground operation, the Ray Mine created opportunity. Different cultures came together for work. The communities these cultures formed, however, were separated by a subjective wall. We had no name for it. It was simply "just that way." Of course no one called it segregation; because segregation was something that existed in Georgia and Mississippi and Alabama... not Arizona. For six decades the residents of Ray greeted one another with, "Good morning." In Sonora and Barcelona, both only a mile distant, the salutation was, "Buenos dias." And, unless going to or from work or church, it was unwise to cross the invisible wall, especially after dark. On foot, in a car, on a mule or horse, on a date with your girlfriend or boyfriend, to school and certainly by marriage you stayed where you were expected to stay. Then something shifted.

By the late 1940's high-grade veins of copper were being mined out. Only low-grade ore remained in the rock, rock that could neither safely or economically be taken using underground shafts. The shafts and the small compressed air locomotives needed to haul the booty were abandoned. Large treaded earth scooping "shovels" and mammoth trucks replaced them to strip and move the ground off and into the milling/smelting process. A small open pit emerged and became a symbol of progress. As the symbol (the pit) grew it forced cultures to adjust. Of necessity, people were uprooted, moved from one town to another and began living next door to each other. The pit, a physical wall of sorts, grew into and overcame the towns. The transformation ushered the demise of separation. Once kept apart by a mile-wide hole, the people (actually we, because I lived there then) were obliged to join and live with each other.

In the mid-1950's the mine pushed west. Barcelona disappeared. Sonora began to shrink. It's swimming pool vanished as did some businesses. People with names like Contreras, Mercado, Abril, Escalante and Campos ventured across the divide and found homes next door to the Smoots, Hatfields, Warrens, Tafts and the Bishops. Schools consolidated. Kids with different lineages, languages and religions had to sit next to each other in Ray's one-building high school and one-building elementary school. Not everyone liked it. Knives were common at school. Chains were carried on the streets at night. Crossing any barrier, any wall, requires not just physical action, it is often an act of the heart made in the face of fear.

People rarely abandon their fears. Even if they espouse the opposite, change of this nature takes work, effort and practice. We try, we fall down, we get up and go at it again. Life is a journey not a destination. Yes, that is cliché. That's why it's so valid! Our fears are our greatest walls and potentially our greatest anchors. In times of challenge and change it is human nature to slip back into the past even if the future is better. This is homeostasis. In Mastery, George Leonard urges an understanding of the power and the effect of homeostasis, and reminds us that every self-regulating system (we certainly are that, individually and collectively) will resist change even if the change we seek is good for the system. On pages 149 and 150 of Mastery he addresses a key tool for progress in the face of homeostasis, which he calls The Edge. He writes: "The path of mastery is built on unrelenting practice, but it's also a place of adventure. A couple on the path stays open to experience and is willing to play new games, dance new dances together. Perhaps the greatest adventure of all is intimacy: the willingness to strip away one layer of reticence after another, and on certain occasions to live entirely in the moment, revealing everything and expecting nothing in return."

America's post-war economy rushed to greet the 1960's. Industries and families were spreading across the country along with an increased press for inexpensive goods and services. Copper was in high demand so that the electricity this growth required could be transported. Similar demands rested on European nations re-emerging from WWII and united with the U.S. as NATO - racing against a Soviet Warsaw Pact living behind an Iron Curtain. The pit mine near the Gila River quickened its expansion - now spreading north and east. The backyards of Ray's inhabitants (time-honored as well as those more newly arrived from Sonora and Barcelona) were threatened and devoured - and became dumping grounds. Raw earth, we were told, would soon cover Ray's ball fields and parks. Even the graveyard was not immune. Families were informed that their departed loved ones' remains would need to be relocated. It was all hard to imagine when we were first told. But it all happened. Knowing that growth would continue and that people working and living together were essential to sustain the growth, the mining company built a new town "just down the road a bit" from Ray and Sonora and empty Barcelona. Kearny was born. A place where everyone would live together, not because we were in search of something from one another, but rather because we had to.

In 1961 while a one-upon-a-time barrier pressed different peoples of our communities to live and communicate together, a barrier of a different nature, an actual wall, was under construction 5,636 miles to the east. Berlin. And its purpose: separate a single city populated by like peoples; force them to part and communicate no more.

Walls. They seemed to be everywhere.

The morphing of Ray and Sonora into a singular Kearny gave rise to new challenges and opportunities, e.g. the five structures housing differing religious perspectives now had to co-exist in closer proximity. The volume of weekend rhetoric espousing each one's separate, yet correct TRUTH got louder on certain street corners. Distinct divisions were drawn in verbal sand. Righteousness (in whatever form) was no longer contained within the structures that housed the pulpits and pews; it found its way into cafés and bars, playgrounds and schools. Everyone knew who to hang out with and who to avoid, who was right and who was wrong, and who was and wasn't going to make it to the Other Side.

As I read the main article "A New Line In the Sand" in today's Time, I am particularly struck by a paragraph near its end and find myself looking beyond these words as a strict application to a border between two countries. David Von Drehle writes:

"What the fence tells us, then, is that marking the border and aggressively patrolling it can reduce illegal activity. The fence also carries a lesson about limits, for it is only as effective as the force that backs it up. Even the Great Wall of China was not impermeable. Osmosis explains why concentrations of water seek equilibrium across a barrier. Something similar applies to money. The difference in per capita income between the U.S. and Mexico is among the greatest cross-border contrasts in the world, according to David Kennedy, a noted historian at Stanford. As long as that remains true, the border fence will be under extreme pressure. People will climb over it; they'll tunnel under it" they'll hack through it; they'll float around it." (p 35, Time, VOL. 171, No. 26 / 2008)

Boundaries are important especially with regards respect, dignity, understanding and learning to live with others. But walls can also become hard, steadfast and rigid. They can eliminate the potential and possibility for future communication. There is a serious problem, I suggest, when the statement that a barrier or wall makes becomes more important than the potential for future constructive communication that the wall blocks; communication that honorably could come through to find common ground and understanding for a harmonious future. Harmony is not static tolerance. It is a dynamic dance of separate tones. It evokes grace, ease, joy, spontaneity and moments of playful surprise.

I look at the cover of today's Time again and find myself thinking about boundaries: personal and group. Walls are not single-functioned, one-sided structures. I gaze again and think, "Hmmmm, what if someone - a U.S. citizen - standing near that border saw an oncoming brush fire, or a swarm of hornets, or an angry mob or gang approaching from the north, or an unjust sheriff or a body of government officials (when did we start referring to public servants as government officials?), or a bully, or a deranged person carrying a club, or a despot - or a system clever enough to successfully scam people out of their voice (its responsibility, authority and freedom) and into a comfortable cloak called security - woven by threads comprised of promises. (Have you ever seen anything in nature that is actually static and therefore secure?) And suppose that that person needed to move... to walk or quickly flee south ... in order to avoid the fire or the disease or the bully, etc., for the sake of health or preservation or freedom for himself or herself or the family. Well then, the wall wouldn't be keeping anyone out... it would be keeping that person in. We have to understand that walls are impersonal and those with little or no doors, or doors that are controlled by the few can house prisons. For eighteen months I weekly visited a prison doing volunteer work. It always struck me that in many ways that the inmates were not the only prisoners who lived there. The inmates were the prisoners that stayed overnight. Ahhhh... but this is all kind of far-fetched imagining when considered within the context of "The Great Wall of America" on Time's cover. Isn't it?

This past Friday and Saturday I delivered a program www.SamuraiGame.org for Run Rhino , a Santa Cruz, California consulting firm. The program included an interactive aikido demonstration, which when completed opened to a reflective dialogue for participants who translated lessons the demonstration provided into issues relevant to relationship and communication. Aikido is a martial art dedicated to promote harmonious resolution to all conflicts. One of the participants, a woman from Canada, offered, "I saw simultaneous acts of leading and following, and it made me think of the possible agreements and solutions that could rise out of conflict, agreements and solutions that could come into being - but only if people are willing to look for, create, and share a common language... not just words, but a language based on understanding."

Today is Monday, June 30^th. I'm sitting at my desk looking out onto Prospect Street here in Petaluma, California. Having these thoughts and writing these words and wondering if the underlying fabric of the notion of walls and barriers and boundaries really matters in any way to anyone in particular. This is my nineteenth year in Petaluma; I've lived here longer than anywhere else in my life... including the communities of Ray, Sonora, Barcelona and Kearny. I've been (and am) a Petaluma west-side resident. Hail to the Trojans! - Petaluma High School's mascot (this side of town). I've been an east-side Petaluma resident, too. Hurray for the Gouchos! The mascot for Casa Grande High School (the other side of town). Petaluma's a nice place: fifty-five thousand people divided right down the middle by a freeway; old farms, heritage homes and chicken houses to the west; stucco and high-tech buildings to the east. Friendly competition.

I look out the window this morning. A man walks down the north side of the street. He's walked this way everyday since I moved into my house. His motion breaks my concentration. He passes #510 Prospect across the way and enters more of my field of vision. I find myself wondering, "What will he do today?" Each morning he shuffles by here wearing a cap and an oversized black windbreaker. His shoes, sneakers, look out of place for his age. He has a bushy mustache. He's headed east (as usual) to the corner of Prospect and Walnut Streets where a yellow fire hydrant adjacent to a stop sign stands like a silent sentry guarding the neighborhood. In the past this fellow has always stopped at the hydrant, gazed east ... then south... then west from whence he came ... then east and south again. It's obvious he's pondering. Something inside him is talking. It's as if he's listening for someone to say, "It's OK. You can go across Walnut Street today and continue walking two blocks to Liberty Street, or wherever else you want to go." But I've never seen him take a step to cross over Walnut Street. In fact, I've never seen his foot depart the sidewalk and touch the pavement. He always turns north after his pattern of gazing and shuffles up the road away from where I look. He always disappears into the shadows until the morrow when he comes back - again from the west and headed east. I don't judge him, but I am curious. I wonder about him. He looks like a nice guy. I think someone probably cares a lot about him. Today I find myself quietly rooting, "Go ahead ... take the step ... it's OK... it really is." Then I go still and watch. He stops, considers the hydrant, gazes east, gazes south ... turns back to look west, then to the east and south again. Interestingly, now, he moves diagonally to the storm drain right at the edge of the walkway and looks down. And then ...

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,

And spills the upper boulders in the sun;

And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.

...

And on a day we meet to walk the line

And set the wall between us once again.

We keep the wall between us as we go.

To each the boulders that have fallen to each.

...

Before I build a wall I'd ask to know

What I was walling in or walling out,

And to whom I was like to give offence.

Something there is that doesn't love a wall,

That wants it down. I could say, 'Elves' to him,

But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather

He said it for himself.

...

He will not go behind his father's saying,

And he likes having thought of it so well

He says it again, 'Good fences make good neighbours.'

... he turns and proceeds north, as he has each day for quite a long time.

What are the walls we, you and I, live by? The ones between us? The ones within us?

What do they serve? What don't they serve? What do they cost?

What do they wall in? What do they wall out?

Are they worth it? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

if not, then what can be done about this ... if only in some small measure ... today?

Do it.

The Afterward. It's early Thursday morning, July 3^rd, 2008. Tomorrow is Independence Day. I'm at Starbucks. I walked across Petaluma a little while ago, over the freeway to the east side, to shop and have a cup of coffee where my youngest son works. In a little while I'll walk back to my home office. No one's permission needed for the journey, except mine. It's a long way to walk for a cup of coffee, but that's OK because I can combine exercise with errands, and errands with breakfast, and breakfast with the possibility of seeing a young man at his first real job. I can save gas, too. No car needed, just a good pair of sneakers. Above my head the sound system is piping out music. I strain a bit to hear the tune. Starbucks sells good CDs in addition to good coffee. They play their music low so that customers are enveloped by subtle background sounds. Similarly, the background aroma of fresh coffee heightens the possibility that some in the store will be influenced into buying another cup. Smart marketing. It helps drive sales. Lord knows Starbucks needs help. Yesterday's headlines included news that the mega-chain will soon close six hundred U.S. stores. I hope my son keeps his job. But, there is no such thing as stability, and there are no guarantees. It's out of his (and my) hands. A job lost won't be the end of the world, just an opportunity to deal with change. A learning experience. I strain a bit more to hear the music. I think I recognize the duo, but it sounds like a live recording, not the studio version that was one of my favorites at Ray District High School back in Kearny. Sure enough it's them - Paul & Art - live! I listen ... and I hear:

A winters day

In a deep and dark December;

I am alone,

Gazing from my window to the streets below

On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow.

I am a rock,

I am an island.

I've built these walls,

A fortress deep and mighty,

That none may penetrate.

I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.

Its laughter and its loving I disdain.

I am a rock,

I am an island.

Don't talk of love,

I've heard that word before;

It's sleeping in my memory.

I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died.

If I never loved I never would have cried.

I am a rock,

I am an island.

I have my books

And my poetry to protect me;

I am shielded in my armor,

Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.

I touch no one and no one touches me.

I am a rock,

I am an island.

And a rock feels no pain;

And an island never cries.

On the recording the crowd cheers wildly. Sitting at Starbucks I mist up and almost cry. But I stop. Someone might not understand or think I'm weird, so I keep my feelings inside. I'm caught ... still learning ... still practicing. Walls, they seem to be everywhere.

© Lance Giroux,

A Case for Long Term Purposeful Practice

“I will tell you what I am talking about,” he [Malcolm] said. “Most kinds of power require a substantial sacrifice by whoever wants the power. There is an apprenticeship, a discipline lasting many years. Whatever kind of power you want. President of the company. Black belt in karate. Spiritual guru. Whatever it is you seek, you have to put in the time, the practice, the effort. You must give up a lot to get it. It has to be very important to you. And once you have attained it, it is your power. It can’t be given away: it resides in you. It is literally the result of your discipline.”
- Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park – p. 306

May 28, 2008
I found myself yesterday sitting in a small boardroom on a local university campus. Asked there by the Dean of Students, I attended a meeting with senior administrators. Their interest was (and remains) the potential that experiential education in general, and the Samurai Game® in particular, might hold for incoming freshmen - The Class of 2012. The school seeks engaging ways to deepen one’s understanding of the need for sincere commitment and an investment of self in the educational process - something that is life-long. “Young people today, especially in our country, have grown up believing they deserve an A,” said one of the administrators. “We have a generation that has never really faced loss. Many arrive on our campus believing that an education is something they are entitled to rather than something they have to earn.”

As much as I attempted to remain in the “here and now” at the meeting, I found a part of me reflecting on: (1) the news of the day, and (2) a meeting I had had just prior to this one, a meeting filled with lessons - seemingly timeless – for anyone, any organization, and any culture.

First - The News of The Day (that really isn’t “news”). They come, as they have for quite some years, in sound bites, and I can hear them in the recesses of my mind while the three administrators talk. Sound bites of the day -- • The market is up … the market is down. • Countrywide Financial is sinking, Oh my … what will become of us now? • Scott McClellan’s new book tells all about the current administration • Average price of gas is now $4.20/gal in northern California. -- As this all runs through my mind I recall a scene from the film, Good Night and Good Luck, in which Edward R. Morrow (David Strathairn) advises us to pay attention, remain vigilant and keep sharp our thinking skills lest we, individually and collectively, slip into a lazy mental fog; a fog created by information, mis-information and news (not really news) offered up by a medium that has become more connected to the products (and ideas) marketed than to the people it was designed to serve. Hence, news and information becomes neither news or information, rather a series of sales pitches wherein the national psyche, the marketplace and individual thought merge into a consciousness demanding quick fixes- and we believe that there is one way things are destined to (or should) be and we’ve got to get there fast, and with this (whatever it is) solution we will remain there and that way into the hereafter. My memory flashes on a recent radio program and I hear the commentator’s words as he discusses the geographical shape of our planet’s continents, “ … and when the continental plates stopped drifting …. “ When I heard those words on the radio I recall saying to myself, “Stopped drifting? Say’s who? When did Earth’s plates stop drifting? Aren’t they drifting still?” Language is a powerful thing and creates foundations that hold current reality. But what happens when a foundation is full of holes?

Are we (you and I) living in a national consciousness that honestly thinks we can (or should) arrive at a place and time (or that maybe we already have) wherein change and challenge and chaos, responsibility and accountability, effort and study and investment are no longer the order of the day? In other words, in which we and/or our children are entitled to a great life that is pre-ordained or chosen simply because we (or they) are, after all, special? Says who? Thinking of the many months spent outside the US the past five years and a lot of that in China, I recall a proverb – “Life is hard, then you die.” Dr. M. Scott Peck’s words come to mind, words that form the opening lines of his book The Road Less Traveled - “Life is difficult. This is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no long difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”

At the January 2008 Allied Ronin Leaders’ Retreat we viewed the film “Enron- The Smartest Guys in the Room”. If you haven’t seen this film, you may want to. If you have seen it, watch it again. It contains more than one sitting can digest. You and I lived through the Enron debacle, but do we understand its lessons? If so, are we vigorously applying them today? Enron, its rise and fall, still affects us dramatically. There is strong argument that the mentality and practices that fostered the ill effects of Enron’s collapse remain alive and well and in force throughout much of our social, political and corporate cultures - right now. Think! What attitudes, ideas and ideals drove this organization, its partners, leaders, managers, agents, proponents and investors to act as they did? How is this reflected in our schools and institutions? And how is this then reflected in the sub-prime mortgage crisis that is gripping our world today? Most importantly - where and how are similar attitudes, ideas and ideals showing up on a micro scale, i.e. around town and in the neighborhoods in which you live? What can you do about this on a practiced and practical basis?

Next – The Meeting (that really was “a meeting”). Just prior to arriving on the campus I had the good fortune to spend some time with George and Annie Leonard. We met for tea at their Mill Valley home and talked for an hour about a test of mine that occurred the preceding weekend … a test that on one hand culminated an eight-year phase of training, and on the other hand begins of a phase of training that hopefully will last the rest of my life. At some point Annie had to go to an appointment, leaving George and I alone, and he turned to me and asked, “Would you like to come to my study and see a few things?” On the walk up the stairs he offered, “You know, I never thought I would be an old person.” George Leonard, the life-long teacher, one more time saying something to me … giving me (following him up an incline of stairs reminiscent of “the master’s path” outlined in his book) a lesson to remember as I too add years to my life.

In his study sat a model of an A-20 aircraft – the attack fighter/bomber he flew in combat. Adjacent to the model were pictures from his youth - the cockpit, the uniform, the comrades. On the wall more pictures: him with his clarinet alongside a friend holding a flute; a photo with one of the other co-founders of Esalen Institute www.Esalen.com. “Pull up that chair,” he said, “and let’s take a look at some of this stuff.” And we did. First edition copies of his books, including those that have been translated into foreign languages. Pictures taken in flight (by him) during wartime missions. Awards from Look Magazine acknowledging his enormous contribution. Scrapbooks with his original articles scooping the Civil Rights movement in America’s Deep South, a South into which he was born and a South that was transformed in part by his writing. I had no idea of the personal contact and relationship he had had with Martin Luther King, Jr., or Bobby Kennedy. But there it all was in black and white and color. Another section held the complete chronicle of the work he had done, along with one photographer, probing the Iron Curtain … actually traveling and approaching a 6,000 mile expanse of territory to see what it (and the then Soviet Block forces who guarded it) were made of. Just before I left he pointed to his current book-in-progress and invited a look there too. Yes, he’s still at it, or as he said earlier that day as we talked about the tests one faces in life and about continuing to write about them, “As long as there’s a spark in here (tapping his chest) I’m going to continue.” As I departed he said, “I’ll see you later.” George Leonard, the life-long learner reminding me (and you) of the need to grow, study, contribute … and practice … no matter what.

As I left Mill Valley and headed over to the university campus my overwhelming thoughts were of times we had spent together, in person and on the phone, talking about values and the need for long- term purposeful practices. Today, as I write these words, in front of me sits a copy of his 1991 book, Mastery – still in print, still in bookstores, still in demand seventeen years after its first publication. I flip to page twenty-seven and the chapter titled, America’s War Against Mastery. Words written almost two decades ago jump out at me:

“Our society is now organized around an economic system that seemingly demands a continuing high level of consumer spending.”
[Sound familiar?]
“Try paying close attention to television commercials. What values do they espouse? …. Some … to fear. Some to logic. Some to snobbery. Some to pure hedonism (on a miserable winter day in a city a young couple chances upon a travel agency; their eyes focus on a replica of a credit card on the window and they are instantly transported to a dreamy tropical paradise).”
[I chuckle to think what Leonard would have written had ED and Viagra or Ciealis commercials been on TV when he wrote the book; advertisements encouraging us to be always ready for when the mood is right; advertisements with disclaimers that of necessity must accompany when offered to a litigious and entitled society - in case, after four hours, we find ourselves still highly engaged in (and physically unable to get out of) the mood!]

“And the sitcoms (etc.) … on the same hyped-up schedule: (1) If you make smart –assed one-liners for a half hour, everything will work out fine in time for the closing commercials. (2) People are quite nasty, don’t work hard, and get rich quickly. (3) No problem is so serious that it can’t be resolved in the wink of an eye as soon as the gleaming barrel of a handgun appears. (4) The weirdest fantasy you can think of can be realized instantly and without effort.”
Do these words from Mastery apply today? They sure do. We know that our lives and pocketbooks will soon adjust to HDTV – becoming not only be the norm, but the necessity. And what is popular on the tube (actually the flat screen) these days? The Apprentice, Survivor, Dancing With The Stars, Crime Scene Investigation, Dog the Bounty Hunter, The Biggest Loser and American Idol.

Go back to those four items cited above relating to: one-liners, everything will work out, nasty people, get-rich-quick thinking, gleaming gun barrels, and weird fantasies. Then think of today’s TV shows, so popular that the episodes are discussed in detail on talk radio the day following as if their significance really matters to the world at large. Two generations are being fed Britney and Paris for breakfast, lunch and supper – yet know not the location of Myanmar nor the kind of the international backlash facing nations that dare to host privatized military forces, e.g. Blackwater. We were warned about this kind of indulgence by Eisenhower, Morrow and others. Alas, ask on the street who they were and you’ll get blank stares by bucket loads.

Questions Worth Reflecting Upon And Worth Answering. What are your practices? Are you aware of them? For what purpose are you practicing these things? What results will your practices produce … short term and long term? Beyond yourself, who else is attending to your practices? Are you sure? Who is following in your footsteps … the examples you are setting? Do you know? Who and what is being influenced by the practices you live by?

“Now, what is interesting about this process is that, by the time someone [e.g. the black belt in karate] has acquired the ability to kill with his bare hands, he has also matured to the point where he won’t use it unwisely. So that kind of power has a built-in control. The discipline of getting the power changes you so that you won’t abuse it.

But [the kind of power your chase] is like inherited wealth: attained without discipline. You read what others have done, and you take the next step. --– There is no mastery: old [masters] are ignored. --– There is only a get-rich-quick, make-a-name-for-yourself-fast philosophy. …
And because you can stand on the shoulders of giants, you can accomplish something quickly. You don’t even know exactly what you have done, but already you have reported it, patented it, and sold it. And the buyer will have even less discipline than you. The buyer simply purchases the power, like any commodity. The buyer doesn’t even conceive that any discipline might be necessary.”

Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park – p. 306 - 307

April Afternoon Lessons from Angeles Arrien

Angeles Arrien, Ph.D., is known internationally as a cultural anthropologist, author, educator and consultant. Her book, The Four-Fold Way (1993, Harper San Francisco) has been described as "a treasure of practical wisdom for anyone on a path to wholeness."

Francis Vaughn issued that description of this best selling work, and I note that she said it is "for anyone." Does anyone include you and me? I think so.

Because words have power, there is power this description, particularly when reflecting. What do you treasure? Of what importance is that which is practical? What is the value of wisdom and from where do we seek it? What does it mean to be on a path? On what path are you walking today? What is wholeness - individual, familial, communal, organizational, national, cultural and global?

My first encounter with name Angeles Arrien was through the University of San Francisco's School of Business and Management. There, Dr. Kathy Kane teaches leadership within the various MBA programs. Seen mostly as a left-brain undertaking, the MBA pursuit attract candidates looking to catapult themselves into management positions promising higher incomes, more prestigious jobs and titles, and a chance to advance in corporate, non-profit and NGO environments. MBA program required courses regularly include macroeconomics analyses, financial accounting, managerial accounting, marketing management, management communication, systems in organizations... mixed with an occasional elective offerings in leadership. But at USF, leadership is a required core class.

Upon entering a Dr. Kane's class students quickly find themselves faced with and caught up in profound and vulnerable questions, not the least of which are:
· Who are you? (not talking about your name)
· What makes you tick? (not talking about your accomplishments)
· What are your values... based upon your habitual actions and the feedback life and your environment is giving you in quiet moments?
· How do highly effective teams come into being in reality, i.e. the nuances that exist beyond theories found in management books?
· What can we learn and use from ancient and tribal cultures?
· How are you demonstrating your capacity to create highly effective individuals and teams?
· What constructive capacities for the development of the human spirit transcend borders, ages, nationalities, societies, races, religions and genders... and are you attuned to these capacities? What evidence do you have for this?
· And most importantly, are you a person who will grow in these capacities for the rest of your life and encourage others to grow as well, even if their opinions, backgrounds and beliefs differ from yours?

I recall the first semester I taught the core leadership course as an adjunct at USF, a student asked me upon receiving his initial ten-page writing assignment, "What do you want me to say in my paper?" I looked at him with a blank stare and replied, "What do you mean?" He responded, "You know... what do you want referenced in my paper; how should I write it and how do you want it to read. What do you want to hear so I can get an A?" I paused and said, "How about writing about what's on your mind - honesty." Then I added, "and make sure it's well written and hangs together. But, don't expect an A. I can't guarantee that."

Students (some already with management experience) taking these classes were (and still are) faced with the practicality of how to understand, influence and develop human beings - beginning and continuing with the self. An often-referenced name in a USF MBA leadership class was and is Angeles Arrien.


A few weeks ago Richard Strozzi-Hecker offered to a group I happen to be part of, the opportunity to spend an afternoon with Angeles Arrien. As a friend and colleague of Richard's she was scheduled to deliver a presentation at Strozzi Institute (SI) . On April 18th we, those from the group I'm part of and the many former SI students who were at the institute for an ongoing SI program, found ourselves in the company of this profound teacher, storyteller and student of life. For three and a half hours she captivated and held our attention. Of the many things she spoke about here are a few to contemplate.

· Elegant solutions are more important than cynical debates. The world is always looking for elegant solutions. What elegant solutions are you looking for? What elegant solutions are you listening to? What elegant solutions do you have to offer? Are you actively offering your elegant solutions?

· Every individual wants to be seen as a good person as well as a person who makes a contribution. Where and how is this so for you? What is good about you? What do you have to contribute? Are you making that contribution today? What practices do you engage in to seek the good in others and bring it out in them?

· Ancient and tribal cultures show us that we human beings live most often in and from our daydreams. The daydreams are always going on... just below the surface of conscious thought. Some of these are positive (constructive) daydreams, while others are negative (destructive). Our daydreams set up the matrixes for self-fulfilling prophecies - individually and collectively. Ancient and tribal cultures suggested we attend closely to ourselves to be able to hear and notice the daydreams while they are happening; and that as we become aware of them that we punctuate our daydreams with "seal phrases" - to either perpetuate or end the prophesies they create. Daydreams that are constructive might best be sealed with, "and that's a healing story." Daydreams that are destructive might best be sealed with, "and that's a story that doesn't need to happen." The ancients and tribes also offer that we would do well to teach our children about punctuating our daydreams with "seal phrases", and in so doing help create a better future for their children. What are your habitual daydreams? Which ones are "healing stories" that you would like to continue? Which are "stories that don't need to happen?" What are you doing and what will you do about this?

· Considering the times in which we currently live, the first few years of the 21st Century, we see our world, our country, our institutions, our communities, our structures, businesses, our schools, our natural resources faced with enormous challenge and change. These challenges and changes can either foster a renaissance or an apocalypse. Which perspective have you been taking and acting upon? What generative story will you perpetuate and/or enhance by taking on that perspective and then taking action?

· The opposite of trust is control. Where, when and under what circumstances do you find you have the tendency or need to control? Where, when and under what circumstances do you allow yourself to relax and trust? Can you train yourself to relax under increasing amounts of pressure for the sake of being more able to act with effectiveness and flexibility?

· Nature's rhythm is medium to slow. Nothing in nature moves at a fast pace unless it is in danger. We cannot deepen or integrate any new experience (change & challenge) by trying to speed it up or rush through it. We can only deepen and integrate a new experience by slowing down. Unless we take the time for reflection, we will not integrate nor deepen the lessons we need to learn from challenge and change. An atmosphere that lacks patience fosters control and will make an enemy of change. An atmosphere that encourages patience and flexibility will make a friend of change. How can you/I/we befriend the changes - small and large - that we face?

Dr. Arrien covered a lot more than these topics in her three and a half hours on April 18th. She spoke of fear and embodied responses and working through misunderstandings and ways of the heart and becoming more proactive and less reactive and addressed the distinctions between creativity and innovation. But the above few points are enough to write about, ponder and act on for a while.

Thanks Kathy. Thanks Richard. Thanks Angeles.

Angeles Arrien's books are available at www.Amazon.com. Recommended for individuals dedicated to long-term effectiveness as people of influence (leaders) are: "The Four Fold Way" and "The Second Half of Life". For information about her work please visit www.angelesarrien.com.

An Interesting Video

On April 2nd I sent the following note to all who have in the past (2003 - 2008) attended the Allied Ronin Leaders' Retreat. FYI - if you're interested in the Retreat, next is set for July 12-16, and if you give me a call 707-769-0328 or send email to AlliedRonin@aol.com we can discuss it as something that may be ideal for you (or not). Other than that, read on ...

***

Hello All!

Below is a link to something I thought some of you may find facinating ... and is not an "April Fool" thing. I'm passing it along because the Allied Ronin Leader's Retreat since it's outset has taken a "right brain" activity, physical practices approach and draws from relevant material, e.g., "Slowing Down to the Speed of Life" (Carlson & Bailey) one of our first texts, and "Deep Survival" (Gonzales) of our most recent texts. The exploration, study and practice is not meant to replace or invalidate logic, reason or any other left brain function, rather to add to it.

Yesterday (April 1) I received email from Robert Pierce, who I've known for seven years and who works for the California Department of Health Services, Genetic Disease Screening Program. Bob's pretty much a left-brain guy - he most often leans on a rational, logical, scientific approach to the world.

Bob asked me to view an 18 minute segment of film - a presentation delivered on February 27, 2008, by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Harvard-trained brain scientist. Ten years ago Dr. Taylor had the unique opportunity to deepen her understanding of brain functioning as a result of her own massive stroke which occurred in her left brain hemisphere above and behind her ear. In minutes and hours from her initial pain she was able to observe herself under the effects of the stroke - and at times, as I interpreted her presentation, was functioning totally through a right brain experience, i.e. void of left brain activity.

Last night when I viewed the clip one of my immediate reactions was this is fascinating, yet pretty far out there for the average person to swallow, and "way far out there" for some people. But you'll note that she says repeatedly that as she progressively lost left brain functioning she entered a state of "being in a lala land", but a state in which profound understanding could occur.

I won't second guess your reactions ... but thought you might be interested. Here is a trained scientist who was teaching and performing brain research at Harvard Medical School. Be prepared to step aside and see something quite unique. Go to http://www.microclesia.com/?p=320 to view the clip. Her personal website is www.drjilltaylor.com. If the clip doesn't resonate with you a suggestion is to not discount, rather hang on the to the link and return at some later date and view it again.

Gardens as Schoolrooms. Schoolrooms as Gardens.

What do you see when you walk through a produce market? As you stand on a school playground what imaginings shape your thinking? What catches your sense of smell and sight and taste and touch as you stroll through a forest or when you're sitting underneath an oak tree in someone's back yard? Vegetables; where the children will be, what they will learn and what will become of them; ferns and shrubs and grasses; the afternoon shade and the friendly wave of a neighbor standing outside their home? So it is for Lisa Ludwigsen, but for her that's just a beginning. Japan born, Texas raised, Wisconsin influenced and California educated, this hardworking single-mom is setting a course and an example for others who are courageous enough to step into a dream of what could be.

Lisa Ludwigsen owns The School Garden Company; and with this burgeoning company comes her vision that blends life lessons and hard knocks, with a passion for healthy people and a healthy planet, and includes mindful insights into an intriguing philanthropic business model - mixed with the most important ingredient of all ... as much as possible juste be your positive-creative-watch-what-will-happen-if-you're-in-it-for-the-right-reasons self, ensure that others will win and, of course, enjoy the journey, even if it is sometimes terrifying! Last year she joined me to co-present a team-building program for Frank Howard Allen Realty, and it was a smash hit!! This July she will provide a special presentation for the attendees at the Allied Ronin 2008 Summer Leaders' Retreat.

The School Garden Company founded in 2005, manufactures and sells organic and herbal body products - lip balms and hand salves made from calendula, lavender, yarrow, comfrey, white sage, rosemary, organic oil and bees wax; and bath salts consisting of sea salt, baking soda, Epson salt, sweet almond oil, essential oils of lavender, rose geranium and grapefruit - all grown locally and all designed for the entire family. What makes this company unique? Its foundation, its current story and its potential future.

Ms. Ludwigsen holds a degree in Broadcast Communication Arts from California State University San Francisco. A long-time student of numerous disciplines (the list currently includes organic food production, therapeutic herbalism, mentor training, outdoor tracking, leadership, and the Japanese martial art aikido) she once owned and operated the Consumer Supported Agriculture farm in northern California. In 1996, she began developing environmental education and science curricula for children - which she continues to teach in two counties. She created and implemented a comprehensive gardening program at a public school in Petaluma, California, where she lives and known throughout the community. These things are foundational. Yet, it is a love for education and for youth that has become key to the current School Garden Company story.

Glimpsing the holistic and synergistic potential created Paul Newman and his company, Newman's Own (http://www.NewmansOwn.com). Ludwigsen decided to (and does) donate all of her company's annual after tax profits to school garden programs, thus maintaining alignment and integrity with her beginnings. This plow-it-back-into-future-generations mentality, though risky, established her and her company on high ground at a time when being on that high ground was not contemplated nor understood by most. For her this is not a marketing ploy, though marketing potential it has. It's about what she believes in. She understands that we care for our future (locally, nationally and globally) by educating and caring for our youth. Additionally and co-incidentally, The School Garden Company promotes its products as refreshing fundraising alternatives available to schools (all levels), their bands, sports teams and academic clubs. Contrast this with fundraising activities that employ chocolate, candy and gift-wrapping paper products to sustain their programs ... well, perhaps you see the potential and understand her grasp. Education goes beyond books and classrooms. It extends into the practices that finance books classrooms.

While watching a weekly television show popular with gardening enthusiasts (San Francisco KRON-TV's Henry's Garden) Lisa called the station and offered her lively insights. One visit was all it took for the station to invite her as a guest ... then again ... and then for more. She has become a rather regular and zesty repeat face bantering with Henry in her refreshing, lively and unscripted style. The San Francisco Chronicle caught wind of and reported on her passion: "I am trying to remind people of the great uses for these common plants that grew in our backyards." ("Boosterism from the backyard", San Francisco Chronicle, March 21, 2007). The Seattle Post-Intelligencer noted her efforts in "Wash up for a good cause" (May 18, 2007). In December 2007 her healthy herbal balms, salves, beads and bath salts appeared in Kiwi Magazine. The Chicago Tribune article "Giving green" featured her products on December 16th. Napa Style and Whole Foods, store chains located in northern California, have picked up her product lines.

What does the future hold for Lisa Ludwigsen and the School Garden Company? There are no guarantees. Perhaps as well as anyone she understands this. But certainly things are unfolding, and with that comes the good her idea can do for others. She's quickly entering a larger business arena where a garden can be invaded by an occasional snake, fox, or pack of wolves. Like any good gardener she will need to stand watch over her plot with a keen eye. But savvy she is, friends she has; and with any luck (always important) she'll do well. One person with an idea that is alive ... an idea that blends her past, her talents, her ongoing learning, her family, her children, her passion, her understanding of things others have created (thank you again Paul Newman), and her zeal for life ... all mixed with unexpected flashes of whimsy, healthy doses of persistence and perseverance and chuckles that seemingly come out of nowhere at just the right moments to keep things upright, on track and moving forward. She appears to be willing to give it a shot for the long haul. How far will it and she go? Who knows, but let's hope a long, long way!

Lisa Ludwigsen 707-762-5772 or lisa@schoolgardenco.com.

CALL the School Garden Company for product and Fund Raising possibilities.

TO SCHEDULE COMMUNICATION, LEADERSHIP, TEAM AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS PROGRAMS WITH LISA LUDWIGSEN AND LANCE GIROUX CALL 707-769-0328 OR EMAIL REQUEST TO AlliedRonin@AOL.com

Allied Ronin in Hawaii

March 7-9, Honolulu. The Jodo Mission of Hawaii was our venue for the return of Developing The Warrior Within™. Thanks to the efforts of Ian Kitajima (Marketing Director, Oceanit) and Burt Lum (Mind Wind) it was a wonderful three days of insight, fun, developing practices for personal and professional effectiveness, and expanding awareness of what it means to be a person of influence, honor and dignity.

A highlight for me was observing Agnes Furutani – front row, third from left. Why? Because I recall many years ago being questioned about the Samurai Game® as something women could adequately engage in. My response then was, “Of course!” And I went on to prove my point by facilitating a half dozen “women only” Games in Phoenix to prove my point.

FYI, eight women are currently certified to facilitate the Game - Annie Styron Leonard, Andi Burgis, Kathleen Kane, Ph.D. (University of San Francisco), Miranda Yen and Edwina Chiu (in Hong Kong), Vicki Whiting, Ph.D. (Westminster College), and Kimberly Zinc – and they all do terrific jobs at it. As for the Honolulu participants … take a look at the class just completed. As George Leonard, inventor of the Game has observed – teams led by women hold an edge over those led by men … “women make great daimyos.”

I’m planning to return to Oahu in June to conduct a two-hour workshop, The Art of Practice™, which will incorporate a number of aspects that ground people for participation in the Game, and stand on their own to assist individual and team understanding of approaches to situations of challenge and change. The Art of Practice™ will introduce attendees to the Samurai Game® and the next Developing The Warrior Within™ for Hawaii, will be set for September. Contact Burt Lum at bytemarks@gmail.com or Ian Kitajima at ian.kitajima@gmail.com … or contact the Allied Ronin office at AlliedRonin@aol.com to attend either event.

Take Time For Foundations

A friend of mine recently asked me for input on a strategic planning meeting he had scheduled with his company. His plan was to conduct a nine-hour meeting that would accomplish the following: Establish goals, review company mission, reflect on clients, review the effectiveness of their team, examine the economic model, clarify corporate values, review corporate mission, discuss “brand” identity, identify key questions regarding strategy, solidify strategic objectives and strategies for future growth, and gain thorough understanding of the competition. This was to be accomplished in eight hours … with a one hour lunch break included! Then the agenda called for one more hour as follows:
First - 30 minutes to build an effective team – which was to include (a) what it was going to take from everyone to deliver on the strategy, (b) uncover the “team norms”, and (c) establish how they would work together; and
Finally – 30 minutes dedicated to coming up with “next steps”.

My input was … “Hmmmm … this is an awful lot chew on in one day.” “In fact,” I said, “Two full days could easily be spent working with a group to uncover how they are and what it’s going to take to be effective with each other as a good team so that they might have a chance to begin moving from concept to the initial stage of effective team practice.

Years ago my mentor used to talk about the aspects of development. He would stress that, like a building, the most important to thing to focus on … the most important thing to work with is … foundation. Consider the effects of erecting a house or office building, yet hastily attending to the foundation. With such an approach it doesn’t matter how well engineered and sturdy the walls, windows, ceiling and roof – unless adequate time, energy and expense go into a good foundation any structure will collapse.

A client of mine lives about four hours south of Denver. His main business for thirty years has been constructing “undergrounds” for cities, dams, schools and community developments throughout southern California and southern Colorado. When his employees get done with a job just about all that anyone can see is … well … flat dirt. And getting to that (flat dirt) takes enormous time and energy and effort. A casual observer looking at a completed project of his might claim, “Doesn’t look like much has been done.” In fact a tremendous amount has been done; but it’s hidden from plain view.

Take a leaf from Mastery by George Leonard, one of our nation’s most accomplished teachers in the field of human potential. In Mastery, Leonard writes:

“The courage of a master is measured by his or her willingness to surrender. This means surrendering to your teacher and to the demands of your discipline. It also means surrendering your own hard-won proficiency from time to time in order to reach a higher or different level of proficiency.”

We all need to consider what Leonard calls “the demands of a discipline.” Quite frankly the primary demands of any disciplines include: adequate TIME and adequate PRACTICE.

One thing the past five years of travel abroad has shown me is just how addicted we, in the US, have become to attitudes, beliefs and actions aimed at the quick fix. We yearn for immediate results with such a passion (actually an obsession) that we have are sadly addicted to - I Want What I Want When I Want It! “What’s wrong with that?”, some may ask. Well, if nothing more, it’s somewhat unrealistic and juvenile. If not attended to the art of surrendering to the “demands of discipline” – the art of practice – is lost by many and not developed by others.

A master aikido teacher, Mitsuge Saotome, was preparing to lead a class one day, and asked me and about 30 other students, “Would you like to learn this martial art fast?” We all answered with a resounding, “Yes!” He paused and responded, “Ah … good answer … then practice slow.”

Invest your time in the foundations.

Integral Transformative Practice (ITP) Coming to England

Pam Kramer, President of ITP International, and a certified ITP trainer will be conducting a workshop on the pioneering holistic program designed by George Leonard and Michael Murphy.

Saturday March 8th- 10am-5pm
Natural Bodies
Bond Street
Brighton

For Reservations contact:

Mark Walsh
0776 254 1855
mark@integrationtraining.co.uk

Samurai Game- Spring Season

February 13th, 2008

It’s February and Samurai Game® spring season is here! But, then for me it’s always Samurai Game® season.

Tomorrow I depart for Texas A&M – College Station TX – to deliver the simulation for the Fellows Program headed by Dr. Tim Peterson, our third annual delivery there. Next week, February 22nd, will be my fifth annually delivery of it at the University of Nevada Las Vegas for the UNLV L.E.A.D. Team. Since first being asked to deliver the Game for universities at the University of San Francisco (2000) I am continually struck at the receptivity on college campuses and the personal depth to which students and faculty take the exercise. And judging by the recurring feedback received over the years it appears to have good transference and long-range application, particularly within the context of leadership studies.

FYI - I will also lead the Game for the public very soon – Honolulu Hawaii – March 7,8,9. If you’re interested contact Ian Kitajima (ian.kitajima@gmail.com) (808-226-8805) or Burt Lum (blum@mindwind.com) (808-381-6877) and/or enroll directly at www.MindWind.com . It’s a good reason to take a trip to Hawaii next month.

Matt Brannagan, who ensures that this blogsite nd the monthly Allied Ronin e-newsletter makes it to you, asked me recently to re-cap how the Samurai Game® came into existence. Briefly stated the game was invented by George Leonard, who (at 83 years of age) holds credentials which include being: the most prolific writer for Esquire Magazine and one of the most read writers for Look Magazine; credited as the “grandfather of the human potential movement in the United States”; co-founder of Esalen Institute; co-founder of Aikido of Tamalpais; creator of Integral Transformative Practice and Leonard Energy Training; and author of at least a dozen books – including Mastery, The Ultimate Athlete, The Silent Pulse, Education and Ecstasy; The Way of Aikido; Walking on the Edge of the World; and arguably the most published aikido senseis (teachers) in the world. He is also an accomplished musician (in the 1940 his swing band was on tour) as well as a combat veteran of WWII and the Korean War.

Three things occurring simultaneously in the late 1970’s inspired George Leonard to develop the Game: (1) his continued study and practice of aikido; (2) the TV mini-series “Shogun”; and (3) a reunion of friends with whom he had served in WWII. Combined these events conjured up a series of questions in his mind: What if people could become more strongly attached to peace than to conflict? What if, under stress, people could be ready and able to fight, yet willing and able to choose non-violent alternatives? What if people could look death in the eye without having to pay horrible physical and psychological prices?

On an afternoon walk from his home to his dojo to teach an energy class he pondered these questions and fashioned the Game’s elements, rolls and rules … and upon reaching the dojo, he suspended class and asked his students to engage in his creation. They agreed – and the first Samurai Game unfolded. Afterward it became apparent to him that profound learning had occurred … and the rest is history.

I became aware of the Game in 1983, and first participated in it six years later. Siunce then it has become a central piece of my work. I am fortunate to have delivered it for thousands of people of all ages, professional backgrounds, and levels of education … for the public, for schools and at corporate and organizational retreats. Some clients using the Game have included the UN Secretariat, Nokia, Verizon, AIESEC International, the City of Anaheim, numerous colleges … and other organizations, businesses and schools. I am also fortunate to represent Mr. Leonard and the Leonard Trust around the world as his (their) sole training and certification agent for the Game’s facilitators; and to have been able to deliver it throughout the U.S. and in the Netherlands, Indonesia, Bali, Slovakia, Egypt, Hungary, and repeatedly in Taiwan, China and Poland. The Game is different each time it unfolds – because it’s alive. The results are always … spectacular!

RISK-BELIEF- LUCK: Lessons from Lenny Semis

Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico (aka Rocky Point) is quite a drive from the corner of San Francisco’s Townsend and Embarcadero streets - but certainly closer than Russia. That (actually then called the Soviet Union) was Lenny Semis’ initial point of departure when his family immigrated to the United States two decades ago.

Fast-forward to the early 2000’s. Lenny finds himself sitting in a classroom at the University of San Francisco where I, as an adjunct professor, was teaching the core MBA leadership course – highly experiential by academic standards, yet well grounded in the rigor of research and instruction expected in a major college environment. I recall him as always very involved in class discussions, seeking to view things from new perspectives and thinking through tough questions to find new understandings; maybe because he was (still is) hungry for life. We found time to get to know each other outside the classroom. I had been an officer in the US Army during the same years his father was a Soviet army officer, making us (his father and me) once-upon-a-time enemies. This mixed with class material created interesting “office hour” conversations for us - always held in the coffee shop on USF’s Lone Mountain campus. One highlight for me was the day he introduced me to his dad and we (his dad and I) got a chance to chat about our memories of when our countries were adversaries.

Sometimes when you see the unexpected
you decide to do the unexpected

On somewhat of a whim, not long after he secured a consulting position in Accenture’s San Francisco office Lenny decided to take a few days off from work and with his friend Vlad (another Russian) go to Mexico to hang out. Soon after arriving something caught their attention. It wasn’t what they saw. Rather, it came in the form (really void) of what they didn’t see: a lack of service in the midst of a high need - a growing presence of Americans buying or building homes just south of the border. Homes in need of furniture. People with no way to furnish them. Nothing and no one around to help them accomplish that.

This definitely was not corporate consulting, or blue suits, or starched collars and red ties. It wasn’t double-late’-capa-rapa-frapacino, and definitely not do-as-you’re-told-fit-the-mold-climb-the-appropriate-ladder-until-you- -are-old- reach-the-top-and retire-with-fat-pension job. It was something strange and new and demanded creativity, flexibility and a seize-the-moment awareness for action. Lenny and Vlad didn’t go to Mexico looking for this; they went there to enjoy the beach, the beer and the shrimp. Sometimes when you see the unexpected you decide to do the unexpected. Vlad and Lenny quit their jobs, traded in their Gucci’s and tailored digs for tennis shoes and Levi’s, and started a furniture store, but without …well … the store.

Within days they were in business selling and shipping truckloads of furniture - no showroom – using pictures and virtual presentations, and making promises and then making good on those promises. Surprisingly (or not) their business grew. Lenny’s office became: “Wherever I am with a cell phone and a computer.” His business schedule became: “Whenever the phone’s on.” His clients became: “Everyone.” This lack of structure isn’t for some people. But for Lenny, it was (and remains) perfect.

I … ummm … sell things

Lenny’s vision began shifting from chairs and tables and beds and night stands to the homes and condos and buildings and developments that housed them. With this shift in vision came a shift in business. Still sans the suit, and with only cell phone and computer, he now says his primary job is being creative enough to solve problems associated with getting people together in order for them to have the homes and condos and land developments that they dream of. “Are you a real estate agent?” I asked. “Nope,” he said, “I’m a problem solver.” “What’s your title with the firm you’re now part of?” I inquired. He responded, “I don’t have a title and I don’t want one. A title limits you and your thinking. I … ummm … sell things. From there it’s a matter of time, trust and perseverance.” A far cry from the structured world he was so eager to foundation his life upon when he graduated from USF.


Just before we broke for the morning to go our separate ways, I asked him if he were able to go back to USF as a guest lecturer and advise other soon-to-be MBA’s what would he say his biggest lessons learned were. Without hesitation he responded, “Take risks. Believe in yourself. Luck is important, too … it creates opportunity. So, accept the luck that comes your way.”

To see what Lenny Semis is dong visit http://www.lpsgc.com/. There’s a photo of him of the “Contact” page, but no title. Remember, he’s just “sells things.”

©Lance Giroux, 2007

Thanksgiving Day-Message

Matt Brannagan, who maintains our blog and newsletter, advised me it would be smart to leave a Thanksgiving time message. There’s a lot that would be cliché to include in a T-day blog. My friend Richard says, “Hey, cliché is important!” And yet, perhaps we ought consider and be thankful for … well, the challenges that we face.

I have a friend who is having major surgery this coming Monday. She’s known about the situation for quite some time and shared with me about it a few weeks ago. It’s something that can be, at the least, quite unnerving and overwhelming for her. She’s a single mom raising two teenage sons. She’s a small business owner. There’s a lot at stake right now.

The last few weeks I’ve witnessed her move and act with dignity and grace and integrity, attending to her life and those she cares about. I’ve yet to see her despondent, angry, spiteful, resentful, scattered or remorseful. Rather, she walks right into the challenges she faces. Oh, it’s possible that she’s felt those emotions in her quiet times alone at home. But she hasn’t made them part of her daily presentation of self that I’ve been able to see. What courage!

Over the weeks that her news has been part of my life, I’ve been invited into her world in the form of discussions over meals about things large and small that truly matter. How the kids are. How her product line is being accepted. How extended family may respond to her situation. What’s happening in our little community, our quaint town, our country and our world. And she’s listened with an ear sans judgment to the challenges I face. These are intimate everyday discussions that make a friendship … well … a friendship.

Today is Thanksgiving Day. I’m in Sacramento with my young sons, one a high school senior, the other a college sophomore … still asleep they are, one on the floor and the other in his bedroom, though it is almost nine o’clock. And as I look at them I think, “still asleep probably in some other ways that don’t involve late night teen age or early twenty’s lifestyles.” We’re headed in two hours for a traditional meal with one of these young guy’s godfather and his family. My friend, who’s having surgery, is elsewhere with other friends and family and most likely bringing her strong spirit to that gathering.

Challenges – we ought be thankful for them. They bring life to us … and us to life.

An Interview With Richard Strozzi-Heckler

Most Wednesdays and Thursdays I have the opportunity to attend some very unique classes conducted under the direction of Richard Strozzi-Heckler, Ph.D. Ours is an interesting and multifaceted relationship. It began with a chance encounter over twenty years ago while I was an executive with a training company and responsible for leading a series of powerful public leadership courses. One day Richard showed up to review the work of an organization responsible for providing adventure-based exercises for the company I was with. I remember our shaking hands for a few moments while we stood on the side of a cliff. That was about it. About five years later our paths crossed again ... only this time in a much more intense way to begin what would become long and meaningful journey. (For that story visit www.AlliedRonin.com and go to the “Archive Page” to download "A Ronin Reflects on the Samurai Game".)

Richard Stozzi-Heckler is the Founder of Strozzi Institute. He has authored many books; his most popular being In Search or the Warrior Spirit now in its fourth publishing release. His newest book The Leadership Dojo is available at www.Amazon.com and at www.theleadershipdojo.com. He is an incredible teacher, advisor and consultant having brought somatics around the world. He is listed as one of the top 50 executive coaches in the US. Senior executives, public servants and officials of many governments have sought his advice, including some at the highest levels of the US Government. His work at transforming the US Marine Corps was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. He is a friend, an associate ... one of the "Allies" of Allied Ronin. Additionally, now for over seven years he has been my sensei (teacher) at Two Rock Aikido in Petaluma, California.

Recently I asked Richard if he would be interviewed for the monthly Allied Ronin newsletter. He agreed. Enjoy what he says. But most importantly ... and as always ... put into action and practice what you find of value here!

AR: Richard, how would you describe Strozzi Institute, why you created it and what it provides to the world?

Richard: I created Strozzi Institute as a way to bring somatics—the living body and its embodied practices-- to the training and teaching of leaders. Our mission is to create leaders who embody pragmatic wisdom, grounded compassion, and skillful action. We teach emerging leaders how to build trust, repair trust when its broken, act from a centered presence, cultivate their intuition, move confidently from their values and principles, and be authentic and respectful in all their relationships. The world more than ever needs leaders who are not simply head smart, but can embody life affirming, generative values.

When we come into the life of our bodies we will also be in a more intimate relationship with Spirit. Spirit adds great depth and scope to our leadership potential.

AR: What do you feel are the biggest and most important challenges facing leaders (both organizational and individual) today? What about teachers ... do you feel the same is true for them, and why or why not?

Richard: The challenge for all, whether you’re leading a family, a Fortune 50 company, the First Marine Division, or a classroom of children is to bring people to their senses.

This not simply a metaphor but literally we need to re-learn how to feel. I don’t mean this in a touchy-feely way or the hallmark card version of a romantic walk down the beach, but tapping into the 3.5 billion year wisdom of our bodies. We have become overly analytical and this has separated us from life, the environment, and others. Once we begin to feel ourselves, we can more readily feel and empathize with others, and we can learn how to better take care of the natural world. Leaders of all stripes, whether you are leading your life or you have followers, need the capacity to feel and sense. When we feel we expand our awareness and therefore have more choices. When we come to our senses we’re more able to face conflict with a generative force and not a destructive one; we can act out of love and not fear; we can co-habit respectfully with our Mother Earth. These are all issues of leadership.

AR: In your 1990 book, In Search of the Warrior Spirit, you wrote: "The urge to confront personal ghosts and uncover our full potential is ignited only by an inner need. This arises from a discontent about who we have become. When the need becomes strong enough to challenge the status quo we summon the commitment and courage to attempt the unknown. " [p 18-19] What advice do you have for the individual who seeks to summon that kind of commitment and courage and step out on his or her own? What pitfalls do you see they need to attend to as they initiate this action and then decide to continue to move forward?

Richard: A good teacher, mentor, guide, coach is immeasurable in helping us move forward in our evolution. Because we are a self-referring organism, that is we live in our own stories and in our own worldview, it is difficult to see outside of ourselves. To have a trained coach or teacher is indispensable in assisting us to see our strengths and liabilities and the best way forward. It is also critical to take on the practices that will help us embody our new future. Without practices we may have good ideas and insights, but we’re unable to take new actions. A proper coach can help you create new practices for your new life.

The courage and commitment to move forward is usually driven by one of two things. Our suffering motivates us to new practices. That is, we’ve lost enough blood and we’re motivated to take a risk. Or, we see a new possibility, a new way of being and living, and this increases our yearning to transform and evolve to a different consciousness. By living in our body, by being in our living-ness we can be alert to these two paths and take action from them.

AR: Since writing In Search of the Warrior Spirit your work has, among other things, constructively impacted the military, particularly and most recently the US Marine Corps. How would you answer that same "biggest challenges" question with respect to the men and women in uniform who serve our nation and perhaps their families?

Richard: My recent work with the U.S. Military has taken me to the Middle East and Afghanistan where I’ve been very impressed with the men and women in uniform who are deployed to these hostile areas. Their commitment, selflessness, and honor are a positive reflection on our armed forces and our country. I’m assisting these services to bring leadership training throughout the chain of command.

My other focus is on policy makers. Without our policies changing we won’t be able to meet the challenges in the 21st century in an intelligent way. For example, in my work in the counter insurgency field I emphasize building trust and relationships. The god father of counter insurgency, General Lansdale, said that it should be 70 percent creating relationships and a better quality of life for people through building wells, schools, medical assistance, hygiene, etc; and 30 per cent kicking down doors. This percentage is now reversed and we’re making more enemies because of it. The global war on terrorism is a conflict of ideas and beliefs and not bullets and bombs. The civil affairs and psychological operations need to be trained in how to build sustainable relationships. This is not a soft approach, but something that is time tested and critical for world peace.

AR: You are an accomplished martial artist and aikido sensei (teacher) and your known around the world for integrating the principles of aikido into your consulting work and program offerings. In 2005 you and a number of prominent aikido teachers brought together 100 people from Israel, Palestine and other Mid-Eastern countries to Cyprus for a fascinating program - Training Across Borders. Can you shed light on that program, why you did it, what happened, what you learned as a result, how this experience has shaped you ... plus the potential you see for others as a result?

Richard: The Training Across Borders (TAB) program brought together 100 people from the war torn countries of the Mediterranean Basin to train aikido together for four days. The idea was to form relationships between these centuries old adversaries through the practice of aikido. It was very very successful with many follow-up programs and many of these participants are now engaged in businesses together and starting cross-cultural dojos. Once again I learned that people engaged in shared practices together within a context of positive ki, a commitment to life and not destruction, can change hearts and minds. We now have new dojos in Ethiopia, three new dojos in the West Bank where Palestinians and Israeli children and adults train together, a dojo in Iraq and some follow-up mini-TABs.

AR: You and I first worked together seventeen years ago. The topic then was leadership, and to some degree "warriorship". How do you define the modern "warrior" today? Who are some of history's constructive "warriors" - not necessarily military - and what do you feel we can learn from their lives?

Richard: The warrior is the individual who is inwardly peaceful with an open heart, and outwardly prepared to take action for those who are unable to take care of themselves. The obvious “well-known” leaders are Dr. King, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa but if we open our eyes, our communities are filled with people who are acting selflessly for others. From them we can learn to follow our hearts and do what is best.

AR: If the average person has it within him or herself to be a "warrior" what must he or she do to get on and stay on that path?

Richard: A warrior is not a glamorous or romantic figure. The warrior ideal is an ancient path of self-realization. A warrior lives by a set of values and participates wholeheartedly in supporting their community. This takes rigor and it is highly fulfilling to practice with others in making a better world. My teachers always encouraged me on the path by pointing back to the practices. Take on a practice that keeps you moving on your path. Let this practice have a qualified guide or teacher, a group of people you can practice with, and that it builds both skills for acting, and principles that guide those skills. And ... have fun doing it!

AR: What about organizations ... how can an organization go about constructively distinguishing itself on such a path?

Richard: Again, examine the practices you’re involved in as a group and do these practices take you to where you want to go and are they aligned with your principles. My book In Search of the Warrior Spirit outlines many of the distinctions of the modern day warrior and how this path can be lived with mastery. Many of the organizations we’ve worked at Strozzi Institute now have a dojo on their sites where people can practice self-cultivation, the skills of leadership, and developing teams.

AR: You have a new book now available to the public, The Leadership Dojo www.theleadershipdojo.com. Why did you write the book? What is your vision for what its lessons can do for individuals, teams, leaders and organizations?

The Leadership Dojo illustrates the necessity of embodied leadership in our times and how individuals and organizations can train to embody and live their highest values and principles. It’s proven that when individuals and teams live their values it brings more fulfillment and it’s good for the bottom line. Everyone thinks leadership is a good idea and everyone basically agrees about what are the values a leader should have, but there is nothing about how to embody these values. We can train leaders. I have shown this time and time again over the past twenty-five years. Our current fiascos in government and business clearly show how necessary it is that leaders exemplify what they declare. Leaders need to be the values not just proclaim them. The Leadership Dojo and our programs at Strozzi Institute show how this can be done.

AR: If you were limited to one central idea, one most important thought or lesson ... as if it were the first, last or only thing you could ever communicate to anyone ... what would it be and why?

Richard: Love is the final medicine. Connect with Spirit and let love and compassion and wisdom flow through you.

AR: Thank you very much, Richard, for taking this time to serve those who will read this interview. I encourage all our readers to purchase and read your new book and make its lessons available to their friends and organizations.

For further information about Richard Strozzi-Heckler, Ph.D., Founder & CEO, Strozzi Institute and programs/services that he and his organization makes available in the world visit www.StrozziInstitute.com To contact Richard directly call 707-778-6505 and reference this newsletter. His new book, The Leadership Dojo, is available through Strozzi Institute and from www.Amazon.com.