Mazeway Dialogue and The Pursuit of Global Wisdom

The Mazeway project will extend its reach around the world by way of  Mazeway Dialogue. When fully developed and functioning, this facility will enable anyone with access to the Internet to become knowledgeable about all aspects of the project. That is, dialogue about:

• each of the 14 element of the Life Map Template;  
• each of the 14 great issues of our time; and 
• about the pursuit of a coherent, moral, and universal MetaVision.

One very important variable to the dialogue process is the higher level of it defined by Professor Leonard Swidler, leader of the Dialogue Institute Programs at Temple University:

“In the dawning of the age of global dialogue, we humans are increasingly aware that we cannot know everything about anything. This is true for the physical sciences. No one would claim that she knows everything about biology, physics, or chemistry. Likewise, no one would claim that we know everything about the human sciences –sociology, anthropology, or good heavens, economics. And, each of these disciplines is endlessly complicated.”

“But, in the field that is the most complicated and complex of all, mainly religion, which, of course, attempts to provide an explanation of the ultimate meaning of life and how to live accordingly, based on some notion of the transcendent. Well, in that area, the most complex of all, there are billions of us humans who claim we know everything. That, of course, is precisely the place where we should be most modest and humble in our claims. Why, because nobody knows everything about anything.”

“Neither I nor anyone can know everything about anything, including this most complicated claim to truth, religion. The question is: how do I proceed to search for an ever-fuller grasp of reality, of truth. The clear answer I believe is dialogue.”

“In dialogue, I come to talk to you primarily so I can learn what I cannot perceive from my place in the world with my personal vengeance of knowing. And, through your eyes, I see what I cannot see from my side of the globe, and vice versa. Hence, dialogue is not just a way to gain more information. Dialogue is a whole new way of thinking. We now are painfully leaving behind the age of monolog and we are, with squinting eyes, entering into the age of global dialogue, during which we can improve our chance, as Mr. Parrotto would say, of fulfilling our best possibilities as individuals, as societies, and as a species.”

As Professor Swidler’s comments suggest, understanding reality and the pursuit of truth requires expanding the boundaries of our perspective. Dialogue is one of the primary means through which humankind is able to elevate itself and become citizens who inspire and influence those around them. Privileging one’s own worldview and perspective leaves little to no room to consider the credibility of another’s. And understanding another’s viewpoint requires withholding judgments and projections of our own lens onto theirs, so that the other’s voice can come through to us.

Furthermore, dialogue allows us to develop holistic perspectives and synthesize our learning. With the extreme specialization of our academic disciplines, there is insufficient emphasis on synthesis and holistic thinking. The consequence is that students are not invited to situate themselves emotionally and projectively in the nexus of problems the world faces.  Synthesis — how to put everything together — is as important a skill as analysis, but there is little occasion for students to practice it across disciplines on the whole range of issues facing humanity.

Entering into deep dialogue expands our mind towards a global perspective that is able to hold space for a variety of views. This is necessary to cultivate global wisdom, in which we become mindful of the diversity of perspectives and the patterns and common foundation that emerges when we learn how to listen and dialogue across worldviews. This would allow people to connect with each other on the common ground of human experience and unite to face the problems of the human condition.

Humanity has a greater chance of creating coherent, moral, and universal premises that will allow us to move forward and thrive as individuals and as a species, if we learn the art of deep dialogue and possess global wisdom.

S U G G E S T E D  N E X T :  Fulfillment Of Our Best Possibilities as Individuals, as Societies, and as a Species