Why to the fifth power

by Richard Reeve on February 11, 2009

in @CCSeed

Spirit of Aquarius
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It’s a type of root cause analysis and it’s as simple as asking the same question “why” about a certain topic five times.  It’s difficult though, primarily because it means giving up the control on some level of the initial answers, which of course, you have formulated and in a very concrete way, you believe in.

Yesterday when I posted on influence, Liz Strauss immediately challenged me to dig deeper and answer the question “why” again.  I recognized the value of her challenge and here carry it out, as they say, “to the fifth power.”

1) The original “why?”:  Why do you want influence? (posed by Liz here)

The original answer (condensed): Because the transmission of ideas aids in keeping society healthy and because with the new media, individuals can play a role in carrying that function out.  Full answer at The Question of Influence.

2) The second “Why? Why should she, Liz, care?”  (posed by Liz with my answer here)

Condensed answer: I’m not convinced that the desire for influence is not the same as the activity of building reach.  Certainly any results will require that readership, hopefully including Liz, will care.  For me it’s a societal mission.

3) Why is it a societal mission?

Here the rope gets threaded back though some core beliefs.  I believe, as Jung taught, that the basic human task is the expansion of consciousness.  That can take the form of increased love, understanding, care, awareness, or realized potential.  It is a task that I as an individual remain fully committed too.  In as much as I’m able to live that task, I want to be able to give it away.

4) Why is the expansion of consciousness important enough to garner influence?

Information without understanding only increases our riddles.  For certain, over the coming decades, the scale of the flood of information is going to rival Noah’s.  You can even sense that in the pouring out of the water jugs in the symbolic representation of Aquarius.  I bring up the mythical parallels because often the outer situation is mirrored by internal realities.  Jung might note that these signs point to the possibility for a collective inundation from the unconscious.  The problem of relating to all this information in a healthy way, whether it is welling up from within or meeting us on the web, will be a fundamental challenge determining how our society will develop.

5) Why do you want influence, and why should Liz care?

For her upcoming SobCon09 Conference this May in Chicago (note:  early registration ends in the next few days), Liz is stressing the ROI of relationships.

To that end, her “why should she care” introduces what Hamlet would call the rub.  Unless relationship develops, unless you care, there is no influence.  So the need to frame the question for you, this fifth why, I’ll leave unfinished for now.  Perhaps you can help me here?

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  • "Why" is very important because it opens the door to endless possibilities, which in turn causes us to learn more outside of our own perspective.

    What came up for me further is the importance of questions that elicit more questions for answers...which I believe is the basis of our evolution.

    Thanks, Richard, for always making me think beyond the questions :~)

    <abbr>Henie´s last blog post..Passion 101</abbr>

  • Problem with the word, 'influence.' Isn't the democratic thing to seek a fair share in the conversation, rather than influence? And then, if truth is on your side, it will out. And you may then be viewed as influential, but it is really just you as channel for some truth. I think the internet requires us to converse much more than manipulate.

  • Hi Mary,
    I understand what you are saying and to a certain degree I agree. Certainly agree with the conversation part! I do not think it's inherently manipulative to want to be influential. Especially if one is honest and up front about it. I decided to post on the topic as a way to challenge myself on the topic and to honestly assess where I come out on it. It would be deceitful to say that I do not care if this blog or my work in social media is influential. To that end, in my inquiry, I discovered that it's not a personality issue but instead the principles I am sharing which I hope will have some impact. I am committed to my work here and desire that it have influence that those principles get disseminated. I really can't imagine anyone taking up blogging without the goal of building readership, can you?

  • Sorry for the effects of late night typing in previous comment

  • I read the exchange between you and Liz differently. Liz seems to me to be asking a simple and person material question--why should she care might mean "what's in it for me."

    You answer at a philosophic level argueing that caring by both you enhabce the public weal. I may be unfair to Liz in this comment, but I think your exchange lacks what debate judges call "Clash."

  • Hi Sid,
    I agree that Liz and I missed each others, danced around different issues, which was really my fault as I responded to her challenge in a way that apparently was not her focus.

  • richard,
    this is all very koan-like to me, but i enjoy just your posing of the question "why?" we could all ask ourselves why more often to get to the bottom of our motives. it's hard to be brutally honest with ourselves until we've dug down into some of the muck.

    i once did this exercise with a meditation teacher who demonstrated that if we pose the question "why?" over and over enough times, eventually we'll reach some existential answer like "because it is."

    it's a fun game.

    i have no answers, but sometimes i find it enough just to sit in the question as though that is really what matters more than any philosophy or core belief.

  • Hey Moira,
    Good point. It seems we settle to often for our first formulation. I like the idea of limiting the exercise to five removes as you could go down an endless hall of mirrors with the 'why' thing as well...

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