This means that nobody else tells me how to organize myself, but myself.
Based in gestalt theory, the organism knows the best for itself. In another word, we call this ability self-regulation of the organism. This means that the organism will always go towards what is best for itself in the given circumstances.
So, who is the boss for my self-regulation? Myself! So self-regulation is a way of self-organization!
What does it mean to organize Me?
It means to be conscious of my needs, of my environment, of my abilities and choices in the given present moment and manage them the best possible way all these together.
Of course, I can have more than one present need at one moment, I can have opposite needs at the same moment and so on.
Life is not easy! It is exciting though!
So having all these needs, and some even contrary to each other, it can look easier to act under domination. This means that one part decides hierarchically without listening to the others and without consensus or any democratic process!
For example, I want to see a friend, go for yoga and work this afternoon. I can act from the pumping need of my body (yoga), my heart need (friend) or logical compromise with myself (work). Acting in a self-organized way means that I take into account all the needs and decide collectively which need can stay behind to give priority to the other.
This we call it in gestalt awareness practice inner assembly.
Domination happens when I say to myself: “I don’t care for your heart need or body need”, or I say to my self (my logical part) “I have to work today cause you I to work every day at least 3 hours to sustain myself as planned.”
Alternatively, I can hear all the needs and if my body or heart need is very present today, I can make a self-compromise to work more the next days and cover today this so present need. This is self-organization at the internal level.
Of course, self-organization is a process that needs time and effort.
This explains why many people choose a self-domination model of dealing with their lives or even worse will accept to be dominated by others. Meaning a boss that tells them what to do, a tv programme to be ‘informed’ or ‘entertained’ and so on.
This is how we have arrived in the given sociopolitical reality, in 2018, where big parts of society accept being treated as slaves every day, and fascism and hate are rising again worldwide.
Do people read history?
Do people read something?
Do people reflect on their lives?
Are people aware of themselves in Here and Now?
Do people feel part of the society?
Do people act as part of the society in their everyday life?
Or are they under domination, in total self-unawareness and hate indoctrination?
In case you are one more person that does not like this hate turn of the society, please read me further.
When we live our lives in a self-organized way, we gain being present with ourselves in our inner process and this brings a deep fulfilment and satisfaction. Also, it brings a life that has more options and acceptance of our own path in life. And then, we have this knowledge to share with our smaller or bigger communities around us.
So what is the so-called self-organization at the social level?
This is a structure usually proposed by anarchist philosophers and practitioners. Very well.
What is it though?
Every person is part of a community and many communities together ake what we call society. So society is a sum of all the people in the world practically. Self-organization happens when the parts of the society, each community and each person, talk, communicate, decide and acttogether taking each other’s needs, resources, talents, and abilities in consideration.
Each community has its own needs and resources. Those are the needs and abilities of all the beings that are part of this society. Taken into consideration all of them and the given environment, people can decide together and act together in favour of the whole at the maximum possible.
This is the meaning of self-organization on a communal level. Of course, it is not easy to satisfy all the needs at the same time, and many people will say ‘oh there will be a chaos’.
Though, I would ask is it really that complicated or does it sound harder than it is?
And what is the comparison we have?
Is it really easier to follow orders of people who have never visited our community rather than decide for ourselves?
Is it preferable to be frustrated because my need will not be covered but my neighbours will have their need covered after the last self-organized decision, or is it better that no one has his need satisfied since the decisions are made from a central government that has no idea about anyone’s needs anyway?
Also, more often than we think, the common good is more obvious than complicated.
Plus, we all use self-organization in our everyday social life, or else our lives would be way too difficult.
Yes, there are several authoritarian characters and behaviours in our society, but hardly is someone 24-7 in this mode. For example, having a flatshare is a form of self-organization. Having an intimate relationship, a friendship, a parenthood is a form of self-organization.
And the more is being treated as such the more functional it gets!
Meaning, the more we engage consciously everyone in the process of accomplishments and sharing tasks, the easier it gets!
So it is easier to self-organize my everyday life with my kid by explaining to it naturally, that we need to accomplish several tasks every day to maintain our house clean and so on. Are you with me?
Can u take the task to tide up your room, yourself and eat your food on your own?
Depending on the age, we can share different tasks with our kids. It is important to transmit to human beings in an early age the awareness that they are a part of a totality and they are useful and important to keep it running!
My point here is that the so-called self-organization that many people in a political talk will answer to me ‘oh, this can’t work’, ‘we need someone to govern us or it will be a chaos’ and so on, these people maybe are already using self-organization in small scale, or they can see the benefits of it by starting practising today in their relationship with themselves and close others.
Also, I want to develop a bit more my claim that self-organization is a natural basic function of any society.
For example, when I call someone and he cannot answer the phone at this moment, he will probably call me back when he is available. Τhis is a small self-organization in practice that makes our lives easier. Αlso, when I invite friends for dinner, I am happy when someone will wash the dishes, respecting my invitation and my cooking time, or when I want to see a friend that lives far, we try to find the middle way to meet so we cover half distance each.
Self-organization makes our lives easier and simpler
Yes, it demands our presence in the process and awareness that are not always there. though our lives get happier when we manage to bring these qualities in every moment of our lives.
So, in a larger social level, me and my neighbours we are expert in the needs of our area, not the central government. So, it makes more sense that we take action based on our needs rather than follow a general rule that is not connected with our real needs. For example, we know better if we need another mall or parking or a green area with a playground.
Equally, we know better if we want to drill and frack our forests rather than the company that will come in our area, take the ground resources and then live, leaving us there to breath all the toxic atmosphere and grow food in a polluted destroyed ground.
And we shall act accordingly since we live in this area we need to be the ones to decide considering the effects in our health, everyday life, and the next generations.
Equally, the way I learn to treat myself in the inner scale will affect the way humanity develops in the future. We have thousands of years of practised violence to wash out. So practising an inner self-organized assembly to decide how to live my life is an antidote to all these years of violence.
Peace, reflection, acceptance, respect, love, and freedom are the base of self-organization.
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