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Monthly Archives: August 2014

Knowing VS Understanding!

30 Saturday Aug 2014

Posted by Tahereh Barati, PhD in Articles

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Conflict dissolution, Conflict resolution, Dissolving conflicts, Education, empathy, Expert Knowledge, human relationships, knowledge, Knowledge as Power, Respect, Soical responsibility, Understanding, Understanding as Power, Understanding with empathy

Have you ever thought of the differences between ‘Knowing and Understanding’? How do you differentiate these two?

I, lately, found myself thinking more and more about ‘knowing and understanding’ and their differences. Listening to National and International News or reading articles on human dilemmas brought their differences more into my attention.

Knowing is a privilege of comprehension, when one learns something and accumulates knowledge related to what was learned.  To be a know-er, one goes to school, college or university, learns a subject matter and becomes an expert or specialized in a particular area of expertise.  We have become good at collecting information and knowing. Our social cultural and educational systems are focused on teaching people to view ‘Knowledge as Power’.

However, Understanding is a privilege of critical thinking, empathy and social responsibility.  Understanding is formed when what is learned are responsibly and critically re-viewed . Understanding is when we pause our thinking process and pay attention to impacts of our actions on others; when we put ourselves on someone else’s shoe and experience their affection and pain; when we become aware of the influence of our actions on our communities and society.

Knowing is usually achieved by attending schools and getting certificate or license; however, Understanding is generated by life experience, by giving attention to the layers of our social fabrics, by thinking critically about our contribution to problems in the world.

We all are taught to become a know-er, an expert. ‘Knowledge is Power’ was the slogan of the 20th century. We were taught to use any opportunities to climb up the ladder of ‘success’. We have learned that Understanding is an obstacle to one’s success.

On the other hand, we haven’t learned to explore ways of generating Understanding in human relationships.  We haven’t learned to view Understanding as Power.  We have to begin to undo what we have learned as those are obstacles to Understanding.

I don’t think we can go on this way for another century. Understanding has to be developed in our interpersonal relationships. Understanding has to be a critical part of human relationships. Understanding our differences, respecting various ideas and beliefs, and consequently, developing social responsibility are seemed to be the only avenues to preserving humanity.

Where do you place yourself in the spectrum of ‘knowing /understanding’? What actions are you taking to become an understanding person? How would you like to contribute in generating Understanding on matters that affect us all?

Happy Possibilities,

Tahereh Barati

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What’s A Manager To Do?

24 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by Tahereh Barati, PhD in Articles

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I thought this article would sum up what I think it is important for any managers to know and do to have a great organization. Enjoy reading!

What’s A Manager To Do?.

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Reflection- LUCY!

08 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by Tahereh Barati, PhD in Articles, Reflection

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Balance, connection, culture, Disconnection, Equilibrium, Future, Future of man kind, Generational Knowledge, Greed, Human Brain, Human capacity, human relationships, imagination, Logical thinking, LUCY, Modernism, Modernsim, Movie Review, Nietzsche, Past, Post Modernism, Power and Control, power imbalance, Rational thinking, relational beings, society

The movie, LUCY, is a masterpiece; it portrays human as the powerful species.  LUCY is an embodiment of a modernism; a dream/ idea about an intelligent victorious man conquering others, time and space. It is about what Nietzsche said ‘God is Dead’. LUCY is about knowledge as a source of power and control.

The age of modernism is over and LUCY gets to its 100% presence and disappears. The age of modernism gets to its full potential and eventually destroys itself; it leaves us its achievements and disappears. The time for a rigid, logical/ rational insensible thinking is coming to an end.

LUCY is about the rise and fall of logical/ rational/ intellectual mind that controls others, information, time and space. It is true that human without brain are not human but the exhaustion of human intelligence and exaggerated use of power and control will have led us to destruction of human species, environment and morality.

In the movie, the main two engines/ motives for human species to survive are: a) immortality b) reproduction. In the history of mankind, human have swung between these two. In modern era, the force to increase immortality was intensified/heightened and consequently, the reproduction rate became decreased.  We are at the end of this era.

We are going to swing back and forth to find equilibrium.  This will not be achieved when power and control run the mind of human beings. Equilibrium is achieved when power and knowledge are shared and interpreted relationally.

Yes, LUCY is a great example of what Michelle Foucault predicted. Yes, we have become LUCY. Yes, it is in all of us who were born into the rigid, logical, and rational world of modernism; it is in all of us who perpetuated modern thinking and implemented it in others’ lives and ours. Yes, LUCY is everywhere; LUCY is in all of us!

When I was leaving the theater, there were a young couple sat in their chairs looking puzzled. They said that they didn’t understand LUCY and they weren’t sure what LUCY was all about. Now, reflecting back on the young couple’s words, I have more appreciation for them.

It seems our new generations ask questions and scrutinize the presence of power and control in human interactions. The answer is new generations that question the achievements of technology, that look with suspicious upon greed, knowledge, and power. Their questions will bring the lost equilibrium back to life.

Yes, equilibrium will make us human, again, connected and engaged with each other relationally and ethically.  Equilibrium will allow all paradoxical pieces of understanding to co-exist; it will put an end to use of personal/social/technical/intellectual power over/against each other. Equilibrium will connect us not rationally but relationally.

Yes, the new era has begun!

Happy Possibilities,

 

Tahereh Barati

 

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Organisational Transitions!

01 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by Tahereh Barati, PhD in Articles

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We are changing, organizations are in process of transformation, rule and regulations are getting modified. Where are we going with this change? Where are we going to land? What principles do we take with ourselves as moving towards a new destination? What will this transformation bring to us and others?  Here is an article that answers parts of these questions. Enjoy reading it!

Organisational Transitions.

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