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Old 04-28-2008, 07:30 AM   #1
Chris Parkerson
Dojo: Academy of the Martial Arts
Location: ohio
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 740
United_States
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Ecumenism, Wikinomics and the Aikiweb

In the 1980's at Princeton Seminary, I chose to become part of the ecumenical movement. I went out of my way, as stated before, to study with feminist, Afro-American, Latin American, Mexican American theologians as well as the mainline folks. South African theologians in the midst of Apartheid were perhaps the greatest challenge - Zulu, Colored and Indian; all afraid of going to jail for being in the wrong place or saying the wrong thing. What a quandary of distrust between them.

One thing that I learned very quickly was that each group had a specific experience, specific orientation to the rest of the world, and a specific source of pain. Liberation Theology was, for me, quite liberating. I learned that if I listened the voice of "the other", without fear of allowing my findings to change me, great understanding occurred, and great friends were made.

Today, we are faced with a crossroads in the martial arts. Through the Aikiweb, we can come together and engage in wikinomics; the science of collaboration, innovation and value creation. Today, masses of people outside the boundaries of traditional hierarchies can innovate to produce content, goods and services for the betterment of all.

The biggest question is in whom should we trust. The bottom line in my opinion is that established leaders in a field must form a "round table" and regulate content. But the first principles that the leadership must begin with in order for wikinomics to attain the greatest common value are these:

(1) Listen to the voice of the other with an open mind

(2) Be humble about our training and experiences knowing that there is a big world with a big variety of capable folks.

(3) Be kind to those whom you may not understand until such time as the "round table" can effectively determine the value of their content.

(4) Avoid inner-circle power broking and tunnel visioned approaches. Inner circle dynamics normally reveals that there is one very dogmatic, lonely and paranoid person within the innermost concentric circle.

Forecast:

We in the martial arts are confront the challenge of wikinomics just as corporate America is. Businesses that are conforming to this new dynamic are finding that collaboration is ultimately profitable to all that participate. It is my ecumenical prayer that we can do the same.
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