Friday, December 31, 2010
Water Conflicts and spirituality - Aaron Wolf
Interview with Mr.Aaron Wolf. Geology, water resources and conflict management specialist. Trying to bring the element of spirituality into conflict resolution practices.
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"I realized that science only got you so far with water resource management and you had to understand human systems, I felt that understanding human systems from a rational perspective was very limiting. And I think most mediators feel that way: When it comes to dealing with real values or core issues, most people refer to the energy in the room, the transformation or being present."
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Knowledge@Wharton: Did you have a transformative moment yourself?
Wolf: In our training, we show a map of a watershed with the political boundaries. Then we take the boundaries off the map. For a lot of people, it's the first time they see their world in a different light. You can feel a jolt in the room when they see their watershed in a way they never have before. The idea came from someone who worked for a major development bank. He had a deep spiritual side and he said that the maps worked like an analog for spiritual transformation. That was my "Aha!" moment
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2 questions. First, how do spiritual traditions construct concepts or emotions such as conflict or anger? Second, what tools do they use to create settings that are conducive to transformative processes.
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Knowledge@Wharton: What do you think about claims that the next world war will be fought over water?
Wolf: I don't think that will be the case. The assumption is very simplistic that because we're running out of a critical resource, people will fight across international borders. It doesn't take into account any aspects of human creativity, ingenuity, markets or history. There's only been one war over water and it was 4,500 years ago.
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Knowledge@Wharton: Do you meet skeptics, people who don't buy into the spiritual discourse?
Wolf: You have to distinguish between religion and spirituality. As soon as you start talking about religion, half the room gets tense. You can see it in the body language. People will also comment on the irony that religion is at the root of most conflicts.
If you really want to focus on processes, such as transformation or transcendence, you have to find a common ground, such as recovering from an accident or having a baby. Your world is profoundly rocked when you become a parent; you can't explain it in rational terms. People also find spirituality in fly-fishing, rock climbing or whatever else, and as long as we're talking on those terms, most people get it.
There are a lot of situations where I don't use the words religion or spirituality. If we're talking about the four needs, for instance, I can draw just as easily from Maslow as I can from the Bible. I try not to push people past their comfort levels.
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Businesspeople will recognize that. When you're sitting down for discussions or negotiations, even in a regular meeting, how many times have you asked someone a question to understand more about how they feel? We need to learn to set aside the things we want to put on the table and profoundly and deeply listen to others until we really understand what their issues are. That process is transformative. People who feel they have been listened to are generally willing to listen in turn. That's the moment in the room when the whole dynamic changes.
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Knowledge@Wharton: So using your BlackBerry in a meeting and checking e-mails is not going to be conducive to great outcomes?
Wolf: I don't think so. Presence is something that most spiritual traditions emphasize. The power of presence, of silence, of reflection, of really being there -- it is something that we need to learn to do better. If you're multi-tasking, you're not doing anything brilliantly.
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Knowledge@Wharton: If you had one piece of advice for a businessman, what would it be?
Wolf: I would learn to listen. It is the most underrated yet transformative quality there is. It's like meditation. It sounds simple, until you try it.
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"I realized that science only got you so far with water resource management and you had to understand human systems, I felt that understanding human systems from a rational perspective was very limiting. And I think most mediators feel that way: When it comes to dealing with real values or core issues, most people refer to the energy in the room, the transformation or being present."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Knowledge@Wharton: Did you have a transformative moment yourself?
Wolf: In our training, we show a map of a watershed with the political boundaries. Then we take the boundaries off the map. For a lot of people, it's the first time they see their world in a different light. You can feel a jolt in the room when they see their watershed in a way they never have before. The idea came from someone who worked for a major development bank. He had a deep spiritual side and he said that the maps worked like an analog for spiritual transformation. That was my "Aha!" moment
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 questions. First, how do spiritual traditions construct concepts or emotions such as conflict or anger? Second, what tools do they use to create settings that are conducive to transformative processes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Knowledge@Wharton: What do you think about claims that the next world war will be fought over water?
Wolf: I don't think that will be the case. The assumption is very simplistic that because we're running out of a critical resource, people will fight across international borders. It doesn't take into account any aspects of human creativity, ingenuity, markets or history. There's only been one war over water and it was 4,500 years ago.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Knowledge@Wharton: Do you meet skeptics, people who don't buy into the spiritual discourse?
Wolf: You have to distinguish between religion and spirituality. As soon as you start talking about religion, half the room gets tense. You can see it in the body language. People will also comment on the irony that religion is at the root of most conflicts.
If you really want to focus on processes, such as transformation or transcendence, you have to find a common ground, such as recovering from an accident or having a baby. Your world is profoundly rocked when you become a parent; you can't explain it in rational terms. People also find spirituality in fly-fishing, rock climbing or whatever else, and as long as we're talking on those terms, most people get it.
There are a lot of situations where I don't use the words religion or spirituality. If we're talking about the four needs, for instance, I can draw just as easily from Maslow as I can from the Bible. I try not to push people past their comfort levels.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Businesspeople will recognize that. When you're sitting down for discussions or negotiations, even in a regular meeting, how many times have you asked someone a question to understand more about how they feel? We need to learn to set aside the things we want to put on the table and profoundly and deeply listen to others until we really understand what their issues are. That process is transformative. People who feel they have been listened to are generally willing to listen in turn. That's the moment in the room when the whole dynamic changes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Knowledge@Wharton: So using your BlackBerry in a meeting and checking e-mails is not going to be conducive to great outcomes?
Wolf: I don't think so. Presence is something that most spiritual traditions emphasize. The power of presence, of silence, of reflection, of really being there -- it is something that we need to learn to do better. If you're multi-tasking, you're not doing anything brilliantly.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Knowledge@Wharton: If you had one piece of advice for a businessman, what would it be?
Wolf: I would learn to listen. It is the most underrated yet transformative quality there is. It's like meditation. It sounds simple, until you try it.
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