A Language of Community

A New Story Foundation Project

We are researching the implementation of the Ekacakra system (Sanskrit for One Wheel), a transcultural approach to communicating the affect, or displayed emotion and behavior, of individuals, groups and places using the metaphorical language of archetype.  As this type of metaphor predates modern culture, it resonates with who we are as human beings on a deep level, and enables persons of differing backgrounds and belief systems to understand one another.

The language of the wheel is a neutral (or close to neutral) symbol system for people of different cultures and religious beliefs to be able to talk with and understand each others perspectives.  With both an understanding of ekacakra and one’s own worldview, people could translate another’s worldview (religion, deities, values, etc.) into their own symbol system. That is, if I know the wheel, and understand where my God(s) map on it, I could understand someone else’s personal beliefs by mapping those to the wheel and comparing that to my own.  This would require an intimate level of communication to do that, but that by itself could be positively transformative for both sides.  An example: a facilitator leads a discussion group with three people.  It is discovered through a mutual mapping exercise that person A and person B, though both talking to “Jesus”, are addressing opposite sides of the wheel (and experiencing a very different relationship with different results), while person C who primarily interacts with a female deity, Kwan Yin, is addressing the same universal “place” as person A.  To do this would require a willingness to learn a system of communication that goes beyond one’s own language and culture, which might be asking too much.  But if it could mean an end to (or reduction of) misunderstandings of the most personal space there is- one’s spirituality, and beliefs about life, death, and beyond, would people be interested? 

            There are those who will necessarily be opposed to this type of understanding.  Those whose cultural identity is fighting for survival, and whose survival depends on uniqueness and opposition, will have to oppose any type of universal understanding.  While these people contribute to conflict and tension on the planet, we must have compassion for where they are coming from.  A fundamentalist identity is one of defensiveness.  As one who perceives that they are fighting for their very survival, they can not, by definition, be open-minded.  When a fundamentalist becomes open, they cease to be fundamentalists.  While this may occur spontaneously for certain individuals as they interact with others and feel safe enough to expand their understandings, it is best whenever possible to give self-proclaimed fundamentalists their space to seek solace amongst each other.  These people are frightened, and frightened people can be dangerous when cornered.  Fundamentalism is not unique to any one religion or cultural group.  It is found wherever cultural identity is threatened at a rapid pace.  It is a natural backlash against globalization and homogenization.  We respect all those with the need to remain closed-minded.  They are not wrong for doing so.  They have no choice; it is what they believe they have to do, whether for God, nation, language, etc.

            We are, in fact, not as an organization opposed to anything in particular.  We are not about opposition.  We are about life and about living.  We support all those who add value to their own lives and the lives of those they care about.  We support those who add richness and abundance to the lives of fellow humans and to all creatures.  We support those who make the world a better place for life today and those who make way for life to continue to be able to thrive again tomorrow. 

            We at A New Story Foundation are continuing to develop and disseminate new tools for communicating personal meaning.  We do this to enable individuals with all of their diversity to thrive within cohesive, well-functioning groups.  From this we see the possibility developing on a larger scale for the strife between cultural differences which isolates and destroys our world to be replaced with a new ability to find intimacy and unity among diversity. 

Visit our web site at http://anewstory.org