I'm working on a book on bottom up-- the bottom up mind, the bottom up revolution and way of seeing and doing. To write a bottom up book, you pretty much have to get other people involved, in a bottom up sort of way, so periodically, I'll be posting articles and polls asking you, my readers, to pipe in with your two bottom-up cents worth.
Bottom Up, please
image from flickr by by martapiqs
So... how does using a bottom up mind, seeing with bottom up eyes, engaging in work and projects and relationships have to do with you personally? That's my question. That's why I'm writing this book, because I believe that if you have "bottom up consciousness" you will more intentionally both tap the power of bottom up to make a difference in the world AND your life and you will challenge the top down systems and structures in place that are destructive or less than optimal at all levels of society and personally.
We're all part of the that great bottom, so we can all play a role in joining together to take UP the power, the change, the progress, the achievement that comes from tapping the raw, waiting to be utilized power of bottom up.
So many people fail to realize there are countless groups and organizations just waiting enthusiastically to hear from them, to welcome them to help in making a difference. I'm talking about YOU.
Families have both top down AND bottom up aspects. Sure, the parents are, theoretically in charge, but families support each other and take care of each other and that often means seriously considering and taking care of the needs of all members-- even the most difficult children.
I was preparing my breakfast, while talking on the phone this morning. My friend asked what I was having. I replied, "Wheat Checks and All Bran, with dried cranberries and sliced grapes," I replied. She pointed out that this is not doing things the way the big corporations dictate, that I was doing breakfast my own way. Buying packaged food, preparing it as specified, even buying whole meals prepared to be nuked in the microwave-- that's embracing the top-down programming the big corporations have devised for you. Yes, it can be time-saving. But think about what it does for the environment-- all the packaging. I could do better. I could buy in bulk, but being the only one in my house who eats that way (my kid eats exactly as the corporations have programmed it has seemed inefficient to buy and store bulk-- though, upon writing this, I'm going to take a second look.
How many ways do you allow yourself to just fall into the ruts that top-down operators-- corporations, churches, schools, government, organizations, old habits-- that have programmed you. You DO have other, older programming that is bottom up. You CAN liberate yourself to re-connect with that programming, those reflexes. You don't have to do it alone either. There are a lot of people out there who have already made the choice and started along the bottom-up path, which, BTW, can still take you to the top of the mountain.
So how do you discover the ways you, or orgs you belong to, or your city, state, company or nation are riding in top-down ruts, reacting with top-down reflexes? How can you become aware of these patterns so you can free yourself. I'm going to be lazy on this one and put it to my readers, for starters, to see what they come up with. That's a bottom up way to deal with a question. To digress, there are thousands of blogs, community blog sites, bulletin boards where YOU can go and post questions and get help. That's the bottom-up way to get answers, insight, wake up calls. it's there, now, for you to use.
Now, if you think you are not living within a top-down world, reacting to top-down unseen controls and stimuli that directly affect your life, you really have to check out this BRILLIANT short video with a scene starring Meryl streep.
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