"Gifts" as an Organizing Principle of an Optimal Community; the "Sociospiritualization Matrix"

While writing the book, The Marketing of Virtue (still in progress), the following idea emerged, as regards an optimal education system. It occurred to me that education should be based largely on the assessment of individual "gifts". By gifts, I mean " an inner design of specific talents and passions that, if discovered and developed, contributes to the well-being of the community." This would be an "inside-out"(Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People), "educing" (Woodson, as mentioned in Naim Akbar's book Know Thyself), approach which would build upon the student's (and "citizen's") strengths, thereby maximizing cooperative behavior, as well as maximizing development of individual potential. 

   The following is an excerpt from The Marketing of Virtue, which shows a proposed model for assessing gifts and for integrating those gifts into the community. School is seen as preparing the individual for real life in the community. The educational system is not even called education, but, rather, "The Function of Matching and Developing". Part of the "matching" is the matching of the students gifts to actual jobs in the community - finding a "niche" for the student. The other part of "matching" involves the "gift" assessment already mentioned.  It involves "matching"  a menu of gift domains to the natural inclinations (and interests) of the student.

   The relevance of this concept is that the Integral Life organization is a community, just as "Allsberg" is a (fictional) community which is written about in the book. If a gift-based social organization works anywhere (that is, if it is a good model), then it is also likely to work in the Integral Life community.

I offer these ideas to the Integral Life community, to help us build a stronger, more sustainable, bond as we work together in our common cause of promoting the integral vision in the world.  Here is the excerpt: 

  

Areas to Develop/Teach for Each Student

 

    In order to conceptualize the different areas of learning that would be needed to help each student be a whole, spiritual, person, Jeffery and Jan formulated what they called the Sociospiritualization Matrix to assess progress in learning. See it below (next page). Both the classroom and the community would work together to develop each area.

 

 

 

                                                      Sociospiritualization Matrix

    

 

 

                                             Personal                                           Social

 

 

 

                                            “Gift”                                            “Niche”

Specific  

                                                 “I am called.”                                   “I am contributing” 

 

 

 

 

 

                                            “Fitness”                                       “Fit-in-ness”

General

                                                “I am capable”                                     “I am cherished.”

                   

                                                                               

 

 

Definition of Terms:    

 

                 “Gift” =  Inner design of specific talents and passions that, if discovered and 

                                developed, contributes to the well-being of the community.

                  Niche =  Outer place to apply the gifts. The place, means, and ability to interface  

                                the gift with the collective body.

             “Fitness” = Psychological and physical general fitness states that allow the person 

                                to be strong, resilient, and immune to distress. Psychological fitness 

                                includes skills such as faith, perseverance, emotional management and 

                                emotional healing skills, trust, and a variety of life maintenance skills.

       “Fit-in-ness” = Social and relationship skills that allow the person to adapt and 

                                conform to the expectations and norms of the community, and to meet   

                                the social relationship needs of the community participants. 

 

 

 

     Jan filled in the matrix with the life skill categories she found in her literature search. 

She added a few common sense categories intended to assess the student in each area.

                  

 

                                                    Sociospiritualization Matrix

 

                       

 

                                        Personal                                                  Social

 

 

                                     “Gift”                                                “Niche”

 

                    Personal Qualities                                                                        

                   List: ________________________

                                                                                           Classroom/Household chores performed 

                    Personal Interests/Hobbies                                                  List: ________________________

 Specific      List: ________________________

                                                                                           Voluntary contributions (home or class)

                           Aptitudes                                                                        List: ________________________

                   List: ________________________

 

                                                      “I am called”                                “I am contributing”

                     

 

 

                                          “Fitness”                                           “Fit-in-ness”

                                           

 General                                         rating                                                      rating

                                                        0-10                                                        0-10

 

                         Intrapersonal skills   _____                       Interpersonal skills   _____

                         Systemic skills         _____                           

                         Judgmental skills     _____                               Close friends:                                                        

                                                                                        list: ____________________

                                                                                              ____________________

                                                                

                                                 “I am capable.”                                          “I am cherished.”