Summary Report: Holistic Transformation Questionnaire

[Wade Hudson]

Following is a summary of the 42 responses to the Holistic
Transformation Questionnaire, which I circulated widely. Within a
week or two, after requesting additional information from some of the
respondents, I’ll post a commentary on these responses.

Question #1: Do you regularly work on becoming a better person – such
as being less judgmental, less arrogant, less fearful, more
understanding, more self-confident, a better public speaker, a better
listener, more self-disciplined, etc.? If yes, what are one or more of
your major goals and methods?

Thirty-eight said Yes. Some of the more common objectives included:
· Be less judgmental/forgive others/ forgive myself/ be more tolerant.
· Learn to let go of negative feelings.
· Listen better.
· Better time-management/self-discipline.

Some of the interesting (to me) methods reported included:
· A mantra: Inhale Compassion ... Exhale Anger.
· Feeling the fear and speaking anyway.
· Writing. That is how I best learn.
· Blog about my spiritual life, particularly my warts and wrinkles.
· On a daily basis, through prayer and meditation, I focus on areas
where I have fallen short.
· Dance 5 Rhythms (Gabrielle Roth).
· Practice non-reaction to energy from negative people.
· Cut each other more slack.

The four responses I counted as No included one who reported being
highly focused on political activity, one who said yes but reported
only outer-directed activity, one who said “I spend my time trying to
be useful to others,” and one who reported only their current
feelings, not how they want to improve.

Question #2: If you don’t, would you like to? If you would like to,
what might help you do so?

No one reported that they do not engage in self-improvement and would
like to do so.

One who answered Yes also said, “Objective feedback would be helpful,
but at present I have not solicited such.”

Question #3: Do you engage at least two hours per month in volunteer
community service, either to assist highly disadvantaged individuals
or help protect the environment – such as Meals on Wheels, soup line,
food bank, hospice, hospital, environmental cleanup, etc.? If yes, in
what kind of volunteer community service do you engage for at least
two hours per month?

Only three people said No, but a certain ambiguity in the question
seems to have contributed to a number of people saying Yes who, it
seems from their answer, do not engage in volunteer community service
to assist highly disadvantaged individuals or clean up the
environment. I counted 23 respondents who reported on activity that
clearly falls within that definition.

Question #4: If you don’t, would you like to? Why? If you would like
to, what might help you do so?

Of those 19 whom I did not count as engaging in such regular community
service, four indicated what might help them do so. One said, “The
main obstacle to my doing the specific kinds of things you mentioned
is my lack of mobility, due to chronic ill health.” This response
suggests that assistance with transportation might be helpful. Another
said that finding affordable, trustworthy, compassionate care for her
child with autism who needs constant care and supervision would be
helpful. The third said, “Not having to work for a living and being
able to afford a nanny would help me do so. Time poverty is a serious
and real problem in our culture, not an excuse. Those of us who suffer
from it need compassion, not judgment.” And the fourth said, “It would
be easier if I had a friend to go with. Often when volunteering at an
unknown place I have found [it] unorganized, wasting my time, not
really doing much, [with] unfriendly people.”

Question #5: Do you engage at least two hours per month in political
activity to help change governmental policies – such as letter
writing, sending Internet action alerts, participating in a peace
vigil or some other demonstration, calling the office of an elected
representative, going to a public hearing, etc.? If yes, in what kind
of political activity do you engage for at least two hours per month?

Thirty-four said yes. Those who said No made comments such as:
· For me, this is counterproductive.
· No desire to play in political places. I work with the people.
· I'm convinced it's a waste of time. It's based on false premises
about how the world actually works…. and in fact is contrary to making
real progress.
· I quit being politically active when I realized I was spending more
time fighting what I didn't want than I was helping to create what I
wanted. … I am convinced it is inherently self-defeating.
· It easy to feel that political activity is ineffectual these days.
· No, I do such things in smaller quantities.

Question #6: If you don’t engage in such political activity at least
two hours per month, would you like to? Why? If you would like to,
what might help you do so?

Responses to this question included the following responses:
· Childcare for an autistic child.
· Not at this time. However, I would not mind learning what it is your
organization has to offer.
· I know a lot of political activity requires a lot of baby steps,… so
there's very little I get extremely passionate about.

Question #7: Do you believe that we need to transform our global
society by reforming our institutions, our cultures, and ourselves to
better serve the common good of the entire human family?

Thirty-eight people responded Yes. Responses included:
· Totally. We must all work to serve. As we serve others, we serve
ourselves.
· Yes!
· yes, without question...
· YES!!!!!!
· Absolutely. And let it begin with me.
· Yes -- wholeheartedly!
· Hell, yes!
· Yes. Big time!

Question #8: If yes, do you believe that we can eventually achieve
that goal step-by-step by steadily implementing reforms that relieve
suffering and protect the environment?

Thirty people responded Yes. Responses included:
· There's a remote chance that gradualism may work. But no matter how
bleak the prospects for eventual and lasting success, we have no moral
alternative method for achieving that goal, even in its limited for-
human-benefit form.
· We can achieve reform if the people rise up and work together for
the betterment of all instead of selfish self-interest.
· Yes we can. History proves it. Examples are monarchies replaced by
democracies, the fall of the Soviet Union and the Eastern European
Communist block, the victories of the civil rights movement and the
woman's rights movement.
· If enough of us can participate in self-transformation and
implementing reforms, I believe we can relieve suffering. There has to
be, however, quite a shift to global, unified consciousness for that
to happen.
· It is the only way. Each step will show others how to affect
positive change and will build on the step before.

Some of those who responded No made the following comments:
· Unsure at this point in my life...
· I do not think that there is time for a step-buy-step approach.
Some form of broad-based continuous radical action is needed.
· We can do that by empowering the individual to make the choice that
is in his best interests… An institution can never do for a person
what God intended the individual to do for another
· Not by reforms, but by creating new paradigms.
· In my many years of experience and observing of humanity, I fear
that the bulk of humanity (particularly residents of US) are basically
selfishly-motivated, resist reading and keeping themselves informed,
and are content to believe that those in power "know" what they are
doing and what to do, and are prone to put their unquestioning trust
in them.
· I am skeptical of step-by-step reform, or the potential of
significant progress through such method.

Question #9: If you regularly engage in self-development, community
service, and political activity (as discussed above), do you meet
regularly with others who do the same in order to report on your
efforts and support one another? If yes, with whom do you meet?

Seven individuals who reported engaging regularly in self-development,
community service to assist highly disadvantaged individuals or
environmental cleanup, and political activity to impact public policy
reported meeting regularly with others to report on their efforts and
provide mutual support. These groups included:
· A women’s group.
· A Circle of Compassion.
· People in a movement for human rights in mental health.
· A Transition Town group.
· An Institute of Noetic Sciences support group.
· An informal group of friends.

Question #10: If you do not meet regularly with others for that
purpose, would you like to? Why? If you would like to, what might help
you do so?

Five people answered Yes. Their responses included:
· Compassionate and trustworthy and affordable respite care for my
[autistic] daughter.
· My schedule is always changing based on when clients are able to
make appointments with me.
· I'd be open to the idea. Would need to identify those of like mind
and sometimes those of us who are doing the work are busy with little
time.
· There are very few that have the passion for the HARD WORK of
compassion. I'd love to connect to more compassion foot soldiers.
Those that understand we're involved in a true social movement - like
any civil rights before - it's a movement - and I'd like to meet
others being called to the work - even through busy lives, we've got
to commit to the work.

Overview

I count four individuals who reported being comprehensively engaged in
self-development, community service, political action, and mutual
support geared toward the steady, gradual transformation of our
society, our culture, and our selves, which I tentatively call
“holistic transformation.”

In addition, nine others reported being so committed, but not meeting
with others who do the same to provide mutual support to one another.