Life is Change!
"Change is the most fundamental characteristic of the Universe. Change may be slow, subtle and imperceptible, like the tiny seeds that are germinating under the snow. Change may also be, dynamic, like the butterfly emerging from the cocoon or the birth of a baby.
Change presupposes process. Process presuppose potentiality. A process is an ordered expression of a potentiality. A potentiality is a non-actual form of reality. Like the acorn, that has the potentiality to becomes an oak tree. If the external world is supportive, soil, water, and weather, the acorn becomes an oak tree. An oak tree is an actual form of reality.
The translation of potentiality into actuality is the cutting edge of our Universe. The translation of potentiality, into fact, creates more possibilities! Potentiality is infinite. Just like the acorn has, in potential, countless oak trees.
According to Ihanktonwan Dakota worldview, human beings have five interrelated capacities, the physical, (Psychomotor), the emotional (affective), the mental (cognitive), the spiritual (perceptual) and the will ( volitional.) Human potential is infinite, as well.
Change unfolds according to natural physical and spiritual laws! Without change and renewal, there is death! Significant change, from an old paradigm to a new paradigm naturally engenders confusion and conflict! Some cycles of change take 1000's of years. Some culminate dramatically, with global implications. We are now beginning to experience a profound, dynamic, unprecedented, organic global change, from our spiritual adolescence to our spiritual adulthood!
The same principle applies to Cultures! When cultures close themselves off from change, the fundamental characteristic of our universe, they will die, as well! This perspective does not mean that basic spiritual qualities and guiding principles, essential to all healthy and enduring societies and cultures, change. Although, they may need to be renewed spiritually, from time to time. Life Giving ceremony and prayer are not lifeless rituals.
Any cultures that wish to continue to grow and flourish, no matter what challenges and obstacles they may face, need to hold on to the spiritual teachings and guiding principles of their cultures! These spiritual qualities include kindness, courage, generosity, prayer, patience, humility, respect, loyalty, faith, integrity, gentleness, justice and unity. It is the eternal foundation of these spiritual values and guiding principles that support the healthy development, spiritually and physically, of human beings and their communities, physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally and volitionally.
At the same time, the social dimensions of our cultures change over time. The way we dress, marry, entertain ourselves, and communicate, as well as, our economic relationships, the role of men and women, and our relationships with other cultures and spiritual traditions. Theses social changes, in harmony with our spiritual teachings support the unfolding of an ever greater civilization!
As my beloved father used to ask me, “Can Dakotas play bridge?"
Then after a short pause, he would say “Yes, of course, we all have the unlimited spiritual power, through prayer, to do anything that we choose in our lives! So choose very wisely, my son, because every decision that you make and every action that you take, have consequences. Some of these consequences will endure for your lifetime!"
Ate, Dekshi, Lala, and Brother Phil
