From all corners of the globe and many different professions there are stories about a state of being called the ZONE Transcendent reality. An occasion, a creative space, or special circumstances wherein a person or group is engaged in a state of being we might call natural genius. For basketball players the hoop enlarges and everything slows down. For jazz musicians they cast themselves way off the musical thrust and then free-form with their instrument allowing the natural genius to emerge and carry them back home musically. For gymnasts they become one with the apparatus. For thinkers their new ideas suddenly gel into a never before considered solution. These examples suggest a transcendent, creative and trusting state of being wherein excellence comes to the fore.
If we were all interested in performing better across the board it would be good to arrange a constructive focus on the zone for the benefit of our emerging global civilization. This class of being is referred to in science as the "Flowstate." It is a place where the intrinsic intelligence pours past the calculating brain producing a range of genius not explained by training or practice. We intend that it can be chosen and designed .....selectively.
Social architects consciously construct energy fields wherein individual and group genius is naturally evoked. Lets talk results. The point here is to accept that our collective creations as a people are a direct consequence of the quality of our creative work together. So, the service offered by the social architect is the one that focuses the future on states of being as distinct from the functions of doing or of having. In this case the energy fields are supported by a set of field building tools.
It should be noted that there are some other very desirable and interesting states of being besides the high performance zone. Just to give some presence to this frontier here are some examples. There is rapture. There is epiphany. There is all pervading presence. There is soma-sanctuary. There is synchronicity. There is synergy. Defining these would take more than the appropriate space for this visit to the zone. Just be aware...that there are other very interesting states for the social architect to work in.
The conditions that stimulate genius are assembled to program a ZONE. The zone may be located in one place or be created in the corridors between spaces where people move. Most often we are talking about rooms and hallways. Occasionally gardens and pathways are the outdoor field opportunities. Some recent work has been done in transportation hubs like airports. Commercial zones like malls also have many corridor opportunities.
It is likely that in the future there will be a whole new range of specifically engineered social centers wherein the being states will be served with a wide variety of stimulating tools. Fine restaurants are examples of carefully supported fields. Temples are another. The practices now used to appoint these spaces are, however, not grounded with the discipline they could be.
The stimulation can come from traditional sources such as art, music, herbs, breath, smell, movement, and sounding. More modern devices, usually electrically driven, are aimed at brainwaves, brain functioning, balance, specific halucinations, color harmonies, and the like. The suggestive arts like hypnosis and NLP can put these other types of conditioners into a specific perspective and shape the context of the experience as needed. The story-teller will still be in demand. So, the environment is appointed to bring consciousness into a healthy and receptive state and then the specific context and meaning can be shaped by the more mythological components.
Think about the very impactful states that Walt Disney has engineered into Disneyland. Every corridor is treated with visuals. Music pours out from hidden speakers. Characters of various persuasions wander about. The lighting is mystical. Food smells fill the air. Its warm enough to get wet and people do. Crowds and chatter create a playful and safe feeling. Laughter and surprise is a recurring theme. Color is used purposefully and lavishly. A childlike and playful invitation is suggested. Walt knew that the more the whole being was stimulated the more expanded their state would become. He called the general application of fantasy to constructed realities...imagineering.
Social architects imagineer selected realities into zones and corridors in order to evoke more expanded states of being. A haunted house is definitely a purposefully designed space full of stimulation of a directed nature. This is an example of using the zone to achieve contracted states as well as expanded ones. The goal of social architecture zonework is to reach for creativity, illumination and grace. When these states are achieved in sufficient numbers our civilization will be able to change its preoccupation with work as labor and transition to work as fun.
Imagine a modern hospital recontructed as a Disneyland with all the attendant stimulation.
How can we generate a field energy that propels people into the zone? Here is a preliminary list of qualities that we have collected:
- Levity works better than gravity.
- All senses should be activated and none overloaded.
- Designed spaces should appear as if they could lead to other places in almost any direction. They should not feel like containers.
- The ability to effect light, sound and other stimulations should be lively, continuous and deft so that the momentary self-consciousness of the players can be overdriven.
- Most times the best results come from suggested mythical introductions.
- The zone should feel like a "safe" space and the expected behavior should be given full permission.
- Shills, demonstrators, or modelling can be used to further exagerate the expected behaviour.
- Consider the elements used in the opening of the Olympic games, or half-time at the superbowl or world cup. Recall the warm-ups for great musicals and begin to imagine how those events were created.
Quest: Which of these elements would you use to stimulate your local community meeting? How would you design and sequence the stimulation? What state of being is possible in the context?
