As we continue with the six fundamental value pairs, we move to the disagreement over truth. But truth is never as simple as fact. We see this debate over truth manifested in a huge swath of critical areas of life–from a debate over western rationalism to eastern mysticism, from the scientific method to post-modern philosophy, from a belief in objective reality to matters of faith. The Shaman represents that which cannot be measured while the Scientists represents logic, reason, and whatever can be scientifically measured and objectively observed. This dimension, in part, governs our understanding of what is true and informs every aspect of our lives.
The Shaman
A Shaman is a wise man who is centered on the individual world of thoughts, idea, and spirituality. The Shaman represents more Eastern notions of stillness, tranquility and serenity. A Shaman might be the sage-like elder that speaks little bits of wisdom and elicits simple insights that can only be brought forth when you turn off the things that distract us. The Shaman is primarily concerned with harmony, balance, complexity, and the spiritual. Some researchers labeled this concept as holism.
The Shaman appears in our pop culture as Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid or in the form of the Oracle in The Matrix.
The Shaman’s nemesis is the Scientist who exists solely in the world of logic, reason and what can be measured.
The Scientist
The Scientist makes sense of life using the rules of rationality, logic and reason. The scientist observes the world around him or her and tries to unearth the rules of the outside world. Through the use of careful observation and experimentation, the Scientist tries to explain the mysteries of the world. The Scientist is primarily concerned with intellect.
Mr. Spock from Star Trek and Gregory House from House are good examples of Scientists.
The Scientist’s nemesis is the Shaman. The Shaman does not solve the mysteries of the world through the tangible but through the internal exploration of the mind, spirit world, and nature.
How They Differ and Why They Need to Be
Much of our human experience cannot be explained through an equation. Logic, reason, and the tangible can provide us a great deal of truth and understanding of the world around us. Since our understanding of the world around us is incomplete, we need to celebrate the capacity of the human mind to look beyond what can be explained today in scientific terms. Prior to Albert Einstein, the belief that time, gravity, energy, and matter being fundamentally linked was considered the realm of fantasy. It took those insights of the brilliant, creative, and imaginative mind to bring new truth into the realm of our understanding.
The Shaman helps us to break free of the conventional thinking of our day. Further, the Shaman helps us to appreciate differences of opinion. It is only through my appreciation of the philosophies of the Shaman that I have been able to develop the Value Zodiac. It is because I appreciate the diversity of thought and the diversity of differing value perspectives that I can give voice to the need of allowing all perspectives a seat at the table to engage in the free market of ideas. Not everything that is seen in the human experience can be explained by science. The faculty of the human mind to leap beyond science not only helps us to explain things that would be otherwise unexplainable, it allows us the possibility to hope even when logic would tell us not to. The elements of ethics and philosophy — what ought to be — are the realm of the Shaman.
Influence Lesson #29: Not everything that is seen In the human experience can be explained by science.
Shaman Characters: Miyagi and Madea
Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid movies is an excellent example of a Shaman. Quotes from The Karate Kid exemplify this. “Lesson not just karate only. The lesson for whole life. Whole life have a balance. Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home. Understand?”
One unlikely Shaman that we also see in our popular culture is Mable Simmons, a.k.a. Madea, from several of the Tyler Perry movies. Yes she is brash and hotheaded, but this only goes to underscore the times when she shares wisdom. In Madea’s Big Happy Family she says, “You got to forgive those people, honey. Not for them, but for you. If you don’t forgive somebody, you give them power over you. Don’t you hear me? Forgive him for your own sake. This man is trying to love you. Go talk to him, act like you got some sense.”
Scientist Character: Gregory House
The Scientist also allows us to discover truth. The Scientist is rooted in the physical world around us. Without the scientist, our notions and theories would not be grounded in reality. Our world would likely generate into what emerges from wishful thinking. Scientific method allows us to test our guesses and therefore gives us solid feedback as to the accuracy of our ideas.
Influence Lesson #30: Without the Scientist, our world would likely generate into what emerges from wishful thinking.
The Shaman and the Scientist must work together. The Shaman dreams what could be and how it should be while the Scientist explains what is and what is not achievable today while laying the groundwork for what is achievable tomorrow.
I have always been a fan of the TV show House. Gregory House is a brilliant doctor who happens to have a number of personal demons. In every episode, Dr. House is presented some medical mystery that no one else has been able to solve. He always uses the power of his intellect to help solve the problem. He sees people as irrational beings who consistently lie or who are unwilling to face the truth of their own decisions which may have led to their illnesses. Like Sherlock Holmes, Dr. House uses reason, data, and logic in the process of discovery. What makes House a compelling story is not the manner in which Dr. House solves medical mysteries, it is the systematic abuse of his personal relationships and his struggles to understand the world around him that makes House compelling. He does not have a strong sense of empathy so the decisions that people make puzzle him. Dr. House is the perfect combination of brilliance and sociopathic self-destruction. In this sense, House is a cautionary tale for those who seek to find truth exclusively in the rational world.
Objective vs. Subjective
The objective and the subjective must be brought together to create meaning in the world. The world is sometimes baffling. In these times, drawing upon our beliefs and our closely held truths can anchor us in a changing world. But too much reliance on subjectivity leaves us increasingly out of step with the broader world. We need to build an appreciation for both sides of this dimension in order to recognize the complexity of truth in both its objective and subjective manifestations.
