Exploring Noetic Sciences and Thought System Research

In the research for my dissertation (published in 1992) I reviewed a body of research on the thought system (see slide 3).  The Institute of Noetic Sciences is exploring avenues of research I have been working with my entire life.  It is amazing to me that much of what I have been exploring for so long is starting to come together quickly and that a work of fiction has pointed me toward other researchers engaged in similar pursuits.

The concept of developing patterns or habits of thought has been explored throughout time.  We have more precise instruments to measure what people have "known" for years.  As we re-think in the same patterns we actually cut pathways into our brains.  When injury, an illness, or age interferes with brain function, we may lose access to that information.  In families, we can lose the continuity of family history if we have not recorded (in audio or written form) the memory of the oldest members of our families.  To some extent this is also true in terms of losing some of the memory of our times--if the books fade or are lost, if digital media becomes unstable or is destroyed, we are at risk of losing much of what we "know" as a species.

Our thought systems act as guides for our behavior and our future, as well as keeping a record of what we program into our bodies and behaviors.  Noetic sciences--learning more about how this works--can lead us to creating more opportunities for upliftment and healing for everyone.  That is something we can really appreciate as our population begins to enjoy an expanded lifespan.

Careers in the 24th Century--Support Tools and Reality Checks

In this 21st Century, research has indicated that people can expect to change careers 12 times and have many more jobs.  Some of the same literature talks about the fact that jobs have not even been thought of yet while thousands are finishing bachelors and masters degrees to prepare them for jobs that are already obsolete.  Shift Happens 2008 (Did You Know 2?) is an eye-opening sequel to Shift Happens (Did You Know) first released in 2007.

Not only are traditional job search and recruiting tools obsolete, so, too are many of the career preparation tools.  One tool that I found useful in working with students in middle and high school is http://www.careercruising.com/.  If you are interested to see what I did with it, visit the Footprints Project page of my wiki space for middle schools.

I completed the career skills questionnaire my students would be expected to complete (117 career-skill-related questions) and Career Cruising came up with a list of 40 careers (jobs) my choices matched to.  I was doing this to test the validity of the software as a tool and was impressed that, of the 40 choices, in the course of my career I have worked in 14 of the jobs listed--and still I have always done the same thing (in a wide variety of ways).

What I do--I make a positive difference in the world by helping individuals and organizations learn to change to improve their quality of (business) life now and for the future.

It's amazing to me that I've done that in 14 jobs already, and sometimes more than once in any given job.  What's even more amazing is that I haven't had more employers in the course of 40+ years of working.
Reality Check:  The order of careers was based on my preferences and I was amazed by how my experience in these careers was reflected in the questionnaire.

Change is Upon Us

When I went back to graduate school in 1985, I wanted to get a doctorate that would let me work with adults and organizations who needed to learn how to change. My doctorate (which I completed in 1992) did prepare me to help adults and organizations learn to change and my post-doctoral Master of Arts in Teaching (completed in 2008) prepared me to extend this service to children as well. 

I invested about $200,000 in my doctorate degree in terms of tuition, books, and loss of income while a full-time students.  Much of what I learned was timeless.  I know this because in my dissertation research I tracked the origins of reflection on learning concepts to the time of Confucius--about 300BC. (For a full-text copy of the dissertation [ATT9229831] visit this link.)

Since earning my doctorate, I have worked with thousands of people and more than 60 organizations in helping each learn how to improve their quality of life.  My investment was worth every penny. 

My goal now is to find ways to share what I do with more people.  Can you help?  If so, contact me through my Wiki Project page.