Spirituality

The Solution

Solution

Anthropology of The AoIn

Self-Transcendence

In our quest for answers to confront Affective Polarisation and the Validation of Extrinsic Goals we found in Maslow’s (1971) posthumous work that a person at the state of self-transcendence, maintains an altruistic outlook on life where the apprehension of ultimate wellbeing of society is contingent upon their ability to extend beyond self to secure the wellbeing of others and the environment.

In other words, humanity at self-transcendence, promotes interconnectedness that abates affective polarisation. Also at this state, they lead life not dependent on societal validation of their personal achievements, acquisitions and physical elegance but embrace altruism and moderate ascetism, and perceive life’s goals as intrinsic and not as extrinsic pursuits.

The Exemplar

To operationalise this theory, Maslow’s work pointed us to the Quakers community where the exemplars pursue self-transcendence as their prerequisite virtue needed to navigate the society as agency of social justice and wellbeing.

Through our ethnography, we observed that exemplars pursue self-transcendence and that inspires them to perceive life as a holistic experience which unfolds in an altruistic interplay; thus, becoming the agency of interconnectedness (AoIn) who interacts proactively with others to secure the ultimate wellbeing and flourishment of all of society. In this holistic experience, they encounter society with scruples, moral equity and moderate ascetism (modesty).

The AoIn

From our Quaker exemplar observation, we conceptualise that the AoIn, is therefore a person that perceives society as an organismic whole within which their ultimate purpose is to foster interconnectedness to mend fractures caused by social fragmentation and affective polarisation.They also cultivate in people virtues and scruples that inspires the rejection of the vanities of self-absorbed and self-entitled attitudes such as over prioritisation of extrinsic goals, commodification of illicit indulgences, financial abuse, and conspicuous consumption.

By interpreting the AoIn through their charisma, virtues and schemas, we discovered in them a spirit of altruism, activism, moderate ascetism (modesty), empathy, and sanctity portrayed in virtuousness, thankfulness, oneness, peacefulness, helpfulness, forgiveness, and resourcefulness. Therefore, the AoIn through these interpretations, affirms equality, diversity, charitability, serviceability, responsibility, and accountability as the core civic values that foster ultimate wellbeing of society. The AoIn expresses these civic values as,