A Conversation with Michael Lindfield - Michael Lindfield Interview

Written by Tammie Byram Fowles, PhD, LISW-CP

A huge part of our collective energy goes into producing what I call the nonessentials - the luxury items. These are the things that we don't really need but which we believe we need. These are the trappings we use to find comfort and reassurance in a world where our sense of identity is rooted in what we wear and drive. As I begin to live a more soul-centered life, where my identity is not being built from an accumulation of external labels and forms, life begins to be simpler. The need for an external source of "spiritual food" decreases and I begin to simplify my life. I withdraw my need to have these forms of "nourishment" in place and when eventually a majority of the population comes to this realization, we will re-shape and re-prioritize what we produce.

You and I, through our conscious choices are the building blocks of any societal change. Yes, corporations do hold a lot of power but it is because we've invested power in them. We have given them power and we sometimes fail to realize that we do have the power to change them. Power is a focus of energy that is connected to a purpose and so whenever you have an ability to focus energy with intent, then you have an opportunity to make a change.

Much of our energy is focused and crystallized in the business world at the moment. We see it played out in the fluctuations of the stock market and we see it played out in the inter-organizational dynamics of companies vying for survival in the global marketplace. We see relationships being played out at this level through corporate acquisitions and mergers as well as through collaboration or competition.

Basically, what you're seeing in the world of big business or even global politics, are the same patterns that are being played out on an individual level. So, one of the things that I think that many of us get out of perspective is seeing organizations as huge monoliths that are out of our control and that will eventually crush us. Please remember that they're put in place by human minds and therefore can be changed by human minds. Yes, they do have an energy and a momentum all of there own because we have propelled them into the world with our thinking and have given them velocity and movement.

It is easy to be injured by our own creations if we're not careful, just as it is easy to get run over by a car if we step in front of it. But we have the power to refocus our energy and build something else. That for me is where the true locus of change exists - the choice that we have to align our actions with our inner values. This is the essence of soul work.

When we are in touch with "soul," then we discover that the soul doesn't need trappings, doesn't need anything external to justify itself or to make itself feel good. The soul simply needs a clear and capable vehicle for expression. That's all it needs. Therefore, the business of the future, in a soul-centered society, will be the creation of those forms of nourishment and those forms of expression that allow the genius and power of the human spirit to be revealed. This will be a collective act of creation requiring the conscious participation of the individual.

Tammie: One of the sayings that that I've always been really fond of is, "If the people will lead, the leaders will follow. As you speak, I think about that in relation to both government and corporations. You're right. I think that we have, for very good reasons, seen large corporations as extremely powerful. They affect almost every aspect of our lives at this point, even for the most part who our political leaders end up being.

Michael Lindfield: But remember, we have chosen them. We elected them and we put our money into them. As we continue to invest in them, we keep them alive.

Tammie: Right. And so I guess that part of what I think about is that we need to take more responsibility perhaps for...

Michael Lindfield: I'm not saying that corporations or political systems are "bad". I'm saying that everything we see around us is the result of our own process of manifestation. What we see outside is the reflection of what we hold inside; and if we don't like what's outside, then its up to us to re-think and reframe our worldviews. The challenge for each of us is to realign our thoughts, words and actions with our inner value center and be bold and daring enough to step out and live a soul-centered life.

Tammie: Absolutely. And that therein lies the greatest hope for change.

Michael Lindfield: It is the only hope.

Tammie: Right.

Michael Lindfield: It isn't in the forms. It isn't in the corporation. IBM will not save the world. Boeing will not save the world. It is the human spirit that is the hope.

Tammie: I agree they won't, and you've certainly given me some food for thought. I guess though that while IBM cannot save the world and Boeing cannot save the world, I still think that so many of these major corporations are so enormously powerful and that if those in leadership positions were to become more responsive...

Michael Lindfield: Yes. But quite often "we the people" don't do anything until conditions get so horrendous.

Tammie: That's exactly it Michael, it's like John Gardner said, "an entrenched society doesn't typically change without shock treatment, and regeneration doesn't occur without catastrophe." And what's really striking me as we speak is that the bottom line is that it still points to us, the buck still stops here with us.

Michael Lindfield: The bottom line is choice. The world we choose is the world we get. So, is this the world we want for the future? Choice is where the power lies - it lives inside each of us. So how do we mobilize that power?

Tammie: And that's such an important piece. How do we mobilize it? There are so many of us who I believe are deeply committed and I'd like to think that we're growing in numbers, but I also think that so many of us feel isolated from one another and that perhaps part of the solution is to continue to build greater connections with one another.

Michael Lindfield: That is very much part of the work. It's making connection with each other and with our own inner reality so that through those connections, new thoughts and new acts can flow. Being connected allows us to successfully navigate through life. It helps us discover where we need to be and what we need to do. After that it is just a case of daring to do it. Feels like a good note to end on as nothing else comes to mind for the moment.

Tammie: You have just done such a wonderful job and I very much appreciate your taking the time to share your wisdom. You've given me so much information and food for thought.

Michael Lindfield: You're very welcome.

next: On Connecting with Nature: An Interview with Mike Cohen