Category Archives: Commentary on News

Asians Might Learn ProxThink Quicker?

(r] proxthink.com

“Americans are more likely to see categories. Asians are more likely to see relationships.” So says David Brooks in his recent op-ed Harmony and the Dream. He is using scientific experiments as sources, and he also says: “Americans usually see individuals; Chinese and other Asians see contexts.”

Individuals and categories (Americans) are more like the ProxThink term element. Relationships and contexts (Asians) are more like the ProxThink terms relationship and proximity. And once you see relationships and proximity, you’re likely to see elements too.

It’s important to note ProxThink doesn’t favor the proximity, since the proximity consists of elements related or potentially related to a situation, in physical, mental and other ways. In other words, the proximity is both elements and relationships. Further, you are aware of the proximity when you are aware of elements and relationships and the situation.

So maybe Americans could benefit more from ProxThink, but Asians will learn to use it faster? Perhaps. But you never know. There are limits to these sorts of generalizations.

To learn more about elements, relationships and proximities, join ProxThink.com.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Campaign Celebrations vs. Accomplishment Celebrations

(r] proxthink.com

Political primary celebrations are nice. Wouldn’t it be great if we took more occasions to celebrate real accomplishments, with parties and gusto?

These would be real accomplishments which benefit many people. Things like building a park, or the introduction of a mass market plug-in hybrid car, or hitting a target for carbon reduction (to slow climate change), or national health care, or halving homelessness, or a stronger sense of community through better ways for people to be engaged.

I believe the ProxThink Growth Model may provide a framework for ways to approach a number of these situations. People can start by creating more ProxMonitors to help us track situations, and RelatePoints to aid collaboration and communication. Then Difference Agreements can be crafted which help valuable differences persist, adapt and change as needed. People can ProxReward (proxri) as one part of implementing Difference Agreements.

Here are some links to explore ProxThink, join ProxThink and learn about the ProxThink Growth Model.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Microsoft Offer for Yahoo and the ProxThink Growth Model

(r] proxthink.com

The Microsoft offer for Yahoo is a good reminder that growth and shareholders’ interests are primary. We now live in a world which increasingly requires that we think and act in ways related to the systems, environments and networks in which we are enmeshed. It is no longer clear that markets are up to this task.

As an example, as Øystein Dahle, former Vice President of Exxon for Norway and the North Sea, has observed: “Socialism collapsed because it did not allow the market to tell the economic truth. Capitalism may collapse because it does not allow the market to tell the ecological truth.”

It’s entirely possible that even in the markets in which Google, Microsoft and Yahoo play, people and elements related directly or indirectly by search and online advertising could be better served by frameworks which take the systems, environments and networks in which they are enmeshed, into account. The ProxThink Growth Model may be a step in that direction, since systems, environments and networks can be seen as proximities, and the proximity of situations play a prominent role in the model.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

The Key Word in this Story was “Plenty”

(r] proxthink.com

Perhaps one lesson from a story about websites that practically run themselves, is it shows that we can create resources, which once up and running, provide a lot of value and don’t require much maintenance. Knowing this is possible, let’s create more such practically self-sustaining resources. Specifically, let’s create self-sustaining resources which allow more life, are engaging, and in turn create proximities in which a wide variety of people and situations can flourish.

One of the sites in the story is a dating site called Plenty of Fish. There is plenty to learn from this and the Craigslist example they mention. There are plenty of opportunities to create proximities which function like self-sustaining resources for a variety of people and situations. Such resources can themselves be a source of plenty. Further, the ProxThink Growth Model may be a way to help manage such resources.

A couple examples of possible practically self-sustaining resources: We could create energy systems which tap renewable energy sources, providing most or all of a proximity’s energy needs and practically run themselves. Another might be some community resources which don’t need much maintenance if a few different people provide just a little time, money, energy or work, but do need a sustainable way to coordinate people’s maintenance activities for that resource.

What resources or proximities can you think of, which could be created to practically run themselves, and provide richer relationships for the people involved?

To learn more about using ProxThink ideas and the ProxThink Growth Model, visit ProxThink.com.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.