Gangs and Tribal Leadership

I’m not one to speculate, so I looked to experts in this area, most particularly Dr. Robert Moore. Here’s what he says about it:

http://www.robertmoore-phd.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&page_id=35

From Robert Moore:
---“Time is late and we are in a desperate situation. Look at your political leaders and listen for anybody that is going to step up and name masculine initiation, or the lack of it, as a serious world-wide problem. You are going to have to listen a long time before you hear anybody that is even talking about this, and even longer before you come across anybody who really knows what is going on. Those in the echelons of power do not have a clue that it is not merely economics, it is not merely education, it is not merely any particular social location or television show or rap song, that is the source of our difficulties: it is the whole lack of a system of masculine initiation and eldership.

If you look at the Gutmann book, what does he say? He says that in every indigenous culture the older men bonded together as peace chiefs. They bonded together with the young men to help them understand what all this aggression is for. They offered young males a vision of masculine maturity.”---

In his books, he explains how gangs are a natural offspring of lacking traditional initiations into adulthood. Even the gang initiation is similar to indigenous initiations. Without these initiations and teachings, our youth don’t know how to properly express their aggression for the benefit of the community.

Robert Moore:
---“They also realized - and Gutmann's (1987) book makes this very clear - that the old people of the earth, the tribal peoples, knew that you had better initiate the Warrior in the young man. If you do not initiate the Warrior, then the aggressive energy in a young man is going to damage his community and himself, too. They came up with the software, the tribal initiations, from the Masai to the Zulu to the Zuni, to help the young male learn the proper and appropriate use of aggression. Because he is flooded with it so early in his life, he does not have the life experience to tell him how to use it wisely. The elders must do that.”---

This is why we have militant groups and our leaders lash out in anger about what’s going on to our people, instead of channeling that energy into beneficial actions for our youth. Former Chief Dennis Meeches, however, understands the importance of these rites of passages that were lost during the Residential School era. He asked me to help him with a program that assists youth in the criminal justice system with their rite of passage into adulthood.

Now, if you take a deeper look into the inner workings of a gang, you’ll find the characteristics of the Adult Children of Alcoholics Syndrome. For example, there’s the rule of Silence, which means no one can rat on anyone. The Delancey Street Foundation, which has a 92% success rate in reforming addicts, criminals, and murderers, breaks this rule to foster transformation. They reframe snitching as helping your brother, because the focus is to do just that.

Another interesting finding was discovered by David R. Hawkins. He developed what’s called the Levels of Consciousness model, which sheds light on why our people remain stuck in poverty and gangs. He states that the lower levels are Shame (one step above suicide), Guilt, Apathy (homelessness, Learned Helplessness), Grief, Fear, Desire, Anger and Pride. The higher levels are Courage, Neutrality, Willingness, Acceptance, Reason, Love, Joy, Peace, Enlightenment... you’ll notice that our 7 Sacred Teachings fall within the upper levels of consciousness.

Steve Pavlina:
---“An increase from one level to another will result in enormous change in your life.... I think the most important work we can do as human beings is to raise our individual level of consciousness. When we do this, we spread higher levels of consciousness to everyone around us. Imagine what an incredible world this would be if we could at least get everyone to the level of acceptance. According to Hawkins 85% of the people on earth live below the level of courage.

When you temporarily experience the higher levels, you can see where you must go next. You have one of those moments of clarity where you understand that things have to change. But when you sink into the lower levels, that memory becomes clouded.”---

From http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/04/levels-of-consciousness/

So how is the actually applied to our people, and its connection to gangs?

Thankfully, authors of Tribal Leadership, Dave Hogan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright researched hundreds of companies and thousands of people to determine what makes people and organizations work effectively. They determined that it’s the culture and perceptions of the people or organization that determines what actions they take and results they produce.

This research sheds light on the issue of gangs and leadership, and how to transition from one stage to the next.

Stage 1 runs the show in criminal clusters, like gangs and prisons, where the theme is “life stinks,” and people act out in despairingly hostile ways.

Stage 2, the dominant culture in 25 percent of workplace tribes, says, in effect, “my life stinks,” and the mood is a cluster of apathetic victims.

In Stage 3, the dominant culture in half of U.S. workplace tribes, the theme is “I’m great” or, more fully, “I’m great, and you’re not.”

Stage 4 represents 22 percent of tribal cultures, where the theme is “we’re great,” and another group isn’t.

Stage 5 is the culture of 2 percent of the workforce tribes, where the theme is “life is great” and focuses on realizing potential by making history.

Source:

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=2&ved=0CAkQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.triballeadership.net%2FUserFiles%2FFile%2FArticleExecutiveExcellence.pdf&rct=j&q=5+stages+of+tribal+leadership&ei=ioeiS5qvG5OXtgf6raD0CQ&usg=AFQjCNFCE9E52WbouI5qW-MlrYEHCvCA1w

For a free audio download of the book Tribal Leadership:

http://www.zappos.com/tribal.zhtml

From the Tribal Leadership website:

---“Since the dawn of civilization people have formed tribes, and research demonstrates that humans are genetically programmed to form into groups. Within every company there are tribes, often several, consisting of 20 to 150 people who know each other and work together. But while everyone tribes, the culture of each tribe is different, as is its effectiveness. Improving a tribe’s culture—and its chances for greater success—requires a tribal leader who not only understands the tribe but can leverage its collective assets to build a greater team.”---

http://www.triballeadership.net/


So there is a solution to every problem and that solution is to look to our ways of living that evolved over thousand, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of years. And everything is supported by cutting edge research in the areas of psychology, biology, science, and spirituality. I’m currently gathering all these like minded individuals to bring about this change in our people, and create a Stage 5 tribal culture for our people.

The best way to do this is to bring back our traditional rites of passages and ceremonies, which have been lost but have also been written down and hidden for when the right time comes. That time is now, and people like Dennis Meeches is on the forefront of this movement, leading the way to a better future for everyone involved.

The means to create this lasting change can be found in the research recorded in the book Influencer – The Power To Change Anything, which documents how people in 2nd and 3rd world countries helped save themselves from diseases, spousal abuse (stemming from a 2000 year old religious belief), and a variety of other negative influences. It presents a complete structural blueprint of the science of change, and takes you step by step through the critical factors behind change and how to apply them to any problem.

http://www.amazon.com/Influencer-Change-Anything-Kerry-Patterson/dp/007148499X

These gifts validate our cultural beliefs we once held and it’s time that we wake up to this reality. The time is urgent, and through all the political rhetoric and posturing on both sides, a light shines forth to awaken people to build bridges of unity. It’s either we heal now, together as a people, or we will die as individuals.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for supporting the heart and soul of our culture.

“A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong. Seek to make your life long and of service to your people. Let us form one body, one heart, and defend to the last warrior our country, our homes, our liberty, and the graves of our fathers” - Tecumseh