Holism

Here Edmund expounds on holistic management principles as defined by Allan Savory. He finds that Savory's focus on the whole is a concept mirrored everywhere in Swedenborg's writings. These guidelines are as applicable to a farmer managing the natural resources around him as they are to an individual navigating his spiritual life. -Editor

Over the last year I've been studying the principles of Holistic Management as developed and described by Allan Savory. Savory's background was as a scientist and park ranger in the African bush. He developed a system of land management that has successfully reversed desertification, improved water availability, increased livestock and game populations, and helped stabilize unsettled human groups by improving their economic opportunities. Holistic Management centers on the development of a holistic goal and then using seven questions to test decisions, large or small, prior to instituting change.

1. Cause and Effect - Does this action address the root cause of the problem?
2. Weak Link:
   Social - Could this action, due to prevailing attitudes or beliefs, create a weak link in the chain of actions toward your holistic goal?
   Biological - Does this action address the weakest point in the life cycle of the this organism?
   Financial - Does this action strengthen the weakest link in the chain of production?
3. Marginal Reaction - Which action provides the greatest return, in terms of your holistic goal, for the time and money spent?
4. Gross Profit Analysis - Which enterprises contribute the most to covering the overheads of the business?
5. Energy/Money Source and Use - Is the energy or money to be used in this action derived from the most appropriate source in terms of your holistic goal? Will the way in which the energy or money is to be used lead toward your holistic goal?
6. Sustainability - If you take this action, will it lead toward or away from the future resource base described in your holistic goal?
7. Society and Culture - How do you feel about this action now? Will it lead to the quality of life you desire? Will it adversely affect the lives of others?

For anyone who's interested, Savory has published an entire book about implementing this method of management which can be found online.

And now to tie it to a New Church Perspective.

In my reading I was struck several times by the spiritual basis undergirding the system of Holistic Management. In particular I found two areas where it connects quite clearly with the Heavenly Doctrines (there are probably lots more that I simply didn't see). Savory uses several chapters to explain ways to help people figure out "what they want" so they can put it into their holistic goal. I think this corresponds well with the spiritual principle of reforming the Will. It is only through examination of our desires and drives, turning away from the distractions and evils that tug at us, and focusing on doing good, that we grow in healthy ways. While Savory's work deals only with the earthly realm, it is this same dynamic of identifying where we want to go, renouncing the things that impair our progress, and moving toward the "goal."

The other area of connection with divine principles that lends this system of management strength is its insistence on keeping the whole in mind. Yes, parts of a system may be broken down into their constituent parts, but to direct great energy at a problem without looking at the big picture first usually leads nowhere. In this sense, spraying a crop of corn with atrazine is analagous to resolving to cease telling self-aggrandizing, embellished stories at work. The pesticide is applied to protect a crop yield. The goal is to have a product at the end of the season, but a holistic perspective may not allow for potentially poisoning oneself or one's neighbors and could point to other solutions to the same problem such as crop rotation, proper mineralization of the soil, and cover-crops. Self promotion in a workplace could be driven by the desire to provide for one's family by having secure employment, but again, when viewed from a holistic perspective there are better ways to be a valued member of a company that avoid the truth-bending and reputation promotion, such as providing a skill no one else has or knowing how the company works and making it work better.

While not directly applicable to the two examples I just used, I seem to run across the general idea of "Wholes" in virtually every chapter of the Writings that I read. Just today I read a little from True Christianity 54, "The heart, the lungs, the liver, the pancreas, and the stomach have their own designs. Every organ of motion called a muscle has its own design. Every organ of sensation, such as the eye, the ear, and the tongue has its own design...All these countless parts connect with the overall design and join up with it in such a way that together they form one overall design."

I find it delightful to see spiritual truths "discovered" by people who have never even heard of Swedenborg, and then promote them far and wide. I intend to keep "the Whole" in my mind as often as possible.

Edmund Brown

Edmund was raised in Bryn Athyn where he attended New Church schools. He lives near Cooperstown, New York where he currently is engaged in setting up a farmstead cheese making operation. He finds the greatest joys in life from his marriage to Normandy Alden, his son Rowan, his dear family and friends, and spending time in the woods and fields of his farm.

Comments

[Karin Childs]

Really interesting! I always love being given a "bigger picture" or "holistic" view of things, and love reading about that applied to many different areas of life.