A journey in search of wholeness and meaning: Investigating a harmonious ontology which could facilitate the conditions for holistic, transformative epistemologies within the structures of a community with a view to creating a sustainable future for all beings

Abstract

In framing this investigation I intuitively sought to minimise the mutual exclusivity which can occur in qualitative research by initially grounding it in my own social, cultural, vocational, educational and spiritual experiences. Throughout this investigation I sought to identify sources of wisdom, insight and praxis which may assist humanity to create a vision for its future which is sustainable, not only for humanity itself, but also for the Earth. In order to do this I utilised a mode of inquiry that is inductive, emergent, reflective and iterative. This mode of inquiry which could also be called Creative Inquiry "approaches the universe as itself a creative process" (Montuori, 2008, p. 19) anchored in "the desire to create one's own universe of meaning, personally defined" (Barron, 1995, p. 75). Through this process I explored a wide range of seemingly diverse meta-narratives by immersion in texts and through crystallisation by collaborative conversation. It allowed me to frame my investigation in the space of the sacred (Heron, 1998; Montuori, 2008) and this resultant document is reflective of the nexus between 'Kosmos, Community, Cosmology and Consciousness'. All over the world there are individuals, communities and organisations, what Petit et al. call 'Pioneer organisations' (2008), working to create a sustainable future for the Earth. I believe this document and the journey it represents can contribute to the overall effort being made by such pioneer organisations since it explores the interconnectedness and relationships which bind the Kosmos and the roles and relationships of humanity within that interconnected Kosmos. It also explores the relevance of my journey in search of wholeness and meaning to the understandings of community, adult learning, meaningful work and sustainability that emerged for me during this journey; relevance which is integral to the development of a sustainable future, not just for humanity but also for the Earth itself. Finally, I believe that in some small way this document can contribute to the dialectic which Oliver and Gershman (1989, p. 63) called for since it continually moves from the individual through the familial, communal and the societal, to the universal and spiritual and back again.