Culture = Renewing Self and Society

Integral Self:
Becoming an Integral Agent of Transformation

To become an effective – and integral – Agent of Transformation, an individual needs to be in touch with his or her “inner calling” and to have embarked on the great journey of life to purposefully develop his or her full potential to be able to actualize this calling in the world. The starting point of all of Trans4m’s catalytic processes is the activation and articulation of “The Call for Transformation”, as it is through that call that we not only find direction and orientation for the inner-outer journey, but we also tap into the inner, transformative energy that is required to make a significant impact in the world.

We see self-actualisation as the key goal of a person’s life.

However, we don’t perceive of it in a self-centered way, but rather as a road to transcend an initial, narrow view of one’s self into an inclusive, self-and-other oriented perspective. In the process of discovering ourselves and others, we learn that life is about interdependency, relationship, and love. We gradually grow from self to other, from ”I” to “We” – and we become fully engaged and participating citizens, serving our own development as much as that of others, society, and humanity – including nature, of which we are part.

We embrace life to the fullest, and our inner growth becomes the greatest gift we can make to our societies. As Trans4m, we believe that this is how we grow into effective, holistically orientated agents of transformation.

Be it in our PhD on Integral Development, be it in the transformative education we offer, be it in catalytic community and enterprise transformation processes, be it in our Young Transformers Program – at the start of each engagement is the evocation of the inner purpose and calling of a person – and, subsequently, of his or her organisation and community.

Through such continuous interaction and interweaving between self & other, community and enterprise, society and world, we seek to create alignment of the inner calling of a person, and the burning developmental issues that our communities, institutions and societies are facing.

The following figure that serves as the “guiding image” in one of our courses on “Becoming an Agent of Transformation” expresses this combination of inner alignment (all the aspects of the personality) and outer alignment (the person in relation to the context it is engaging in and with):

Integral Self - Agent of Transformation
Following the Call: Becoming an Integral Agent of Transformation