I confess, I am intrigued by the concept of "paradigm." Over and over, I find that "the world" is not as I see it. I think I understand, and then I discover that I am blindly ignorant. (Actually, I'm not blind---just a little too near-sighted! I do, however, find that I'm "off" a little bit from what I had thought was "the truth.")
How do any of us ever know---and articulate to someone else---"the truth"? As I was in the process of finishing this article, "Tapping the Insight of a Wise Mentor," I experienced a minor argument (see the final paragraph). I decided to follow my own advice. I looked at the situation from a truly long-term perspective, and chose to do something very different from what my feelings led me to pursue.
My 99-year-old buddy suggested I do something that was not at all consistent with my feelings of the moment---and it turned out quite well. (In the process, I discovered a totally different way of looking at the issue than I had previously seen!)
Oh, if I can only remember to commit to and execute behaviors that are initiated from the perspective of my 99-year-old buddy!
Dennis