Events, patterns and structures together constitute the pyramid of our life. The pyramid itself can be viewed as an iceberg with events clearly above the waterline but patterns partially above the waterline and partially below it. Structures or mental models or our internal maps are all underwater and therefore they are most difficult to decipher or change. This is a poetical interpretation of what students of Systems Thinking know as the Iceberg Model. In NLP literature these distinctions are presented as distinctions between surface and deep structures. Events that occur at the surface level are most likely to be affected by inter-connective noises of deletion, generalization and distortion. Events are most difficult to make sense of because they lack connections. Patterns do provide connections but they are harder to see. The deep rooted inner wiring sits at the structural level and it is by far the most difficult part to handle. Generative learning is one way of rearranging the wiring and fixing our broken connections. Awareness of these levels itself is a good first step toward unbundling the great mystery of life.
.

EVENTS

An event occurs
and we experience
a burst of joy within,
a pang of sorrow,
or an unexpected surprise.

Happiness or sadness,
it’s always like getting closer
to the unknown,
looking straight into the abyss
from where events arise
wrapped in misty clouds
unfolding one little thing after another.

Unexpected happens —
we stand and watch
reacting in many foolish ways,
not able to change a thing.

An event is like a wave —
it comes and goes
leaving behind its tracings
on the maps of our lives.

Looking at an event in isolation
does not make us wise or sane.

An event is just an event
unless it tells us
where it came from
and where it is taking us.

Events don’t teach us much
because all learning arises
in making connections,
in understanding patterns
slowly revealing themselves
one fabric at a time
their hidden reality.

.

PATTERNS

Looking at the sunset in the meadow
brings back memories of images in slow motion —
moist eyes waiting endlessly to find meaning
in the crowded juxtaposition of things.

Pattern is a memory that time leaves behind —
white and fluffy bushel of freshly picked cotton
that we process one day at a time
to make sense of what really doesn’t make sense.

Pattern is like a walk down the country dirt road
where everything seems simple, sweet and
perennially blissful, artistically arranged
for the order to be discernibly visible.

Pattern is the secret longing of our being —
tracings, footprints, or sheer aspirations
to find meaning, a desire to unlock the mysteries of life,
a never ending quest for fuller understanding.

Pattern is like pearls in a necklace,
each one linked to the other
with meaning embedded in their subtle bodies
and each one reflecting the beauty of the other.

Finding a pattern is like listening in silence
to the voice that is hidden within us —
a voice that tells us something about ourselves
and the messages that we often misconstrue.


STRUCTURES

Deep within the pyramid of our being
there is a dark alley
that holds secrets
of the inner workings of our mind.

Why and how do we act?

We’re afraid to lift this veil of darkness
and to enter the garden
that’s unlike any other we’ve ever seen,
a garden where thorns bloom like flowers
and grass grows slower than the poisonous weed.

Here we can witness the pavilions of blame and denial,
our passive and aggressive selves unfolding
from within the layers of ugly shadows.

"I didn’t mean to say this."
"I did no harm, I think."
"I don’t understand what you’re telling me."
"I don’t care what you think of me."

This land of unbounded mystery
is the fertile ground for thinking and doing good,
for managing personal change
and for renewing ourselves.

We need deeper understanding to alter
the contours of this structure.

We need contentment.
We need flow.
We need oneness
with our inner self and the world outside.

We need to dig deeper in order to find
lost cities of our own creative selves.

At this deep structural level
we’re creative and generative
to the core of our being..

Surinder Deol
writes poetry, essays
and stories about human action, personal change,
and generative learning.
He is a keen observer of life in large organizations and how it impacts, both positively and negatively, the evolution of
human consciousness.

Back to Top

All Rights Reserved.
This page and all contents are Copyright 2001 by the author and by Anchor Point, Salt Lake City, Utah, May not be reprinted without permission from
Anchor Point, info@nlpanchorpoint.com.