The Expression/Growth Axis
We don’t need deep Connection and deep Purpose in order to manifest, make money and get ahead. In fact, our Western culture often puts Connection and Purpose at odds with what we commonly consider success.
When we want what we want and we don’t care what we have to do to get it, we can accumulate power (life force) and use it from a power-over perspective (Expression). We are not part of a greater whole, we have a single focus—our desire. Our Purpose from this perspective becomes Growth, power, and getting what we want. Our relationship to the whole is simply how it can serve our personal desire. Connection becomes your smaller tribe, or how others can help you get what you want, rather than really experiencing others. There is an inability to feel empathy.
Expression/Growth can be a feedback loop that generates greed and reinforces over-expression as narcissism and psychopathy. We accumulate life force (power) through money, charisma, influence, and resources—so we can get more of what we want. As we increase our capacity for life force and power, more of it moves through us and creates more desire. More desire creates more capacity for lifeforce, and it feeds itself. This is great momentum when we are also connected and in relationship with others. However, power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely—when that power is only about filling personal desire. Greed is fueled by a large capacity for life force that amplifies desire and our ability to create.
Life force and the ability to impact the world around you, is power and power feels good. It can be intoxicating!!! It also generates more sense of individuality and a sense of separateness because it amplifies Expression.
In the western world it is rewarded. The idea of the survival of the fittest, winner take all, and the iconic image of the wall street tycoon that we have a love hate relationship with. In the 1987 movie, Wall Street we see the glorification of greed, and the hero/villian aspect of being powerful.
Without the deeper question of “Why?” and “What is my relationship to the whole as I do this?” that Purpose brings, it can easily turn into self-perpetuating, never-satisfied greed. The quote by an unknown author states: “Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich.” I don’t believe that being rich is the problem, it is simply Growth and Expression without Purpose and Connection.
In the video below it illustrates how “winning” creates a tendency to move towards the over dominance of Expression/Growth, in a feedback loop. It also shows how even a small addition of Connection/Purpose is able to undo the negative impacts.