Cooperation with Another

Cooperation takes energy. But not all energy behaves the same way. When seeking cooperation, it helps to understand the values behind the energy.

We are often tempted to meet opposition with more opposition. But there’s another way! Eric Benson uses concepts from the Ki of Cooperation and square dancing to guide us toward “redirecting” instead of “resisting.”

Have you ever observed a group trying to stay productive and successful as it grows in membership? Cooperation often gets harder, not easier, as more people join. Does the group require extraordinary management, or something else? Research in the way thousands of starlings fly together offers some insight.

Sometimes a transition brings us face-to-face with opposing points of view or someone who just is “not present.” An LET practice called Automatic Door Blend uses energy to see issues from another person’s point of view.

We usually look at our world with an agenda. We look at something. We look for something. What if we didn’t perceive the world through “hard eyes”? ITP Mastery Teacher Charlotte Hatch and ITP practitioners demonstrate experiencing the world through “soft eyes.”

To achieve cooperation with another, it can help to look at the situation from the other person’s point of view. Leonard Energy Training offers an exercise to help us achieve this. ITP Mastery Teacher Charlotte Hatch teaches the exercise “Getting Off the Line,” reminding us to listen to the other person while taking care of ourselves.

Cooperation with another person can be challenging during a brief encounter or throughout a lifetime. And, in the spirit of our practice, these encounters can prove to be transformative. ITPI Mastery Teacher Charlotte Hatch shares her personal insights gained through the lens of her Aikido studies and ITP.