Letting Go of Mental Frames and Entering a World of "Offer and Receive": The Potential Revealed in Possible World (Part 1)

One particular Saturday, I hosted "Possible World" sessions back-to-back: one in Japanese in the morning and one in English in the afternoon.

Both sessions were unfolded so organically. They were initiated by people I had the pleasure of meeting, who simply expressed a pure curiosity to experience the workshop. In the past, I used to plan these sessions unilaterally, perhaps once a month, based on my own schedule.

However, since the beginning of this year, through various encounters and learnings, I have begun to focus more on my connection with the world and the concept of "Wholeness". Now, I start by respecting the other person's "will to do" and the timing of our connection. I open the space with the intention of listening to the voices of the world and gently supporting someone's aspirations. This is my "here and now"—an approach that feels in harmony with the natural flow of life.

Through these sessions, what we found ourselves facing once again was the existence of "mental frames" that bind us.

Breaking Free from Mental Frames

At some point in our lives, we all build "mental frames" to protect ourselves. I don't intend to make them the villain. However, these rigid frames can unconsciously rob us of the chance to meet other possibilities and keep us stuck.

Instead of "learning" about these "frames" through a lecture, each participant arrives at their own awareness (Kizuki, 気づき) and internalisation (Haraochi, 肚落ち) through a process of actual experience via simulation, pausing for reflection, verbalising thoughts through dialogue, and sharing feelings. It is through this journey that each individual reaches their own realisations (Kizuki) and internalises them (Haraochi).

Despite the Japanese and English sessions comprising people with different languages, cultures, backgrounds, and ages, the essence of what emerged was surprisingly universal.

From 'Give and Take' to 'Offer and Receive'

We tend to live in a world of "Give and Take."

If we receive something, we feel we must return something.

If there is no "return," we feel we cannot ask for what we want.

But when we step outside that mental frame, a completely different world of "Offer and Receive" unfolds.

You simply offer what you can offer.

You simply receive because you were blessed with the opportunity to receive.

The moment that action occurs, a "gift"—the warming of the heart—is generated simultaneously. Do what we can, when we can.

This continuous, multi-layered unfolding will surely shift the world into a gentler place.

One person's words move another's consciousness; that consciousness influences choices, and those choices determine actions. The accumulation of the collective results of these actions is the state of the world we see before us right now.

I would like to share the details of the waves that stirred in the participants' hearts and the raw dramas and realisations that were born in both the Japanese and English spaces, starting with the Japanese session.

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Part 1: The Japanese Session – Unravelling the Frames and Finding Harmony

The Japanese session of "Possible World: The Savannah" began in the morning light. What unfolded was a beautiful drama of raw emotion that could never be gained through classroom learning alone.

The Collapse of the Organiser's Mental Frames

Right from the start of this session, I was made aware of the "mental frames" within myself. I had unconsciously set a condition that "having a PC environment is a requirement for participation."

This condition was narrowing the possibilities for participation. However, when we welcomed those who found PC operation difficult or those who were travelling as "observers," an unexpected richness emerged.

Watching the players immersed in their immediate tasks and anxieties from a "bird's eye view," the observers were able to gently point out important truths that become invisible when you are in the thick of the game.

"Everyone could just enjoy themselves more!"

Furthermore, a participant who had initially started to shut down, thinking "I can't do this," was able to notice their own paradigm of "giving up before trying" through the presence of supportive peers who respected them without judgment. A perspective looking at the world from the outside gently began to unravel the rigidity within.

The Unsettling Feeling of "Unconditional Goodwill" and Paying It Forward

With many first-time participants, voices of confusion about how to proceed with the game arose here and there. When a person with surplus funds unconditionally offered money to a participant who was panicking because they couldn't do anything, a strong sense of discomfort leaked from the receiver, describing it as "unsettling."

"Money should be received as compensation for doing something."

That transactional assumption, deeply rooted within us, makes it difficult to simply receive unconditional love and goodwill. However, once we realise that beneath the transaction of the tangible lies a wish to be of use to someone, a "circulation" begins—where unnecessary resources flow toward those who need them.

When we give ourselves permission to gratefully accept goodwill, the warm feeling born there is eventually handed over to someone else (the Japanese concept of On-okuri, 恩送り, or paying it forward). On that day, in the Japanese session, the seeds of this "Offer and Receive" were sprouting everywhere.

After-session Miracles: A World in Harmony

Even after the official session time ended, some people remained in the "Savannah" as if it were after-school hours, spontaneously engaging in small actions and deeper dialogues.

The world that was initially filled with confusion and haste transformed beautifully during that quiet, lingering space.

The final meters this Savannah world recorded were:

Economy: 10, Environment: 11, Society: 10.

It wasn't that one specific value stood out. Instead,

an inclusive economic growth,

the regeneration of a rich natural environment, and

a harmonious society where everyone had the opportunity to learn

stood beautifully side-by-side.

Not because someone told them to, but through their own will and dialogue, the world proved it could grow this gentle and abundant.

"Fulfilling yourself is as important as working on society."

"I saw with my own eyes that money doesn't just disappear when you spend it; it circulates within society."

The footprints of each individual examining their own "mental frames" and sharing their desires became a tangible sense of shifting the real world into a kinder place.

However, we must remember that the "perfectly balanced" result is not the "correct" answer. It is not a balance achieved by fitting into a predetermined mould, but a balance sought from the inner beauty and pure desires of each individual that brings true impact to the world.

So, what kind of internal dramas did the members who participated in the English session—across borders and languages, under the pressure of an uncertain timer—experience?

In the following Part 2, we will follow the trajectory of the wealth gap and the "Green Snowball" effect they discovered.