Where did my world go?
Somehow I thought it would be easier than this. I thought I had been preparing for many years for the kind of uncertainty and groundlessness that is now all-pervasive.
You can almost hear the popping sound as so many inflated, speed-driven, harm-producing systems lose momentum and, in some cases, crash to the ground. But there's no guarantee of a soft landing, no security in assuming we'll be left with the right conditions for a fresh, more enlightened start.
I am having to be gentle with myself. And I find myself longing to connect with others. Neighborhoods, communities of practice, fellowships of friends—time to strengthen networks of caring and support. Time to be in the not-knowing together, so we are ready to build as soon as the dust begins to clear and what has to die is gone, and what has been waiting can begin to appear.
I would welcome hearing others' stories. How are you faring and what are you noticing?
You can almost hear the popping sound as so many inflated, speed-driven, harm-producing systems lose momentum and, in some cases, crash to the ground. But there's no guarantee of a soft landing, no security in assuming we'll be left with the right conditions for a fresh, more enlightened start.
I am having to be gentle with myself. And I find myself longing to connect with others. Neighborhoods, communities of practice, fellowships of friends—time to strengthen networks of caring and support. Time to be in the not-knowing together, so we are ready to build as soon as the dust begins to clear and what has to die is gone, and what has been waiting can begin to appear.
I would welcome hearing others' stories. How are you faring and what are you noticing?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ryan Watson on -
In the midst of the great challenges presented by these collapsing systems there is also great momentum in positive directions. We can't ignore the reality of unsustainable systems failing, but I think that taking the Appreciative Inquiry approach and focusing on what is working is extremely helpful.
There are so many great opportunities opening up in so many ways. Perhaps the popping sound you can almost hear is not just the popping of unsustainable bubbles, but also the popping open of new space and possibility :)
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Permalink Reply by Susan Szpakowski on -
Ryan, thanks for this reminder. Seeing so many good people showing up here, and watching Obama's town hall in Strasbourg today, are also good medicine. It seems that holding allegiance to openness and what is possible is the only way to move forward with energy. At the same time, if we close off to the shakiness that is in us and all around us, we risk becoming subtly driven by fear and blindness. How to stand in the full force of the present moment without become paralyzed by the intensity? Intellectually I know the answer, but that doesn't seem to make it any easier.
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Permalink Reply by Bart on -
What I see in my professional context in organisations is a lot of anxiety and fear, and leadership responding from the old paradigms. Trying to get into control, too much fear of letting go and a lack of use of the creative power of working-communities. I try not to judge and be open to the opportunities within the space that often really feels stuck.
When thinking about what I could do, it helps to 'look inside' and find out what I myself would long for in such situations....
For me it has to do with: providing a supportive container where I can have real conversations and make connections with others, where time is available and a feeling of belonging is present. These are the real human needs, I think, a lot of people feel something is lacking. My challenge is to try to help leaders and all other people in organisations to recognize this and to be honest to that need, and after that try to find ways to deal with the fear and anxiety together. It is rewarding to see something happening when this works out! The reward is in seeing people relax when they speak up from inside. This is what keeps me standing when I think about our world moving in this big shift.....
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Permalink Reply by Vikki Smart on -
Coming from a healthcare perspective, I see stress and anxiety related illness on the rise. Depth of human relationship and purpose in life seems to be at the centre though we tend to treat prescriptively. Poverty has been identified as the main significant cause of health disparity,and yet I have seen that life purpose and love take people out of this equation. Victor Frankl wrote " It did not matter what we expected from life , but rather what life expected from us." I have found on my own journey, as I stop trying to control what is and begin to accept what is with a sense of curiosity and love, that I am experiencing less fear, more love and many profound moments. I am learning to sit in that sacred space of quiet presence and reflection to see what emerges. (Otto Scharmer's work). I have experienced a significant shift in the structures of my paradigm and as such a shift in the world around me. I think of butterfly wings, strange attractors and ripples and wonder if the true change to the big problems in the world are the small shifts in my own intentions. I have always thought in terms of the bigger world and felt overwhelmed so it is a shift for me to consider that world change might begin with seeming insignificance. As Gandi says 'Everything you do will be insignificant but it is important that you do it." I feel life asks me to be true to my values and purpose, which incidentally seem to have a way of shifting just when I think I have them pinned down. Yet it is all that I have. I share in your yearning to connect with friends and neighbours, and with others who are exploring ways of being in the world. And I, like you Ryan, love to dream in the world of Appreciative Inquiry! It has been the catalyst to wonderful changes in my life and work.
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Permalink Reply by Susan Szpakowski on
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There are many nuggets that are both inspiring and practical in these posts. I love this last notion of "willing to be insignificant"which brings me back to a sense of simplicity and relaxation. And also Bart's comment about how people relax when given the chance to "speak up from the inside" even (or especially) when the culture isn't usually conducive.
These days it's especially easy for leaders (not to mention all of us) to feel helpless, incompetent, or overwhelmed. Meg Wheatley's messages from the last decade or so (turning to one another, "whatever the problem, community is the answer"), are suddenly coming back to me with greater significance.
Over the past couple of days I have been in conversations with people engaged in social innovation initiatives and collaborations, and one theme has been the importance of having a community of practice. One person noted that she was missing a spiritual community she had recently left. We talked about the power of intentional communities, and also how they can also become inwardly focused or self-referential over time. How to keep our communities (including our work-related communities) fresh and vital while also having enough boundary to create a space for intimacy, shared meaning, learning, and challenge over time? This question is alive for me right now.
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Permalink Reply by Vikki Smart on
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Susan Szpakowski said:There are many nuggets that are both inspiring and practical in these posts. I love this last notion of "willing to be insignificant"which brings me back to a sense of simplicity and relaxation. And also Bart's comment about how people relax when given the chance to "speak up from the inside" even (or especially) when the culture isn't usually conducive.
These days it's especially easy for leaders (not to mention all of us) to feel helpless, incompetent, or overwhelmed. Meg Wheatley's messages from the last decade or so (turning to one another, "whatever the problem, community is the answer"), are suddenly coming back to me with greater significance.
Over the past couple of days I have been in conversations with people engaged in social innovation initiatives and collaborations, and one theme has been the importance of having a community of practice. One person noted that she was missing a spiritual community she had recently left. We talked about the power of intentional communities, and also how they can also become inwardly focused or self-referential over time. How to keep our communities (including our work-related communities) fresh and vital while also having enough boundary to create a space for intimacy, shared meaning, learning, and challenge over time? This question is alive for me right now.
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Permalink Reply by Vikki Smart on
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For me this perplexing issue of a vital Community of Practice really is challenging. Margaret Wheatley's call to bring as many voices as possible to hear , absorb and sit in the information to see what emerges is so inspiring and yet how in the practical sense does one come together in reflection with thier work community in a reasonable group to discuss, learn, hurt, change and create together in that sacred space of trust and openness, if the numbers get too big? I am beginning to sense our wonderful group is developing a paradigm that is difficult for others to grasp. I wonder -are we becoming a self serving group. How do we keep the dynamics of learning and relationships moving in positive directions and yet continually ground our practice in reality? Then I really do a number on myself and ask - "who's reality?" I find at this point in my life and work life I seem to have more questions and angst than answers and comfort!! And yet I love this creative , emerging place!
Vikki Smart said:Susan Szpakowski said:There are many nuggets that are both inspiring and practical in these posts. I love this last notion of "willing to be insignificant"which brings me back to a sense of simplicity and relaxation. And also Bart's comment about how people relax when given the chance to "speak up from the inside" even (or especially) when the culture isn't usually conducive.
These days it's especially easy for leaders (not to mention all of us) to feel helpless, incompetent, or overwhelmed. Meg Wheatley's messages from the last decade or so (turning to one another, "whatever the problem, community is the answer"), are suddenly coming back to me with greater significance.
Over the past couple of days I have been in conversations with people engaged in social innovation initiatives and collaborations, and one theme has been the importance of having a community of practice. One person noted that she was missing a spiritual community she had recently left. We talked about the power of intentional communities, and also how they can also become inwardly focused or self-referential over time. How to keep our communities (including our work-related communities) fresh and vital while also having enough boundary to create a space for intimacy, shared meaning, learning, and challenge over time? This question is alive for me right now.
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Permalink Reply by Aftab Erfan on -
I was listening to CBC radio the other day and they were talking about this group of people in Montreal who organized a kind of 'philosophy marathon'. They set a physical space and over a 24 hour period filled it with conversations about philosophy. They had a Nietzsche corner and a Marx corner, kids acting out philosophical plots, and women dressed up as prostitutes talking about feminism and the body. The CBC interviewed many people, most of them in their 20s, among the 4 thousand or something that attended this event. Several of them talked about how people are turning to philosophy because of the chaos in the world. That this sense of losing ground, or losing meaning, has encouraged people to turn to philosophy, search for new meanings. Sort of a revival of philosophy.
It was an intriguing program. I thought: how cool if THIS is the result of the economic crisis!
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Permalink Reply by Terry Edlin on -
Through New Community Vision, I am working to align with local community groups to organize and facilitate monthly gatherings in the open space meeting format to discuss the universal issues of child care, elder care, housing, food, nutrition, transportation, job creation, isolation, and everything else. When communities gather with intention and imagination to solve their problems month after month, good ideas will surface, the people who find it important will get behind it and galvanize resources to make something happen.
The question of how to keep it going in a positive direction - I don't know how that happens. I wish I did. On the other hand, not controlling the direction allows for surprisingly good ideas. It could also deteriorate into the lowest common denominator mentality, which we see too much of in the world.
Vikki Smart said:For me this perplexing issue of a vital Community of Practice really is challenging. Margaret Wheatley's call to bring as many voices as possible to hear , absorb and sit in the information to see what emerges is so inspiring and yet how in the practical sense does one come together in reflection with thier work community in a reasonable group to discuss, learn, hurt, change and create together in that sacred space of trust and openness, if the numbers get too big? I am beginning to sense our wonderful group is developing a paradigm that is difficult for others to grasp. I wonder -are we becoming a self serving group. How do we keep the dynamics of learning and relationships moving in positive directions and yet continually ground our practice in reality? Then I really do a number on myself and ask - "who's reality?" I find at this point in my life and work life I seem to have more questions and angst than answers and comfort!! And yet I love this creative , emerging place!
Vikki Smart said:Susan Szpakowski said:There are many nuggets that are both inspiring and practical in these posts. I love this last notion of "willing to be insignificant"which brings me back to a sense of simplicity and relaxation. And also Bart's comment about how people relax when given the chance to "speak up from the inside" even (or especially) when the culture isn't usually conducive.
These days it's especially easy for leaders (not to mention all of us) to feel helpless, incompetent, or overwhelmed. Meg Wheatley's messages from the last decade or so (turning to one another, "whatever the problem, community is the answer"), are suddenly coming back to me with greater significance.
Over the past couple of days I have been in conversations with people engaged in social innovation initiatives and collaborations, and one theme has been the importance of having a community of practice. One person noted that she was missing a spiritual community she had recently left. We talked about the power of intentional communities, and also how they can also become inwardly focused or self-referential over time. How to keep our communities (including our work-related communities) fresh and vital while also having enough boundary to create a space for intimacy, shared meaning, learning, and challenge over time? This question is alive for me right now.
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Permalink Reply by Terry Edlin on
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If the numbers get too big, it needs to break into smaller groups. Malcolm Gladwell wrote quite a bit about this in Tipping Point and said that groups larger than 150 members are too large for people to care about each other. The threshold beyond which it just doesn't work is 150.
Terry Edlin said:Through New Community Vision, I am working to align with local community groups to organize and facilitate monthly gatherings in the open space meeting format to discuss the universal issues of child care, elder care, housing, food, nutrition, transportation, job creation, isolation, and everything else. When communities gather with intention and imagination to solve their problems month after month, good ideas will surface, the people who find it important will get behind it and galvanize resources to make something happen.
The question of how to keep it going in a positive direction - I don't know how that happens. I wish I did. On the other hand, not controlling the direction allows for surprisingly good ideas. It could also deteriorate into the lowest common denominator mentality, which we see too much of in the world.
Vikki Smart said:For me this perplexing issue of a vital Community of Practice really is challenging. Margaret Wheatley's call to bring as many voices as possible to hear , absorb and sit in the information to see what emerges is so inspiring and yet how in the practical sense does one come together in reflection with thier work community in a reasonable group to discuss, learn, hurt, change and create together in that sacred space of trust and openness, if the numbers get too big? I am beginning to sense our wonderful group is developing a paradigm that is difficult for others to grasp. I wonder -are we becoming a self serving group. How do we keep the dynamics of learning and relationships moving in positive directions and yet continually ground our practice in reality? Then I really do a number on myself and ask - "who's reality?" I find at this point in my life and work life I seem to have more questions and angst than answers and comfort!! And yet I love this creative , emerging place!
Vikki Smart said:Susan Szpakowski said:There are many nuggets that are both inspiring and practical in these posts. I love this last notion of "willing to be insignificant"which brings me back to a sense of simplicity and relaxation. And also Bart's comment about how people relax when given the chance to "speak up from the inside" even (or especially) when the culture isn't usually conducive.
These days it's especially easy for leaders (not to mention all of us) to feel helpless, incompetent, or overwhelmed. Meg Wheatley's messages from the last decade or so (turning to one another, "whatever the problem, community is the answer"), are suddenly coming back to me with greater significance.
Over the past couple of days I have been in conversations with people engaged in social innovation initiatives and collaborations, and one theme has been the importance of having a community of practice. One person noted that she was missing a spiritual community she had recently left. We talked about the power of intentional communities, and also how they can also become inwardly focused or self-referential over time. How to keep our communities (including our work-related communities) fresh and vital while also having enough boundary to create a space for intimacy, shared meaning, learning, and challenge over time? This question is alive for me right now.
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