In this super fast ever changing and demanding world we are constantly looking or trying to prevent something, always distracted by something more important to be attended just ahead of us. We seem to live in constant crisis mode (real or apparent) .
Poet and philosopher David Whyte describes crisis as the meeting of two immense storm fronts, the squally vulnerable edge between what overwhelms human beings from the inside and what overpowers them from the outside. Walking the pilgrim edge between the two, holding them together, is the hardest place to stay... a rehearsal in fact for the act of dying... What if we could experience crisis not as trauma but as an abrupt and necessary change of season.
How do we lead and prepare for this necessary change of season?
In which ways the crises, real or perceived, keep us separated from life? In which ways walking at the edge frightens us so much we stop being into the vortex of life? In an interview for SoundsTrue Mary Oliver discussed the "spells" that keep us feeling separated from life and the remedies that bring us more fully into the energetic flow of existence. She speaks of the need for curiosity and the role it plays in uniting our attention with our experience.
Together with curiosity, attention and presence are critical skills for a leader (we are all leaders) who desires to be in the flow of life and create a positive impact. The skills, we can all cultivate, to walk on the edge of crises (as Whyte describes it), creating impact instead of increasing panic and separation, without perishing, are: curiosity, spaciousness and inquiry.
Being into the flow of existence is true leadership.
Poetry, and art in general, offer an opportunity and a practice to be curious, create space for what is coming and learn how to be in the presence of questions and inquiry awaiting for the answers to unfold or surface from deep within us. When we master these three skills together, we start to transform our leadership presence, we begin to see through the clouds of conditioning and come back to our humanity.
Crises ask us to pay attention to what is going on within us and outside of us so, we can ask ourselves, who do we need to become. What world do we want to create? Crises ask deep questions and demand answers to be lived. They demand time, and space, and the willingness to commit to the being rather than only the doing; even when the choices we make seem to have no strategic sense.
May this be the beginning of a deeper exploration into the human evolutionary experience in face of crises.
Leader
You will never know till you stand up
There is enough space within you
Space to contain the multitudes
Stand up
Speak up
Say no
No to fragmentation
No to moving faster
Slow down
Know your multitudes
Learn what moves inside and outside them
Turn towards the truth
Stand up
Speak up
The Whisper said
I want to talk business in rhyme
(From The Whisper, adjusted for TEDx Lugano September 2017)
If you’re interested to learn more about our knowledge and experience and discuss how we could help through our consultancy, workshops, and talks, drop us a line at fateme@rnewb.com.
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