Posts tagged with "change"

Where do we come from?

Where do we come from?  What are we doing here? What inspires real change? 

 It’s interesting when I start to think about what I am doing here and why I am the way I am.  What makes me different to others and what makes me similar to many?  Is it all linked to the way in which we live our life on a day to day basis and how do we come to the realisation that things need to change. 

If I want to do something about the biggest problems in the world whether that is challenging poverty or tackling inequality what is it that I can do?  When I start to think about the bigger problems it does seem rather overwhelming….how can I possibly, me, an individual with  the limited power that I have actually create change and bring about a more positive change for the world around me?

 The thing is that this is exactly the problem why we feel helpless.  

People seek to change things however we don’t really know what it is we want to change.  We are not actually aware of the outcomes we want to achieve and as a result it can become a huge task that will never be started or completed. 

 So what I propose, is instead of seeing the current global problematic issues that can cause pain, fear, cruelty, discrimination, selfishness and more…I suggest that we look at thing in more positive way.  Look at what is being achieved, look at the big changes that have taken place whether that be in your own personal life or in a broader sense.  This will no doubt bring about a more constructive way of looking at the issues we want to change. 

If we are constantly reminded that we can’t do things, we can’t achieve things and that there is simply no point, then nothing but more negative feelings will breed causing even more pain and more problems and so on… 

As a society, I feel that people are too quick to pick up on negativity and on things that are wrong, rather than focusing their energy on what is good and what great things are happening. 

 Who is really in control in this process of change?

To an extent people believe that they are not in control because it allows them to escape and then it is not their problem, it is not their fault and they certainly cannot do anything about it. Instead of leaving the biggest problems of our world to be sorted out by our elected leaders or our campaigning organisations should we not be trying to participate and make small changes to the way in which we live our lives.  If people just simply stopped thinking on an individualistic level and started to see a more connectedness to everything around them including what is happening outdoors then surely the world we live in would be a better place.  If we start to believe that we are in control and that we can do something about things then there is a sense of empowerment that can only grow, develop and prosper

But where does that come from?  What causes you to act or think in a certain way? 

 For me it is linked to your circumstances and your aspirations which again are not formed on an individual basis but on a collective basis with those around you, so again you are not in control individually.    

 To an extent you are not in control of the circumstances you find yourself in or to the people around you, to your past and to the future that you see for yourself.  I believe that although we like to see ourselves as individuals we are far from individuals.  Individual to what?  To other humans?  Other life forms? Nature?   And is individuality linked to our modern sense of self independence and being self sufficient?  I think regardless of what you think there is no denying that the things that happen to you in your day to day life and the events that have taken place in your past and the people that you are surrounded by are all part of the answer so if we want to start to do something more active and sustainable we need to connect and realise our potential together to overcome the overwhelming fear of not being able to do anything or nothing.

Posted: November 9, 2008 | Author: Gurjit Singh | Comments: Add 

Who is responsible?

Last thoughts before weekend number 2:

Finally woke up to autumn with a spring in my step today.  Realised that I have been completely absorbed in work recently and after a big event yesterday is now over, is it that the autumn colours are brighter, or am I just able to notice them more?  Are we only able to notice nature if our other needs are being met?

Confession:  Went to Starbucks today having succumbed to their clever advertising and the temptations of dark cherry mochas (a ’special treat’ after big day yesterday). Cost me £2.70 (WHAT?) and I had to take away as I was late for work.  What could they do to be less wasteful?  And what could I do?  There’s a coffee shop in broughton street that charges 30p for take aways - how much do people need to be charged for take aways to make them sacrifice 2 minutes of their busy lives to enjoy their coffee indoors? 

I’m in the middle of reading a brilliant book called ‘Nudge’ - about “how to steer people toward better health, sounder investments and cleaner environments without depriving them of their inalienable right to make a mess of things if they want to.” (thanks for the nudge Joyce) And it’s made me think - how much do we need governments and other powerful organisations to intervene and ‘nudge’ us towards behaviours we know are better for everyone, but that we are incapable of choosing ourselves?  What issues are we responsible for and what issues do we need governments and the likes to influence us on?

Visited Barnardos last weekend and had some great finds:  amazing african print frilly blouse for £4 (not to everyone’s taste, but with the right outfit) and cosy but cool bodywarmer for £6.  How much more creative can we be with less money? How much more individual can we be with less direction? If fashion is just repeating itself then basically we already have all we need - we just need to use our creativity to pick the things which express our individual personality. Think Carrie Bradshaw in the early SATC days - much edgier and individual.  Less couture and following the herd.  No contest.

So who is responsible for what?

I think we are responsible for nudging ourselves towards reducing, reusing, using our creativity and expressing our individuality.

AND we are responsible for nudging those leaders in positions of power to make the changes neccessary to create the healthy sustainable urban spaces we need to experience the seasons as they happen - without travelling far in to the countryside.  Cities scattered with greenspaces and an infrastructure to support these cleaner, healthier behaviours.  Do we need to show leadership to be led?

Posted: November 6, 2008 | Author: Emma Little | Comments: Add 

Don’t Despair!

During our weekend in Knoydart the issue of social and environmental despair came up.

When something is too scary we can despair. In order to protect ourselves from the pain, we can then find ourselves dumping that scary thing (without even consciously knowing we’re doing it) somewhere deep in our minds - where we don’t have to deal with it, where we can deny it exists.

This ‘denial’ process has been worsened by the mass media, and accidentally by various social and environmental organisations, who have over the years bombarded us with horrific images of butchered whales, starving children, war charred bodies, clear cut forests, dioxin filled rivers and oil soaked sea birds. It’s important that these issues are known about, of course, but after a time we can’t cope psychologically anymore, we despair, we feel overwhelmed and helpless… We have a couple of choices.

One is to work on really burying the scary stuff! Alcohol works, so do various other drugs, watching mind-numbing TV (Big Brother?), buying stuff we don’t need, immersing ourselves in celebrity culture…

Another is to act to draw those bad feelings out into the open where they can be dealt with. Essential with this option is having people to share the difficult stuff with and giving yourself the time to explore your feelings deeply in a supportive atmosphere.

This second response is one of the principles of the Natural Change approach. That’s why we work with a small group and spend a lot of time together in a kind of ‘retreat’ situation. The group is our container where stuff can be let out and then dealt with openly and in ways that feel emotionally safe.

What usually happens is that the energy which was subconsciously being used to keep all that difficult stuff in denial gets unleashed… often into positive action that directly improves some of the situations that were driving us to despair in the first place.

Environmental activists Joanna Macy and John Seed call this type of process ‘despair and empowment work’. Dealing with our despair leads to empowerment… which leads to change.

Posted: October 29, 2008 | Author: David Key | Comments: 2 

Naturally distinctive

 

I’ve struggled a bit to bring a distinctly Christian faith perspective to the group. I was fearful of giving any perception of being preachy. Yet so much of it easily bridges to Christian faith and tradition. The earth prayers, the sharing of dreams, the acceptance of signs from nature such as a bird showing the way. These seemed so remarkably similar to the experiences of people hearing God and sensing His presence in nature.

 Discussions about religion, history, conflict and capitalism have swirled on the sidelines. Ideas of identity, destiny and insignificance in the face of the timelessness of the earth have engaged our minds around the picnic table in the garden. What bothered me was how insignificance was appreciated by others in the group. I felt this was a little dangerous.

I felt that embracing insignificance was morally hazardous.

Whilst in a context of timelessness and planetary scale our short three score and ten is certainly insignificant we live in a time when rich industrialised lifespans make deeper impacts on the earth. So there is a rebalance to be struck around historic responsibility for emissions and a recognition given to reparation and justice for those facing not insignificant impacts on their lives now.

Feeling insignificant is not motivational. Rather finding belief in change and empowering others to change flows from understanding your significance in the circle of influence available to you and linked to that connections locally and globally.

There is much significance in living for compassion and justice, going the extra mile, and fulfilling a destiny that delivers natural life affirming change.

Posted: September 30, 2008 | Author: Gavin McLellan | Comments: 2 

Powerful stories

Storytelling
Holding our silences for as whole day, together we are bursting to get our stories out. These were the rules:

All stories are held in a ring of confidentiality

The singing bowl bell chimes to start a new story

Storyteller beings’ This is my story’

Storyteller has ‘power of speech’ no interruptions

Silence held after to reflect

Then reflective responses given back to storyteller, beginning ‘I heard a story of….’

Responses are uncritical, unjudgemental and not drawing on knowledge outside the story.

 

Encircled in the tepee we shared. Here is mine, the confidence is mine to break….

I heard a story of a man with a plan and purpose. Who likes being organised and making order. A man who ticked things off the plan but found there was more. A man who had a wet bum yet shivered with wonder instead of cold. A man who made friends with a rowan tree. A brave man, pushing far onwards, and finding new connections. A man who was very self aware and found humour in the rain.

 

A powerful day

 

 

Tepee storytelling

Each story potent, moving

Of overcoming fear,

Making connections;

bonds with family, the earth, the cosmos and the past.

Stories of inner strength and resourcefulness

That lanced out deep anger and grief

Yet found humour for survival

And in adversity a release from limitations

Songs of praise

Openness and being

Natural changes in a powerful day.

 Wrestling with…….

All of us on the project have had powerful spiritual experiences that have stretched and taken us beyond ourselves. The beginnings of inner change that needs released to lead into personal action and societal change.

As faith based NGO’s in development have documented and experienced the regenerative power of faith in individuals and communities the Natural Change project can harness this power too.

In preparation for this we heard about the ‘value action gap.’ The situation we face is this: people have a wealth of information about climate change, awareness is high but lifestyle change is low. The model of straightforward rationality isn’t working. Social marketing remains nascent and unproven in its effectiveness. Something deeper, intuitive, reconnected to the earth may be needed to re-establish bonds of care and a reorientation towards a sense of planetary dwelling that is sustaining self, community and future.

Posted: | Author: Gavin McLellan | Comments: Add 

Beyond cynicism

One of the key questions of this whole project is: what does it feel like to experience change? The “change” we are talking about is our sense of the world around us, the context of the destruction we are wreaking on the planet. But – and as I order my thoughts this is becoming clearer – any change has to start at an individual level. So, that’s the process we are going through – and I have to say it feels challenging; and it feels difficult, but it also feels like a reconnection with something “right”. Oh dear, verging into “new age” territory there, and that’s a danger with this whole exercise I suppose – so much if the language about our respect for the earth and existing alongside all other life forms, shares a lexicon with that movement. I’m sure that must be a barrier to this kind of work and approach. But you get a sense that this (whatever this is) was here first – centuries ago – and that it has been hijacked in some way – with charlatans and those seeking to make profit from people’s vulnerabilities meaning the true message has been lost. So, I’m trying to keep my cynicism at bay, and also trying to find a way of expressing all of this which would pass the “Glasgow taxi driver” test – try explaining to him in a way that rings true!

Posted: September 29, 2008 | Author: Louise Macdonald | Comments: Add 

solo poet

At the end of an intense couple of days. This is a powerful experience, there’s no question. The solo day – where we spent from dawn til’ dusk on our own out in the wilds of Knoydart - was incredible – but what has struck me the most has been the common threads and themes of everyone’s moving stories. We each told them in turn, and looking back we all felt an amazing sense of connection with the land around us – using the sun to navigate and tell the time by; cloud-watching; feeling a sense of place and ancestry; the time to focus in detail on the small miracles in this spectacular nature all around us; a sense of just being one small part of the whole living, breathing planet in amongst these mountains. Colour and sound – and the chance to really see it, and really hear it.

So this is maybe what the start of change feels like – wonderment, discovery, curiosity, a desire to experience more. Well, that’s what I’m feeling now anyway.

 I’d brought some poetry books with me – with the intent of taking out with me on the day, but decided not to in the end, to try to make sure I did not get distracted from the whole purpose. But when I came back tonight, I opened it at the page of one of my favourites by accident – and there it was – Renascence by Edna St Vincent Millay:

“All I could see from where I stood

Was three long mountains and a wood;

I turned and looked the other way,

And saw three islands in a bay.

So with my eyes I traced the line

Of the horizon, thin and fine,

Straight around till I was come

Back to where I’d started from;

And all I could see from where I stood

Was three long mountains and a wood.

Over these things I could not see;

These were the things that bounded me;

And I could touch them with my hand,

Almost, I thought, from where I stand.

And all at once things seemed so small

My breath came short, and scarce at all.

But, sure, the sky is big, I said;

Miles and miles above my head;

So here upon my back I’ll lie

And look my fill into the sky.”

 

 This is just the beginning – but I urge you to read it, and maybe then you’ll get a glimmer into all of this. She may not have done an “eco-psychology solo day”, but I get the feeling her sense of connection to the planet was no less astute than this experience seems to be creating for each one of us.

Posted: | Author: Louise Macdonald | Comments: 1 

What’s important?

In this project I think one of the most important things has been (and will continue to be) vital to this project’s evolution is maintaining a loose frame, not controlling too tightly or forcing the process. There is a chronic danger in our culture, and sometimes in my comfort zone, of over-defining, over controlling and setting very specific targets and outcomes. The participants, all probably used to being well informed, thoroughly briefed and often in positions of leadership each took bit of a leap into the dark by taking part in the project. I am deeply impressed by their courage and openness.  When individually invited they were purposely not told who else was taking part or exactly what the project workshops would entail. I wonder if they would have taken part if we had described the processes and practice in detail at the outset?

Yet now they are on board do they honestly appear like they have any regrets about taking part?  Certainly there seems to be process of change happening…

Motto:

Patience

Patience

Patience

Posted: | Author: Jules Weston | Comments: 1 

Welcome to Knoydart!

 It was dark as we arrived off the boat from Mallaig (which was very posh BTW – even had a roof and comfy seats.) We donned our gear and set off on our walk to what would be our home together for the next few days.  Several days with people you don’t know, in a place you don’t know (and can’t see for that matter) But it was all good. Especially as we discussed the hot tub on our way there, passed the cosy looking pub and rocked up to the beautiful cottage where our candlelit dinner was waiting for us. This was going to be a breeze.

Once we had self selected our sleeping arrangements, Amie (our ship’s cook) presented us with some lovely veggie goulash. I couldn’t believe my luck – some wilderness this.

After we came to terms with the fact that the telly wasn’t going to be on (it was covered with a beautiful rug though) we realised that we would be having to make our own entertainment. Stayed up a wee bit too late and had a fairly unsettled first night after being generally excited and wired about the whole experience, which I was looking forward to with some cynical anticipation. Always up for a change though, I thought this was going to be a challenge and was starting to feel it was going to be difficult to convince others back home that it was the case – would I have to lie?

Today was a day of slowing down. I had come with expectations of mad running about and group work - which I was really looking forward to. What actually happened were a series of activities designed to encourage us to place ourselves in the Knoydart landscape. I have to say I was pretty resistant to what I was tempted to label as ‘new age rubbish’.

The bay we are staying next to is the most beautiful setting. Dave (our Project Leader) had set up a tepee next to the beach. The beach is surrounded by hills and rocky headland to the West – out towards Morar, Skye and Rhum in the distance. Behind us sit ominous looking mountains. I was really looking forward to exploring this place.

We were briefed on the first activity in the tepee which enforced my fears of the new agey-ness of the whole thing. Dave told us we were going to create a ‘mandala’ which something that Buddhists did to make a picture or tell a story. Our mandala was going to be something that represented a map of the place we were in and we had to explore it and find things that would place us in this place. Confused? I was.

I was immediately drawn to a clump of trees in the distance and set off with the intention of exploring them, but became frustrated that getting to them wasn’t as easy as I had initially thought. There was a wide river in between so I had to make do with a riverside walk during which I made a weak attempt at gathering some ‘stuff’ to represent my experience. Our mandala would be washed away when the tide came in. I was finding it hard to see the point.

Slowing down
In the afternoon, we took a walk up the hill behind the cottage and once we stopped, Dave taught us how to slow down and made us walk in silence, 10 paces apart, very slowly.

When we stopped we were encouraged to choose and find our own space on the hill and stay there for 45 minutes. I got the impression he might be starting to prepare us for something.

Nevertheless I found a lovely wee spot up on a rock with an fantastic panoramic view of the valley and the bay – couldn’t have been more idyllic. Sitting in the sunshine I even drifted off to the sound of birds singing. This was the life – I could’ve stayed up here for a while. And I started to let go of the anticipation about what was going to happen next. I didn’t care.

So long
But this was not meant to last for long. When we got back, we got the briefing from Dave about what was going to happen the next day. It was to be our ‘solo day’! I knew to expect this because we had been warned at our orientation day, but it just seemed a bit too soon. And not only was I going to be on my own in the middle of nowhere, but I was going to be on our own in the middle of nowhere from dawn until dusk, in silence in a spot from which I could only move 10m away from for the entire day. Dave said we should only move away if we needed a pee, a poo or some water. And that if we were planning on fasting then we should let him know. Fasting – why did he think we might want to do that?

He also said that we should think carefully about what we wanted to get out of the day. And keep an open mind. OK then.

Posted: | Author: Emma Little | Comments: 1 

Where did the project idea come from?

fruits to seeds...

fruits to seeds...

WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM?

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Two questions I get asked all the time about the project that I’ll try to answer, at least in part…

BUT the answer to the second question really lies in the process of the project over the coming months. “It’s all about” how the process of this project affects the people taking part, how it changes the way they look at the world (theirs and others), how it changes the way they act and behave and also how they influence others’ to change. Of course we can talk about sustainable behaviour change but that must be the least inspiring combination of unimaginative words known in our language. I think it is more about the art of living, the creation and finding of meaning, rediscovering ourselves and what it means to be a human being alive in  2008 facing the pressures that we all face, yet finding that underneath our skins lies a unifying thread of humanity. Lofty ideals? Perhaps. But without lifting ourselves up to some noble aspirations, taking full responsibility and truthfully facing ourselves and where we come from as a species how can we genuinely hope to create a powerful vision of the next century for future generations of any species?

 So where did the idea for this project come from?

Well, like all ideas it is an amalgamation of thoughts, approaches, experiences, needs, creative process and partnerships. From my own perspective I can trace the birth of the idea back to about eighteen months ago when I was working up campaign and communication ideas for sustainable lifestyles for WWF and co-incidentally went on a WWF personal effectiveness course. There I was given an article called “For An Ecology of the Heart” that I will try to find for this blog. It was from Resurgence magazine, a magazine that I had (perhaps surprisingly) never heard of before, let alone read.

As soon as I read the words in “For An Ecology of the Heart” I was thrown into a storm of ideas and excitement – here, at last, was someone eloquently saying some of the things that I had been thinking and fumbling with for a while but had not yet found the means to express. I wondered if WWF could combine some form of these ideas with personal development approaches, communicate the concepts far wider and INSPIRE people to “sustainability” through a reconnection with nature and what it means to be human. For this communications project to work it would be far better to take real, interesting people on a journey spread over some time and for them to communicate it themselves. I believe there is nothing more powerful or affecting than personal experience. This led me on a personal quest to discover more about an inspiring and relatively unknown approach that combined art, nature, spirituality and psychology that I discovered mainly came under the name of eco psychology. Six months later I took part in the incredible eco therapy course run by Dave Key and Mary-Jayne Rust, upon which much of this project’s design and process is based (read Dave Key’s blog on here).

The intention is that we communicate as widely as possible about this project and research the process. The range of people taking part and the amount of time they will be thinking and creating should lead to some fascinating blogs (and potentially lifechanging experiences). For some of the blog readers the ideas and experience will resonate, for others it will leave them cold, but what this project won’t do is just leave people not knowing that this approach exists.  And just maybe…it could even create genuine, lasting change.

Posted: September 27, 2008 | Author: Jules Weston | Comments: Add