Posts tagged with "power"

Quantum of humanity

Well I’ve seen the latest Bond movie. The recipe has changed; mixed much more quickly, faster fight scenes with lots of bone crunching sounds, no gadgets, no humour, no black and white, no fantasy island evil empires, just brutal, clinical despatching of whoever gets in the way of the grudge, his ‘duty’ and a hunger for revenge.

Bond has never been warm or human. He has never been so efficient. He has never faced a corporate eco-terrorist before. This Bond wears his glamour like work overalls, which seems reasonable enough because it’s dirty stuff his duty requires.

He does show a quantum of humanity. Which is this; a drive to find the right order of things, a drive to find love, to find acceptance and approval. There is a residual trace element in the 2008 Bond of these traits of humanity.

The portrayal of omnipresent corporate greed, acting almost as a sovereign empire, carving up the world, for a shadowy elite isn’t that far fetched. It’s worryingly accurate.

What was also very accurate was the need to be aware, standing where you are in the moment, to sense the danger and act, and act decisively, with intelligence and strategy. As Bond becomes Bourne we see more of the frailty and humanity in the face of abuse of power.

We will never have superhuman fighting abilities, or drive Aston Martins to destruction, or play out our battle across continents and in exotic locations. Our struggle against power structures, inequality, environmental destruction is much more mundane and domestic but no less real. Our weapons are wisdom and compassion but are we accepting the assignment?

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.

Of Stags & Men

Our second Natural Change wilderness weekend, in the rolling glens of Perthshire. We are on a managed estate this time and it feels very different, though still very wild! It’s prompted some interesting questions and debate about the “huntin’, shootin’ & fishin’” type of life, and the industry around it, at the lunch and dinner table.

It’s turned out to be yet another transformational experience – for us all in different ways – and as before (and in the intervening weeks since Knoydart) there are lots of similar and parallel themes and metaphors arising. About a sense of place, and what does that mean; to the tensions between us imposing ourselves on the land and the land imposing on us; on tumult versus serenity and calm. That last one has come from the amazingly powerful river – The Tilt – which is flowing alongside us. It’s this incredible mass of energy and power, in full spate and the sound of it is almost like white noise. In places it seems to bubble up, rather than flow, and we’ve all been drawn to it in different ways.

This sense of the wilderness as metaphor, and it offering us the place and space to reflect, is now so much clearer for me, and I’m very open and receptive to it. It’s been around as a tool or voice forever of course, in poetry, books, film and song, but I suppose the danger is this becomes both self-indulgent and romanticised. That has been offered a sharp contrast by the signs around us of economic activity and the reality of living, surviving, here.

The thing that epitomised that for me was when I was out on one of the activities, and came across these two beautiful white ponies – by all accounts they are bred in this area. I could see that their coats were kind of dirty and matted at the sides, but just thought it was mud and rain. But talking later, I was told it was the stains from the blood of stags, which are shot, and then the ponies used to transport their carcasses down the hillside. My instinctive reaction was just horror, on a whole range of different levels, but the argument is that it is better to use the ponies than some 4×4 or moto-cross type vehicle, which churns up the land etc. I find that so hard – just because it’s sustainable, does it mean it’s right?

Natural Change Genesis

I’ve been running outdoor courses based on the same approach as the Natural Change Project for over 12 years now. First in New Zealand where I developed the original programme as an outdoor leadership course, while working at ‘OPC’, New Zealand’s National Outdoor Training Centre, and then as a freelance facilitator working in Europe, mostly in Scotland.

The approach evolved quite naturally out of my experiences of working with a diversity of groups outdoors. I simply noticed that ‘something happens’, as the Scottish conservationist and father of the global national park movement, John Muir, said. I focussed on that ‘something’ and intentional tried to work with it. My belief - based on my own experiences rock climbing, mountaineering and sea kayaking - was that experiences of wild places had the power to transform the way we think, feel and act towards the environment, other people, and towards ourselves. For me that belief has now been tested and proven.

About four years ago, I realised that this type of ‘outdoor education for sustainability’, as it became, was actually more about healing than education. I like the definition of healing as ‘becoming whole’. Something to do with becoming complete, authentic and conscious of our place in the web of life. At this time I met Mary-Jayne Rust, a Jungian Analyst based in London, and we started developing and running ‘Ecotherapy’ courses together. This proved to be a rich and extraordinary process that has led to the techniques and processes that I am now using in my role as facilitator of the Natural Change Project.