Welcome to this month's edition of Gracing Change, a collection of ideas and resources curated to help you become more comfortable with the idea of shaping change. And this month, it's all about connection...
As I write today, I'm 149 days into a journey around the world, doing something I'm calling "attending to the Web of Life". For many of us, our webs of precious human connections were seriously challenged over the last few years. There are losses to grieve, additions to celebrate, and new patterns that emerged.
For me, getting comfortable with these changes requires turning my energy towards them. Bearing witness. Being present. You can read more my work of attending to the web of life in my latest blog.
Not surprisingly, this journey has invited me to reflect on how connection -- with ourselves, with each other, and with the planet -- can support us to both navigate and purposefully shape change. So for this month's edition of Gracing Change, I thought I'd share a couple of the resources on this topic that I have found inspiring, stimulating and engaging -- especially during the long hours of transit from place to place.
Why Here? Why Now?
As I love to say to my students, everything I do is both intentional and attentional. So why the discussion about connection and interdependence in this moment? I'll let the wise words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu get us started.
"We are living in an historic moment. We are each called to take part in a great transformation. Our survival as a species is threatened by global warming, economic meltdown, and an ever-increasing gap between rich and poor. Yet these threats offer an opportunity to awaken as an interconnected and beloved community."
~Archbishop Desmond Tutu
So, beloved community. With that, a few ideas for you to reflect on. I hope you enjoy.
WATCH
A Different View
I always enjoy learning from Giles Hutchins, cofounder of Biomimicry for Creative Innovation, and his TedX talk [R]evolution: Separateness to Connectedness is not to be missed. In this 15 minute talk, Giles shares how science disciplines have found more and more evidence to demonstrate our fundamental interconnectedness, and how this is leading to some monumental shifts in thinking from the grassroots, up to the greatest halls of power.
LISTEN
An Ode to Learning and Unlearning
When I think about interdependence, I'm not just thinking our human connections but also with the wider world...this beautiful planet we call home. I enjoyed this Ted Radio Hour podcast called "Everything is Connected" so much that I've listened to it a bunch of times now. At times inspiring, at times sobering, it is nevertheless an important reminder that we need to rethink how we see ourselves, and better understand how our actions (and inactions) can impact the world around us.
TAKE ACTION
A Bit of Inspiration
Early in January this year, I was invited to join a network called Coralus, which describes itself as "a global community of women and non-binary people who are working alongside each other, making real progress on the World's To-Do List." But just between you and me, that description does not do it justice. What I discovered was a network of passionate, capable and talented people who were questioning and challenging some of the fundamental assumptions behind our finance and business systems, and working to build something new that puts relationships and the well-being of all living things at the center. Being a part of Coralus is a source of daily inspiration and learning for me. If you'd like to learn more I'd be happy to invite you to our next Activation event - just reply to this email and let me know!
I hope that this episode of Gracing Change has given you something on which to pause, question, learn and/or reflect. If it has, let me know. You can reach me via email, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Until next time, may your Web of Life continue to nurture, nourish and sustain you.
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