Towards WE & BEYOND - Impressions from a shared journey Part III
Here we are again… a week later! It is not that nothing has happened but somehow taking the time ….
And on that note… a few words about TIME!
What is time? How does it rule our life? Who is in control of it? Why is it so important (and since when?!)?
Are you aware of the difference between Kairos and Chronos as time concepts? We will come back to it later as it is very relevant to living well in our crazy, crowded world ;-). Others too have recognised the importance of a differentiated understanding of time, e.g.:
1. A contribution to The Future of Innovation by Joe Doering
2. Haire Brain Tortoise Mind by Gay Claxton
3. The RSA Animate video by Philip Zimbardo on The Secret Powers of Time
Time to come back to our journey: an amazing journey! To experience two minds flowing together, with different currents and pathways yet pulled by the same desire: to understand, explore, shape, what it might take to help us - and others - understand what it takes to find pathways towards a sustainable future as defined in the Brundtland report:
"Sustainable development is not a fixed state of harmony but rather a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs."
Where are we now, as humanity, as society, as indivduals? Which are the real problems and challenges (that lie in the opportunity of having a sustainable future)? What and whose inputs do we need? Who can contribute? What tools do we already have, which ones do we need to develop? Which new skills (and mindsets!) are required? In short, what needs to CHANGE?
Our third realisation: To achieve fundamental change, like the transition towards sustainable development, is highly complex and requires a deep understanding of time in its multiple dimensions.
What brought us here? Many conversations, a lot of space and a fair amount of incubation time - just letting things be for a while.
What unfolded is the following:
The first step we shaped a shared understanding of what the aim of our book would be by exploring our individual views and expectations, allowing thoughts to manifest without limitations. We ended up with realms of puzzle pieces (read: Post It notes…) that created a complicated picture. While looking for sensible order what seemed (merely) complicated became complex. Complex in the sense that it cannot be taken apart, manipulated, and put together again but has to be embraced and understood as a whole. The picture gives a first impression …
It is this session that gave the blog its title, and the understanding that a book alone will not be enough!
