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“The real lesson is that under conditions of true complexity - where the knowledge required exceeds that of any individual and unpredictability reigns - efforts to dictate every step from the centre will fail. People need room to act and adapt. Yet they cannot succeed as isolated individuals, either - that is anarchy. Instead, they require a seemingly contradictory mix of freedom and expectation - expectation to coordinate, for example, and also to measure progress toward common goals,” writes Atul Gawande in his book The Checklist Manifesto. He illustrates this on examples of building high rises and on hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
The book has been sitting on my shelf for several years, since my daughter left it there. I do not know why my hand reached for it a couple of weeks ago. Why am I reading this book, I was wondering? Until I read the chapter about the hurricane. Then it all clicked: We are living a complex situation just now. A global one. Our knowledge base about the virus multiplies every day. No one has a ready made solution or a framework they could implement. There is no one who would have all the expertise and information to come up with an effective plan with guaranteed results. There is a lot of disruption, forced change, loss and grief. And we also want this time to be the time for growth. We have seen mutual aid groups grow, we see other supporting activities spring up, a lot of creativity online. Right now, every voice needs to be heard. As the Deep Democracy Forum, we want to continue creating space for that, getting people talking, building connections and supporting each other's ideas. That is our way of building back better. Many things started because people started chatting over a coffee or randomly on a train. We all are parts of networks and we are contributing to many projects and activities - and we might not even realize it. We want to see what can happen when people start talking to each other and sharing dreams for the future after the pandemic. Which seeds will take on. Now there is space for grass to take roots. Can you hear it growing? And just to remind ourselves - we are not the only ones doing this. People all over the world are responding to current changes and challenges, getting together and sharing their experiences and dreams. In the olden days, people gathered around a fire. Now, we come together on zoom. Coming together is the first step. The next one will follow from there. No one has a map. It is a path made by walking.
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 Thursday 17 Sept 2020, 6 - 7:30pm on zoom. It can get tricky to hold onto our big dreams when there is so much pain, inequality and structural discrimination in the world. We can easily start feeling small and hopeless, or judge ourselves for not contributing enough - but doesn’t this make us complicit with the status quo? Participants in the previous conversation found support in sharing the space, the dreams, the angst, in reminding each other that even though the dream seems big you can always take one next step. Noticing tiny things, managing your energy, together with focus and quiet determination will make the difference on the path. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the first series of facilitated conversations about the post pandemic future, we are even more aware of the importance of this space. It is vital that we talk together about our future and how we envisage it. The present is rife with painful and urgent issues and the past is far from healed. It is up to us to decide what we want to carry forward and what to leave behind. We are inviting you to join us in conversation to connect together and to ‘dream the future’ we want to see. If we are to create it, first we need to imagine it. We aim to bring together our experiences of these big changes in our lives and share with each other
We will be meeting Thursday 17 Sept at 6-7:30pm on zoom. Join us if you can. Registrations here. Free, donations welcome. Zoom link will be sent to registered participants closer to the time. love and hope DDF
We had a wonderful group for our pilot workshop.
Women generously shared their experiences, exploring what can support us when we feel silenced. Also, how silence and slowing down can be a powerful resource in its own way. Experiences around the Covid-19 crisis were also mentioned and explored, specifically isolation and feeling alone. Coming to the workshop was for many an act of empowerment in itself. Consciously creating a ‘time just for myself’, when it can be more natural to support and hold space for others. We started planning these workshops before the Coronavirus pandemic, and a lot has changed in the world since March 2020. As women we can often find ourselves living lives that have been outlined for us by someone else (for example, parents, partners and societal structures). We are also praised for being understanding, helpful and empathetic, often encouraged to be in a supporting role. How are we experiencing our power now, amidst constant changes? Are we all just tired? Feeling isolated? How to find a place from where we can look to the future? We have been grappling with these questions ourselves and we are curious to explore them with you. REGISTER here. |
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