"Certain things in life are better done in person." In this day and age of endless technology things are seldom done in person or even over the phone. Something as simple as visiting an individual and sharing their idea & time & space can change the outcome of a situation. In order to do this a few simple steps are to be followed:
1. Imagine that people are an invitation for enrollment.
2. Stand ready to participate, willing to be moved & inspired.
3. Offer that which lights you up.
4. Have no doubt that others are eager to catch the spark.
Vander followed these steps and changed the lives of students that society had "thrown away" & labeled as failures. Just taking interest in someone else's fate has a ripple effect. They appreciate it. But it has to be done genuinely and you have to trust that they will respond & partner will you in it. Also at times we have to learn not to point the finger at others but to accept what our role may have been in the situation. Become the board rather than just a player on it. After lighting the spark & seeing our role we must set peraminters for possibility to happen. This can be done through:
1. Make a new distinction in the realm of possibility: one that is a powerful substitute for the current framework of meaning that is generating the downward spiral.
2. Enter the territory. Embody the new distinction in such a way that it becomes the framework for life around you.
3. Keep distinguishing what is "on the track" and what is "off the track" of your framework for possibility.
Lastly, we must see both sides of history and tell the story of "WE". Instead of focusing on one side or the other being right or wrong, see the possibilities on both sides.
1. Tell the WE story- the story of the unseen threads that connect us all, the story of possibility.
2. Listen and look for the emerging entity.
3.Ask: "What do WE want to happen here?"
"What is best for US?" - all of each of us, and all of all of us.
"What is OUR next step?"
If only more people in history and now had read this book, our society would be ran so much different. People would not give up as easily but they would also see past the present situation of a person and see what that person or object could become.
Sharol,
ReplyDeleteI think this book should be a requirement for high school student before graduating. We need to teach tomorrows leaders how to think more positively. Not only do they need to read it, but have a project to show how they are implementing this positivity into their daily life. Our world would be a much better place.
Sharol,
ReplyDeleteI love your sentence "...at times we have to learn not to point the finger at others but to accept what our role may have been in the situation". That's what we all learn to do since we are children: to blame someone else instead of looking into our hearts and take responsibility for our mistakes. As teachers, we are usually the guilty ones, and parents seem to support their children instead of correcting them.
I agree that people do appreciate taking interest in other's fate and it does create a ripple effect. I think this is what we do as teachers. I hope that each year we reach at least one child (and hopefully more), and that creates that "ripple" that changes something for that more positive change for them and for the future.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your take on this week’s reading. I can see how you are looking at this book through a world history lens. (That’s awesome!) Can you imagine if two opposing nations were able to embrace the story of “WE”? If we refuse to stop and look at the common threads that connect us all, of course we will have conflict and strife. It would be interesting to glance through world history and think up any examples where two nations or people groups actually did embrace a “WE” mentality. It certainly is a rarity.
ReplyDeleteexcellent observations. funny the importance of being present and what that means. one frustration that i have is that virtual communication doesn't have to be impersonal or passive and can be much more "present" than most of us attempt. I hope we have a virtual platform in the near future that allows for all participants to be onscreen whether they are sharing or silently listening.... :-)
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