The following was originally posted over at interaction institute.org by Miriam Messinger
We can ”contribute to the degradation of human capacity or we can take a stand”.
That was the bold call of Meg Wheatley this month when she presented on being a
“Warrior for the Human Spirit” on her webinar for our friends at System Thinking in
Action (STIA).
Meg presented four things that interfere with our deep connection and our ability to
be warriors for humanity:
- Burgeoning bureaucracy
- Austerity measures and mentality
- Distraction
- Time compression.
Time compression: The ways in which we squeeze ever more—more tasks, goals,
emails, news sources—into the same amount of time that has always been available
to us.
I’ve found the notion of “time compression” particularly compelling over the last
two weeks. Time compression includes things like: acting like we can do more and
more within the same amount of time, delivering content in shorter and shorter
periods, and cutting out time for building trust, connection or creative ideas in
organizations and networks. We do this, despite science telling us that multi-tasking
does not lead to better products and results. We do this despite the knowledge and
experience that building trust, as several of my colleagues have written about, is in
fact a critical piece of effective social change work.
As I sat to write about this theme, I was not able to connect with myself or my
creativity.
Then last Thursday I had the gift of space and time. I turned off electronics for
thirty eight hours and ideas emerged. I turned off because it was my tradition on
the Jewish New Years to do so. And I did it even during a week when the to dos felt
extra long—my regular work joined by the need to attend with more focus to an
organization in an important change moment.
So at this least convenient moment, I turned off, choosing to be less distracted and to
do less. Some of the tightness I felt when trying to squeeze in more eased. And this is
from someone who is a squeezer extraordinaire, always working to maintain extra
space stay in good relationship, even when squeezing. And yet, there is a limit.
Work paused and not only was everything fine, I was better for the pause.
What do I do in the pause?
I attend to myself and see what attention and healing is needed to be
effective externally.
I connect with myself, and my life purpose.
I connect with others.
I relish the moments with colleagues reaching out to offer support or help.
I see more clearly and remember that feeling harried or angry or judgmental
do not serve my life or my work.
I can hear what I am being called to be and do.
Meg’s words and my Rosh Hashana practice allowed me to challenge my personal
and the US proclivity for time compression and distractedness. I remember that
pauses serve me and my work well and that I have daily opportunities for pauses:
riding my bike to work; enjoying rather than feeling frustrated by the red light;
breathing, stretching or walking during the work day; chatting with a colleague
when I let in the warmth and love rather than rushing to my next moment.
For the moment, I remember that my task list is not my purpose. For the moment, I
commit to pausing more and asking for help. For the moment, I commit to saying no
to myself and others more often so that the goals are bold but realistic and that we
can collectively focus on what is most important at work, at home and in the world.
How do you pause and do you need to do so more? What might we find as
individuals or groups if we paused and heard more clearly what was calling us?
