Who Do We Choose To Be?

Margaret Wheatley
409 words, 31K views, 10 comments

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Cine alegem să fim
– de Margaret Wheatley

Cel puternic întotdeauna îşi apără situația socială deoarece aceasta este sursa puterii şi privilegilor lor. Orice schimbare care beneficiază celorlalți ar duce la distrugerea poziției lor. Iar poziția este tot ce le pasă să-şi apere.

Ca activist, pe tot parcursul vieții mele am țintit scimbarea guvernării în sisteme mari, însă precum cineva încă aflat în interiorul acestor sisteme mari, în rol de consultant, consilier şi prieten, am realizat în urmă cu câțiva ani că este imposibilă o schimbare pe scară largă. Liderii se agățau de guvernare, reacționând prea mult la crize în loc să gândească sistemic, tratând oamenii ca "unități", mai degrabă decât ca oameni. Totuși, m-am întâlnit și am lucrat și cu lideri extraordinari care creau insule de bun simț unde se făceau încă lucruri bune şi unde oamenii se bucurau de relații sănătoase în mijlocul dezordinii, opunerii feroce, înfrângeri disperate, lipsei de support, izolare, singurătate și defăimare. Am fost împreună cu ei în circumstanțe care i-au facut pe unii lideri să renunțe și să abandoneze, și totuși alții au continuat să meargă înainte. [...]

In urmă cu câțiva ani, în fața problemelor globale ireversibile și devolutia guvernării, am inceput să atac pe fiecare lider pe care l-am intâlnit cu aceste intrebări : Cine alegeți să fiți de data asta? Sunteți dispus să folosiți orice putere și influență de care dispuneți pentru a crea insule de bun simț care trezesc și se sprijină pe cele mai bune calități umane ale noastre de a creea, produce și persevera ?

Acum vă întreb pe Dumneavoastră.

Semnificația întrebărilor pentru reflecție: Cum te raportezi la noțiunea că schimbările pe scară largă sunt imposibile?
Poti să împărtăşeşti o istorie personal despre o guvernare remarcabilă care a dus la crearea unei insule de bun simț?
Ce te ajută pe tine să te determine să îți creezi insula ta de bun simț?

Excerpted from Margaret Wheatley's book Who do we choose to be?

SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to the notion that large-scale change is not possible? Can you share a personal story of extraordinary leadership that helped create an island of sanity? What helps you commit to creating your island of sanity?

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10 Past Reflections

On Jan 13, 2020 Janet Bartram-Thomasas wrote :

I relish the direction M.Wheatley is going - that of championing, nurturing and celebrating the human spirit. Technology, powerful and impressive though it is, has taken away our focus from the 'human' and put in its place the idealization of technology. (As I have experienced the medical world in most places, it has suffered from this too...When everything is reduced to 'charts' and computer-read questions, we have lost the kernel which is central to being human. And how can we talk about 'healing' without revering the kernel.) So many other areas of society suffer from a similar reliance on The Technical Fix. Margaret Wheatley has set us, her readers, off in a more rewarding path and I thank her for this from the bottom of my heart (which you can't measure on a computer!!( - :)

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On Sep 13, 2019 Alice Bolt wrote :

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On May 8, 2018 neela wrote :

I think change is happening every minute on a minute scale which is a part of the large scale. Because it is so slow and small that one can not see it in front of one's eyes immediately but can see it over time.
I believe When I choose to be my authentic self and act as per my inner voice I can not but create an island of "sanity" (I am also questioning what is "sanity")

1 reply: Jeffrey | Post Your Reply

On May 7, 2018 Joao Perre Viana wrote :

A powerful question...a question to repeat in morning before starting the day...everyday!
If we don´t answer for ourselves, someone will and it might not be the answer we are looking for.

1 reply: Me | Post Your Reply

On May 5, 2018 david doane wrote :

I don't agree with Ms. Wheatley that large-scale change is not possible. Anything is possible, including large-scale change, and there have been many examples of large-scale change throughout history. I've been with a few extraordinary people who were leaders by the power of their personhood and wisdom and created islands of sanity. The group of us that were part of such an island were raised to a higher level of personal and interpersonal functioning by the presence of the leader, and it was a joy to be part of the experience. What helps me commit to creating my own island of sanity is knowing it is possible, knowing I have the wisdom to do it whether it is an island of just me or of a group of people, and knowing that the primary ingredient is to be myself.

1 reply: Me | Post Your Reply

On May 3, 2018 Jagdish P Dave wrote :

There are leaders who create islands of insanity and there are leaders who create islands of sanity. I have witnessed both kinds of leaders. When leaders relate to people as human beings and not as units, they create change in the society. They deeply care for them and bring about large changes.We are blessed to have such leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa and Maria Montessori to name a few. Such leaders choose a path of serving people with courage, patience and perseverance. I participated in Free India movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. He initiated the path of non-violence against the mighty British empire He chose the path of changing the hearts of the rulers. He worked tirelessly for the wellness of all people of India, especially the poor farmers, laborers and untouchables.He inspired many leaders in many lcountries to follow the path of non-violence against social injustice and exploitation. I a... [View Full Comment]

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On May 3, 2018 rahul wrote :

A brilliant and powerful question to pose, not just to leaders. I experienced this through two conflicts that arose: one with a conventionally powerful person, and the other with a tenant in one of my rental properties who occurs for me as a problematic and nasty personality. The powerful person occurs to me as everything Margaret Wheatley describes above, which is very much in contrast with the publicly projected persona. And yet in dealing with my nasty tenant, I found all sorts of horrible and mean thoughts about her occurring in my mind. Suddenly I realized the tremendous gift that I was receiving from having this difficult tenant: she was showing me my flaws and lack of integrity. I too project a public persona of being kind, generous, and easy-going but the thoughts in my head were downright mean, selfish, and manipulative / controlling. Oh how much I need to grow! How much I am just like that powerful person who is generatin... [View Full Comment]