This week marked the 30th anniversary of Nelson Mandela being released from 27 years of incarceration for his political convictions as a freedom fighter. I was entering my final year of high school in Port Elizabeth, South Africa at the time and preparing for the transition to a university which would previously have been inaccessible to me as a Black South African had Apartheid not begun to be dismantled.
What were the skills, awareness and practices Mandela cultivated in order to successfully dismantle the status quo of the Apartheid system, and navigate extreme uncertainty? Amongst his many gifts, his warmth and capacity to build and nurture relationships are qualities which struck everyone who met him.
When creating Thinking Environments® in communities and workplaces we remember that the quality of our actions and results is profoundly impacted by the quality of our relationships. At this time of extreme uncertainty and transition how can we hone our capacity to work well together, to seek and hold diverse perspectives, and to ignite breakthrough thinking and action to make the leap from where we currently are to where we want to be?
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.”
Rūmī
Just as February 1990 marked a profound shift in our political landscape and liberation consciousness, might the summer of 2020 hold the potential for ushering in liberating alternatives to our current destructive trajectory? As we transition into our new decade heralded by extreme disruption in our weather, political systems and public health what are the core beliefs, values and intentions we too are prepared to stand up for, in our workplaces and communities? What does your inner freedom fighter want to give attention to, with fierce love, at this time? Who will you choose as partners in this work of ushering in new stories at an individual and systemic level, while navigating uncertainty?