Referred to in today's quote, Lampedusa's masterpiece was one of the finest works of twentieth century fiction. Set among an aristocratic family facing social and political changes in the wake of Garibaldi's invasion of Sicily in 1860, their struggle may epitomize the Transition we are
in.
The chasm between the BAU trajectory and the Real Transition is vast, and the pathways, motivations and practices to travel are different. The discerning reader might contemplate that this fact has significant implications for:
- the definition of our 'intent' - how will we be living in 20 years and what will we be able to say to our children or grandchildren?
- our values - what is valued on each pathway is different, what new line did we redraw in 2022 and how hard did we hold that principle?
- the wellbeing of nature - how aligned are we with the natural world and each-other and providing for future generations?
Our advice is, work on becoming very clear about which path you choose and the goals that evolve from that choice. Trying to chop and change in future is likely to pull you out of alignment, violate your values and leave your intentions unfulfilled. You may also be harming the health of the planet, your own health and that of future generations.
Do you want to be a citizen for the future, for a better world?, if so you may need to reassess your priorities and values so that they align with the work of the Real Transition.
Here are some contextual factors and questions that may help with your deliberation.
Landscape = Unprecedented Transition
The world is in an unprecedented transition - obvious isn't it? But, how often do we shoot for safe goals that fit within the known paradigm? It is much easier to follow the crowd, follow the money, follow the path of least resistance and risk. But, why not choose to go outside of your comfort zone, learn what the emerging opportunities are and position for them?
Shifting sands = Challenging our Values
As the Transition unfolds we (and others close to us) might experience:
- confusion,
- challenge to norms of success,respect, popularity, profession
- relevance threatened,
- loyalties changing,
- perspectives out of favor,
- people changing or changing behavior,
- new rules emerging.
While these things might shake us and those around us to the core, why not anticipate this and work out ways to evolve in line with the changing landscape and the changes we are making within ourselves.
Big change = Broad enough intention?
Uncertainty is on the rise. This means what we are aiming for may need to change too. Does our goal setting contemplate this? If it doesn't, we may find ourselves in a fight we can never win. Are we comfortable with changing time frames or pivoting or re-evaluating at a moments notice?
Everything in Transition = Individual and Collective
One of the hardest truths to face is that we need to change ourselves. How many of us would start the goal list with:
- Forget most of what I know...?
Unless we are continuously unlearning, learning, re-framing, reassessing, adjusting, then we risk becoming a dinosaur. (We have an article scheduled for 2022 about New Zealand dinosaurs, you might want to keep an eye out for, it features Fonterrasaur, MBIESAUR and a host of other ailing species no longer suited to the environment)
Summing up
We are living in a critical time. The next few years will see the unfolding of new opportunities and risks which we can learn to live with or become a victim of. The key is learning, adapting and evolving within the new rules of the game, which are:
- Living in alignment with nature
- Radically reducing emissions and energy/resource consumption
- Normalising regenerative practices
We need to do the work, not just talk about it. We hope you join us on this journey as a Real Transition Leader. We all have a role to play - Youth, Leaders, Rangatira, Directors, Managers, Innovators, Kaumatua, Academics, Retired, Citizens for the future...we can all help. Business as usual is easy, Real Transition is challenging, but it is what our future generations need us to do.
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The Real Transition Leaders course provides a foundation for creating your own learning pathway, goals and objectives for the Transition, within an evolving and vibrant community - You can find out here, we look forward to hearing from you.
This weeks quote
“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.”
- Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa - The Leopard
All the best for 2022
Grant Symons - The Transition Guy
