Transition Edge - Happy Unexceptional Holidays

Published: Tue, 12/20/22

Transition Edge

Dec 2022 - Year two of the disrupted decade

Happy Unexceptional Holidays

Thank you for being a reader of Transition Edge. Please feel free to forward it to friends who you think might enjoy it too.

I’m Grant Symons. I convene Transition Edge to help us understand how we can transition to a low carbon sustainable world using leading thinking and practices.

Why just an ordinary Christmas and New year?

It isn't difficult for us humans to think, we are exceptional, and it turns out that this characteristic has bought us to where we are today, teetering on the edge of planetary limits and struggling with great economic, political and societal issues. And yet, it seems that we cannot let go of wanting to be on top, exploiting, winning, looking good and wanting more.

Exceptionalism seems to have become part of our DNA and culture here in New Zealand. We have the All Blacks, The Americas Cup - Team New Zealand, Black Ferns world cup rugby team and world class individual athletes across a wide variety of sports. And we expect them to win.

Then there is a plethora of outstanding NZ business success stories, the do anything with number 8 wire experts, and the entourage of property owners and developers becoming exceptionally rich through skill, good timing and leverage. In days gone by and in tougher economic conditions, some of these folks would have been called out as tall poppies but are now hero's in a world where it is normal for 'influencers' to broadcast exceptional stories over social media to the world. And the Government is keen to pump the innovation ecosystem with money in the hope that it produces winners, who also happen to be job creators and taxpayers, in theory at least.

Exceptionalism itself is the belief or attitude that we as individuals, a group or a race are exceptional or extraordinary in some way. It often involves the idea that we are superior to others, nature and our fellow species and that we should be treated differently or given special privileges or rights because of this perceived superiority. At what price does this come, given the evidence of our current predicament? And, how exceptional do we need to be we wonder?

The opposite of exceptionalism is the belief that a person or group is ordinary or average and does not deserve special treatment or privileges. This attitude is often characterized by a lack of exceptional qualities or abilities, and a focus on the average or typical rather than the exceptional or extraordinary. The kind of person that doesn't need to win, be on top, in control or 'cashing in' at the expense of nature or others. The type who cares about the future and the whole system.

A Christmas that is modest, simple, ordinary and avoiding the hype, consumption and sense that we are missing out on something, somewhere, is probably what most of us will be doing anyway. Being content with ordinary family gatherings, in the company of good friends, time honored simple traditions and doing nothing much at all... sounds great!

And looking forward to 2023, we invite you to consider that putting off the phone or car upgrade might be worthwhile?... getting another season out of the wardrobe, bike, or taking a rain check on the number of flights we plan to take in the coming year - perhaps it could be zero?

With inflation on the rise and some choppy economic waters ahead, being more frugal, humble, and okay with the ordinary might just help us, those close to us... and the planet for the long run.

A colleague of mine recently reminded me of his grandma who used to reuse Christmas cards and the envelops they came in, which was common practice in times gone by.

Thank you for your readership through 2022, we trust that you have continued to enjoy the Edge, and that we may have helped you see and think about the transition in ways that make a difference for you and those you care about.

THQ has some exciting opportunities on the horizon for 2023, we look forward to sharing these in due course.

This week's quote

“Those who speak without modesty will find it difficult to make their words good”

- Confucious

And some highlights for the year, holiday reading:

Most read article 'The times they are a changin'
Real Transition Leader for 2022 - Louise Peat - Hamilton City
Real Transition Ambassadors Community established. Evolving the practices for the Real Transition.
A popular Edge article from the archive - The Adaptive Cycle

Grant Symons - Your Modest Transition Guy

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