New Global Change / Local Impact Series of Short, Timely Books
On Monday, May 11, I will launch the first of a collection of books in a series entitled, Global Change / Local Impact. The series looks at this time of transition that we are in to foster understanding of what is happening, and insight into how to counter fear and passivity by taking initiative to care for your local communities.
https://youtu.be/s46dQRyr9Jk
To receive the first book, All Crises Are Local: Understanding the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, for free, sign up for my Circle of Initiators newsletter by Monday, May 11.
All other books in the series will be available as Kindle downloads for a nominal charge.
The Spectacle of the Real
To recover reality is not to challenge the simulacrums of our time. But rather seek to understand the larger context in which these simulations / spectacles function.
The ancients would describe this capacity to discern reality as wisdom. While wisdom is certainly in short supply and in great demand, it is only one piece of a wider fabric of reality that is needed.
One of the results of the world of simulation and spectacle is the loss of the capacity for open, trustworthy, mutually caring relationships. Instead, we have connections with people. We have “friends” whom we’ve never met, had coffee or seen face to face.
I am convinced that the recovery of reality comes through the establishment of relationships of genuine meaning and love.
For to love another person requires a kind of reality that allows for honesty, emotional intimacy and commitment to the care and nurture of the relationship.
There is a choice we can make here. Live in the midst of the spectacle of the real or step back and try to understand how we can begin to live in ways that make a tangible difference in the way the world we live works.
A Persistent, Residual Culture for Times of Uncertainty
In times of uncertainty, we need to turn to the values and beliefs that define us. In a social environment, whether a family or a business or a community, the same is true.
Every place creates such a culture. It is often ignored by its leadership. It is an unacknowledged belief that leaders create culture. They can, but they can only do so by destroying the culture that is already there. Maybe it is necessary if that ‘persistent, residual culture’ has been corrupted and made toxic by the loss of belief in the company’s values. I’ve seen that. It is a very difficult thing to change. It is far better to go join the culture that is there and elevate it through leadership capacity building.
One of the ways that we elevate this persistent, residual culture is by creating a story that we tell ourselves. It is a story that reminds who we are. It is a story that helps us to say Yes to the good things and No to the wrong ones.
The Story We Tell Ourselves in Times of Uncertainty – A Webinar
We are living in a time of uncertainty. How do we find ways to counter the experience of fear, anxiety, and self-doubt? We need a story that affirms who we are and reminds us of what matters to us. Our story is there for us when uncertainty seems to be at its most intense and alienating.
I’m offering a webinar to address the fear and anxiety that has grown exponentially because of the coronavirus crisis.