Resources

I have been distracted this week by the events in Washington, to say nothing about what is happening in London, on the Texas border, in Indonesia and North Carolina, and everywhere in between. These events challenge a set of fundamental beliefs I hold. I learned them from my parents, read them in classics of Western philosophy, observed them in communities of my youth, and vote to uphold them whenever the polls are open. The principles seem a bit naïve today, but they form the core of my relationship with personal, social, and political reality. I will be more specific.

I was recently thinking about Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If”, particularly the lines: “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you”

. . . Or what I learned about my role in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives from a baby

In Human Systems Dynamics Institute, we say, “Nothing is intractable.” We chose that bold statement to express our belief that you can always find an option for action, no matter how difficult the challenge.

“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”                                                                ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

In turbulent times, many variables influence the dynamics of human systems. Today, in Ukraine, we are seeing complex dynamics play out in real time. Our guest blogger this week, HSD Associate Bohdan Yarema, reflects on how global dynamics influence patterns today and tomorrow in his homeland.

You facilitate when you help clarify, negotiate, and resolve differences. It can be a formal role when you are charged with leading others to negotiate system differences. On the other hand, facilitation can be informal. It happens anytime you support another person or group to see beyond their current challenge to find wise action.