 'Poverty is the worst form of violence.' (Mahatma Gandhi) I watched an inspiring interview with Cameroonian singer-songwriter, Irma, on France 24 this evening. When faced with huge wealth alongside dire poverty, when confronted daily by perplexing injustice, she found herself as a child asking, ‘Why? Why? Why?’ The response from adults was, all too often, ‘That’s the way it is.’ Their passivity and resignation infuriated her and, aged 12, she wrote her first song as an angry letter to the adults. She’s now an international star. Irma's challenge poses deep questions for us today. Do we simply accept things as they are, as, ‘the way it is’? Have we too easily surrendered our own agency in the face of appalling poverty, vulnerability and injustice? Pray. Speak. Act. We can be hope.
4 Comments
 ‘The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.’ (Confucius) We may, at times, find ourselves stuck, unable to see a way forward, confined by the walls of the ways in which we are construing a situation – and very often completely unaware that that’s what’s happening. This is where various reflective disciplines such as coaching, action learning, spiritual direction and supervision can help. They can enable us to find or create a key that releases us to explore new perspectives, ideas, options and actions for change. Gareth Morgan observed astutely that ‘People have a knack for getting trapped in webs of their own creation.’ It’s a paradox. The mental models we hold of reality and truth can provide us with a subjective and cultural sense of clarity and coherence – things that enable us to function in our day-to-day lives without getting overwhelmed by the complexities of life in this world and at work – yet often they hide as much as they reveal. The map is not the territory. A first step can be, therefore, to enable critical reflexivity – to notice that we’re applying filters and, furthermore, what may lay behind that for us. It’s a bit like looking in a mirror: ‘What does the way in which I’m thinking, feeling about and responding to this person, relationship or situation say about me?’ This could be broadened to ‘…and about my cultural background and context?’ Then, as a consequence, ‘What’s (therefore) my own part in what I’m experiencing?’ A next step can be to shift towards vision and options, thinking the unthinkable and snapping mental chains. It inspires and draws on the power of imagination, for instance: ‘What would be a great outcome for me (or, by extension, my team, organisation, beneficiaries or clients)?’ ‘What would it take to get there?’ ‘What would I be willing to do to achieve this?’ This is where we may encounter resistance, a push-back that surfaces and exposes what lays beneath. A third step could be, therefore, to explore the foundations and edges – to touch and feel the walls, if you like. Questions at this stage could include, for instance: ‘What assumptions am I making?’ ‘Where am I drawing the lines on what I believe is possible?’ ‘What are my greatest hopes and fears in this?’ ‘What values is this triggering for me’ ‘It can feel like stretching the boundaries of our current realities, testing the limits, opening cracks wider to let light in. A final stage is to move towards solutions and actions. It enables a sense of agency, of traction, and taps deeply into motivation and determination. It’s where the focus shifts from reflection on a situation to a choice to do something to address it. Questions here could be, for instance: ‘What would make the cost-investment worthwhile?’ ‘Who and what resources can I draw on to help me achieve this?’ ‘How will I follow through on this?’ ‘What’s my next step?’  ‘All the things one has forgotten scream for help in dreams.’ (Elias Canetti) The first dream. I was back at the university where I studied. In reality, I left there almost 35 years ago but it felt vivid, as if now. I stood alone in a long, empty corridor. I became suddenly aware of a whole array of research assignments that I was supposed to have done yet hadn’t. I felt confused and perturbed. And then I woke up. After a few minutes, I fell back to sleep again. The second dream. I was back with a previous employer. In reality, I left there 7 years ago yet it too was vivid, as if now. I was on the top floor of the building and suddenly aware that I had never visited any of the other floors or met any of the people who worked there. As Head of OD, I felt confused and embarrassed. Then I woke up. After a few minutes, I fell back to sleep again. The third dream. It was Christmas Day at my parents’ house. We were preparing for extended family visitors to arrive when I became suddenly aware that, for some reason, I hadn’t bought any Christmas presents for my daughters. I felt confused and disconcerted that something so important had slipped my mind. Then I woke up. This time, I turned on the light and got up. Freudian analysts would have a field day trying to interpret the meaning of these dreams, as if each dimension holds symbolic representational value. I’m drawn to a more recent, alternative approach that pays attention to the underlying emotion in the dream state; in this case, an overwhelming daunted feeling, and what I was saying to myself: ‘How could I have missed this?’ It moves me on to consider: What are my dreams trying to wake me up to notice? Where am I carrying this same feeling in my day-to-day life and relationships now? What (or who) in my here-and-now life am I not-noticing, avoiding or suppressing, yet is calling for attention and expression? What actions do I need to take now, to avoid a ‘How could I have missed this?’ in the future?  ‘Great coaches help you see what you can be, not just what you are.’ (Ara Parseghian) There are all kinds of legitimate reasons why people engage in commercial business activities. For many, it's to create dividends on investments for shareholders or to generate funds to improve one’s own social status, lifestyle and opportunities. There are also those who seek to generate profit through business with the explicit purpose of enabling social change. This is quite different to charitable ventures or conventional public sector (that is, not-for-profit) services, even though the desired outcomes may well be similar. Same ends, different means. My own coach challenged me on this recently – and rightly so. I commented glibly in a session that, quite frankly, through my work, I had no interest in helping the rich to get richer. There are other people in my professional field who would be better suited and more aligned values-wise to that goal than me. I explained that I work with people and organisations that are beyond-profit, that exist to enable social and spiritual change, particularly in the lives of those who are poorest and most vulnerable in the world. That seemed, to me, quite different to business. My coach pushed back: ‘What about a business that exists for a social-spiritual purpose?’ That stopped me in my tracks and I was keen to explore it. It got me thinking about profit-for-purpose and social enterprise; concepts and models that are, ironically, characteristics of my own work too and yet had lain largely outside of my awareness. It inspired me to stretch my horizons and extend the reach of my work, to support social entrepreneurs who share a radical vision. I, too, experienced afresh the power of coaching to remove blinkers from the eyes.  ‘The first essential component of social justice is adequate food for all people.’ (Norman Borlaug) For long enough, we had an excuse. We couldn’t see the world, except through black and white pictures in newspapers or, for those with sufficient wealth or other means, by international travel. With the arrival of the internet, however, that distant world has come to us. We can now see the poor directly, if we are willing to see, and if we can resist closing our eyes for just long enough to catch a true glimpse. The images on screen can leave us shocked, cold or confused. A temptation is to withdraw, to shift our gaze and attention elsewhere, or to find and create ways to justify how things are and, in doing that, to attempt to absolve ourselves too. If we look for too long, we may start to look critically at our own world and view our own lives differently, and that can feel deeply unsettling, unnerving and anxiety-provoking. Easier, perhaps, to tell ourselves something like this: ‘The poor are happy.’ ‘They don’t know any different.’ ‘They wouldn’t like it here.’ ‘Poverty is not having any money to worry about!’ We can try to justify ourselves too: ‘They’re poor because they don’t work as hard as we do.’ ‘I’m not rich. My wealth and lifestyle are normal in this country.’ Or the most cynical rationalisation of all: ‘Jesus said the poor will always be with you.’ In UK history, in rural communities, a successful harvest – or not – meant quite literally the difference between life and death. Yet there are still so many in the world who live on that sharp edge. Climate change with resulting drought or floods is forcing people into abject poverty or to flee. War and conflict are doing the same. People in such situations need help. We can change our own priorities and do something. We can pray in the spirit of Jesus who said, whatever you do for the poor, 'you do for me.’ We can advocate on behalf of the vulnerable, e.g. write to your MP. We can provide relief for those who are destitute; e.g. give to a disaster appeal. We can support development efforts to build sustainable livelihoods; e.g. join or support an international charity. We can help address economic justice, e.g. buy Fair Trade. 'Live simply, so that others can simply live.’ (Mahatma Gandhi)  ‘The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.’ (Mark Van Doren) In Germany this week, I watched a teacher in one the country’s Deutscher Schulpreis 2024 winning schools talk about the school’s fundamental teaching philosophy and practice. She described the relationship between teachers and students as one of coactive partnership, in which teachers play less of a role as traditional knowledge-sharers and more of a role as learning facilitators. This shift in role is reflective of, for instance, contemporary advances in learning technologies by which students can often find answers for themselves, if they know what questions to ask and, thereby, what to look for. The teacher takes more of a back seat than we might normally expect, coming alongside students with prompts, like a learning coach, only when needed. It reminded me of a similar philosophy and practice at a Montessori school in Germany where I volunteered last year, observing the approaches to learning adopted by teachers and students. Again, it was coactive and highly participative, although less rooted in e-technology and more in broader forms of experience, often involving practical, physical tasks that students worked on together. The teacher, similarly, acted as facilitator and learning coach, setting the stage for a learning topic and task rather than taking a more directive role in guiding students through it. It’s a catalytic approach that challenges conventional ideas of the role of the teacher in relation to students, the students in relation to the teacher and the students in relation to one-another. Such approaches blur the boundaries between what we might normally consider as andragogy (adult learning) and pedagogy (childhood learning); especially given their shared emphasis on self-directed learning. They prepare young people for transition into roles in wider life, jobs and organisations by encouraging and developing, for instance: initiative and ownership, research skills, critical-thinking skills, problem-solving skills and team-working skills. They call, too, for teachers to take a conscious stance and use similar skills to those normally associated with coaches and facilitators. They call for wisdom and discernment in choosing together when to be directive (tell), when to be non-directive (coach/facilitate) and when positively to withdraw. (World Teachers' Day is 5 October 2024)  ‘I touch the future. I teach.’ (Christa McAuliffe) My Mum was a school teacher and, as a teenager, I remember seeing and hearing glimpses of the joys and pains of her work at that time. A lot has changed in the world since then, not least in terms of technology and its impact on learning and teaching methods and content; and of profound ideological shifts that shape students’ sense of what is real, true and important. Add on top of this shifting social demographics; shortage and attrition of qualified and experienced educators; stresses of state evaluation; and the result: overworked and undervalued teachers. This is part of the backdrop against which we recognise teachers throughout the world this week. The opportunities and challenges of technological advances alone are moving so fast that it’s hard for the teaching professions to keep up. Examples: a shift away from teaching content (which students can often find faster online than teachers can share) to teaching research skills – how to find what you need; how to discern what is real and true; and to social skills – how to build and sustain healthy relationships; what kind of spiritual-relational values and behaviours are ethically-appropriate for global citizenship? With the growth of AI, how can teachers know which work is authentic, or not? And robotics: how could it enhance or replace some teaching roles and tasks? The complexities of wider social-political issues and dynamics can leave teachers feeling bewildered, disempowered and exhausted. Examples: how to walk the tense tightrope between freedom of expression and freedom from harm, where personal and social stakes are so high; how to enable student critical thinking whilst, at the same time, living amidst resounding social media echo chambers and being required to advocate prevailing cultural views of what is right and true; how to embrace and capitalise on the benefits of diversity, such as increased creativity and innovation, whilst minimising corresponding risks of polarisation, conflict and injustice? Teachers everywhere need our encouragement and support. Teachers of the world – I salute you! (World Teachers’ Day is 5 October 2024)  ‘True compassion means not only feeling another's pain but also being moved to help relieve it.’ (Daniel Goleman) The elderly woman felt scared as she entered the care home. She has dementia and the change in surroundings left her feeling anxious and confused. That first evening in her new room, she wanted to lay down to sleep but she stood in silence, frozen in fear. Seeing her reaction, her care worker took her by the hand, led her gently to the bed and laid down beside her. In doing so, she modelled extraordinary empathy and compassion, stretched the boundaries of professional practice and, in doing so, enabled this woman to rest and relax. She felt safer now, not alone. I felt astonished as I heard this story from a good friend in Germany last night. I tried to imagine the scene and, in doing so, I felt quite tearful. It made me reflect on the deep, healing power of touch and of being-with, especially perhaps when working with people with dementia and other cognitive, emotional or relational challenges. Yes, we do need to take safeguarding concerns seriously. Yes, we do need to consider the needs and preferences of different individuals, cultures and circumstances too. Yet how to retain the human in the midst of formal roles and rules..?  ‘People’s indifference is the best breeding ground for corruption to grow.’ (Delia Ferreira – Transparency International) The UK Labour Party leadership team has found itself embroiled in controversy this week over accepting freebies from rich donors. Some people feel incensed that those in national Government positions of power, privilege and wealth are willing to accept 'perks of the job' in the form of such gifts, when so many others in the UK are struggling financially to make ends meet. Some supporters feel dismayed that their trusted representatives could make such naïve errors of judgement. At a deeper level lays the real risk of insidious corruption – the same serious risk that dogged the previous UK Government too. If I’m in a position of political power and influence and I accept a gift from you, a rich donor, will it sway my political stance, advocacy and decisions? If I accept a gift from you, will I feel obliged to promote and safeguard your interests? Will this give the rich and powerful undemocratic access and influence over strategy and policy through the back door? I wrote recently about challenges in places like the Philippines, where endemic corruption has gained a foothold and saps the life out of people and society. A case in point is a grassroots entrepreneur I spoke with this week who faces obstacle after obstacle from bureaucratic authorities – unless willing to pay a ‘service fee’ (that is, a bribe) to get a permit to which she's already entitled. We do well to take heed. Once corruption gets a stranglehold, it’s almost impossible to release it.  ‘Offering reassurance may actually reduce a person’s willingness and ability to take on responsibility for managing their own situation.’ (Tamar Pincus & Lance McCracken) I trained a group of health professionals in nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and forensic roles in Action Learning facilitation this week. One thing that struck me was their genuine concern for one-another’s wellbeing, especially against a backdrop of complex systemic issues and relentless work pressures in the UK National Health Service. The group was keen to learn and implement Action Learning as a means by which to enable and sustain holistic and healthy reflective practice for students and staff in that context. Their deep sense of pastoral concern for each other became evident time and again during Action Learning practice rounds, as presenters (that is, issue-holders) shared the specific challenges they are working to address. I noticed peers often and immediately offered reassurance as an expression of human compassion and care. I shared this observation with the group so that we could explore it critically in terms of boundaries in Action Learning between, say (a) empathy and rescue and (b) challenge and support. The group reflected on these questions, especially in terms of how, in the absence of broader structural-systemic mechanisms for support, holding one-another emotionally sometimes feels like the only means by which to survive and perform effectively in their environment. And yet, in Action Learning, an instinct to (over)protect or save peers from stresses and strains could inadvertently leave them lacking in personal agency, denied the opportunity to stretch through challenge or even feeling unheard or patronised. I flashed back to once running coach training for National Health Service leaders. During a practice session, a person burst into tears. Her peer, the practising coach, looked uncomfortable and said, ‘I can see you're upset. Let's stop there.’ Curious, I intervened and asked the woman, ‘Is there anything you need?’ ‘Yes,' she replied, 'I want to continue. If we were to stop now, I’d feel so humiliated.’ In Action Learning, like in coaching, a starting assumption is that people are resilient enough to do it, unless it turns out they aren’t. |
Nick WrightI'm a psychological coach, trainer and OD consultant. Curious to discover how can I help you? Get in touch! 
Like what you read? Simply enter your email address below to receive regular blog updates!
|
RSS Feed