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September 20, 2001 Issue 17

EDITOR'S NOTE: In this time of tragedy and great loss, the Pegasus staff offers its thoughts and prayers to all who are suffering so deeply. We focus the current issue of Leverage Points on gaining perspective about the September 11 attacks and working toward systemic solutions that will lead to a better, more peaceful world.


"In light of our common tragedy, one thing was made clear to me: our shared investment in the kinds of relational practices from which more positive futures can be molded is absolutely essential. The day is filled with problem talk: 'If we could just have more security,' 'If we can just find the culprits and bring them to justice,' etc.—as if returning to the status quo will make everything okay. But in a world of enormous differences in beliefs, values, rationalities, and realities, our status quo can be hell for others. I have heard no one speak of how we might come together to create a more positive world, how common visions can be coordinated, how we can develop the kind of dialogue that would make such brutality unthinkable. Let us pull together, renew our energies, and share our vision in every direction."
—Ken Gergen, author of The Saturated Self

"The external manifestations of good and evil are relative and transmutable. They only appear absolute and immutable when the human heart is in thrall to the spell of language and abstract concepts. To the extent that we can free ourselves from this spell, we can begin to see that good contains within it evil, and evil contains within it good. Because of this, even that which is perceived as evil can be transformed into good through our reaction and response."
—Daisaku Ikeda, author of For the Sake of Peace

"We need to ask ourselves, 'What is it in the way that we are living, organizing our societies, and treating each other that makes violence seem plausible to so many people?' We in the spiritual world will see this as a growing global incapacity to recognize the spirit of God in each other—what we call the sanctity of each human being. But even if you reject religious language, you can see that the willingness of people to hurt each other to advance their own interests has become a global problem, and it's only the dramatic level of this particular attack which distinguishes it from the violence and insensitivity to each other that is part of our daily lives."
—Rabbi Michael Lerner, author of Spirit Matters


Due to the recent tragic events, we have decided to extend the special registration rate deadline for this year's Systems Thinking in Action® Conference—"Harnessing the Power of Organizational Complexity," to be held October 24-26, 2001 in Atlanta, GA—until at least October 1. Team discounts and scholarships are still available. For more information about this event or to register, go to the Conference home page or contact the Conference Department at 1-800-272-0945 or 1-802-862-0095.



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Pegasus Communications provides resources that help people explore, understand, articulate, and address the challenges they face in the complexities of a changing world. Since 1989, Pegasus has worked to build a community of practitioners through The Systems Thinker® newsletter, books, audio and videotapes, and its annual Systems Thinking in Action® Conference and other events.
 




A SYSTEMS VIEW
How Do We Go On? by Sharon Eakes
NEW PEGASUS FORUM
Drawing on the Wisdom of Our Community: A New Forum Addresses the Challenges Presented by the September 11th Attacks
LEARNING LINKS
Centering Hints by Thomas Crum
 




A SYSTEMS VIEW
How Do We Go On? by Sharon Eakes

After I heard about the World Trade Centers attack, all I wanted to do was weed my garden. I guess I wanted to put some order to that small piece of the world over which I still felt some control.

 This September 11, 2001 tragedy is big: loss of life, loss of safety, loss of innocence, maybe loss of economic security. We don't know all the losses yet. We will never be the same, individually or collectively. People at the grocery store stare straight ahead. We are dazed and numb. The unanswered questions are big: Where will this take us? Who are we now?

I am glad everything was cancelled: a meeting on "limits to growth," breakfast with a friend, a coaching luncheon. There is the urge to stay busy, and yet I feel stopped in my tracks. I listen to all the responses, "We will get to the bottom of this," and I doubt it. Leaders stay busy and talk tough to comfort themselves and us. We all hate to feel so powerless and vulnerable.

The ideas I'm hearing about what each of us can do are good (give money, give blood, pray), AND my experience with grief says that to get through it, we must stop and feel it. Stop moving and be still. And perhaps, in that stillness, ponder and then have conversations with each other about some big questions. For starters:

 • How can I individually and we as a nation support people in the world who feel powerless and vulnerable, as we do now?
• What are the mental models of our neighbors who are very different from us in this increasingly small world?
• What actions on our part might prevent an escalation of violence?
• How can we cultivate peace in our relationships?
• What can we do to promote a shared vision of the global world as a peaceful, learning community?

My sense is that the only real answer to the question "How do we go on?" is, as they say in AA, "one day at a time." Muddling through. Doing our best. Individually and together. And, hopefully, stopping long enough to heal and learn some things as we go.

 This article appeared in the free e-zine "Fresh Views," published by Sharon Eakes of Hope Unlimited (contact Sharon at sharon@hopellc.com or visit her web site at http://www.hopellc.com).
 



NEW PEGASUS FORUM
Drawing on the Wisdom of Our Community

The terrorist attacks of September 11th have powerfully affected all of our lives. In the days since, Pegasus has received numerous e-mails from friends in our worldwide community. We have been deeply touched by the emotions each has expressed and have been fortified to face the future by the compassion, empathy, and ideas the writers shared about how we can all build a better world together.

Inspired by these messages, we realize how much wisdom exists within our community. In many ways, because the community is practiced in dialogue, systems thinking, conflict management, and other powerful approaches, we have a tremendous capability to respond to the new challenges and to contribute to the development of just, lasting solutions.

To establish a space in which fruitful dialogue can take place, Pegasus has created a new forum on our web site called "Leverage points for a new world." The name, derived from the title of our e-bulletin, again expresses the belief that wise and compassionate people with the right tools can respond to any challenge and create positive change in our world.

We invite all members of our community, old and new, from all countries, to join together in the forum with both their hearts and minds to take up this most important challenge.

Deborah and Alan Slobodnik, longtime friends of Pegasus and experienced organizational change agents, have enthusiastically accepted our request to host and moderate the forum. Through their work at Options for Change, they help organizations plan interventions in human systems to change entrenched behaviors and produce more positive future results.

Deborah and Alan would like to open the discussion with the questions: "What are the structures that led to the tragedy of September 11? What, as practitioners of systems thinking, can we do to contribute to a sustained change?" To participate, go to the Pegasus forums, then look for the forum named "Leverage points for a new world."

Attendees of the Systems Thinking in Action Conference (October 24-26, 2001, in Atlanta) will be able to meet in person to further the dialogue. Details will be announced later.
 



LEARNING LINKS
Centering Hints by Thomas Crum

We have been shaken to the core. And yet...and yet...if we have the courage to be still, to feel and to listen within, we will discover that, underneath the rubble, the core remains vital. It is to this core, this place beyond our tears, our anger, and our fears, that we now must go.

 The journey to this center does not deny grief and rage but works through them—not by acting out of the emotions, but by feeling them, by holding them as you'd hold an injured child, knowing that deep inside, at the core, the essence of life and love and healing is continually bubbling forth.

 Being shaken to the core is to be shaken to the source of our greatest power. It is from here that our greatest strength and our greatest contributions have emerged throughout human history. World War II is said to have created "the greatest generation." It is now our turn:

 • We can breathe deeply and bring our awareness to center, to gain the courage and ability to let go of judgment, prejudice, and righteousness.
• We can walk a new path to lead humanity to higher ground. Criminals and terrorists are grown in a soil created by revenge, fear, and separation. We can plant our feet in soil based on tough love and centered connection.
• We can make our "rescue mission" to listen actively to each other, to lend our prayers and our helping hands to others, and to seek and appreciate the gift of being together.
• We can be centered in the possibility of ending the cycle of violence forever. In our own actions and conversations, we can help others be aware that force follows force blindly, causing a never-ending cycle of suffering and revenge throughout the ages. Only when we are centered will we be guided to the most effective actions without injuring or implicating the innocent.

Our greatest contribution toward humanity may be ahead of us. May we get centered and embrace it.

This article appeared in the complimentary e-mail service "Centering Hints," published by Thomas Crum, founder and president of AikiWorks (contact Tom at aikiworks@aol.com or visit his web site at http://www.aikiworks.com).
 



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