When we face into change
There are times in our lives when, individually or as a community, we feel the need to be more intentional about change, to search for a better future, to discover what is possible, and act on those discoveries rather than waiting passively for something to happen, or accepting our lot. This inclination to face into change can surface in a number of ways. It can come from a sense that we have reached some transition or pivot point, where what went before can no longer apply. We may see no definite pattern to the future, entering or leaving the world of work being a common example. It can arise from a feeling of unease or even of personal crisis where we seriously question what we are now doing or our present way of thinking and look for an alternative direction. Hopefully, we are now seeing the beginning of the end of the Covid crisis as vaccines are rolled out. But when it does subside, we will have new social challenges to confront along with those we already are struggling to contend with. Courageous thinking will be needed, to reframe these problems and take the radical actions needed. A shared understanding of what is involved in facing into such change will be crucial.
What is involved
The phrase facing into change has three main connotations. The first, as outlined above is its intentionality, facing into change is self-initiated, not imposed change. It is not about what we ought to be but about striving towards a future that we want even if that is not fully clear to us. This is its second feature, its uncertainty and emergent nature. Facing into change is about embarking on a course of thought and action with an unpredictable outcome but one we feel is worth pursuing. It is worth pursuing because even if we cannot foretell our future, we believe that we can and should change what is possible in that future. It is an optimistic stance entered into with the expectation that there is an alternative state out there, or within us, that is better than what we live with at present. Because it does not begin with some defined endpoint in mind, because we start our journey somewhat blind, we expect that change will be an emergent process where new possibilities will surface to which we can respond. How we respond relates to the third aspect of facing into change, the chance that there will be a struggle involved or resistance to be encountered arising from that tension between our desire for something different and our innate inertia to stay the same. It is important to understand those sources of resistance, how they can impede us but also can serve us in reaching a point where the changes we actually need to make become more apparent. Resolving such tensions helps us make choices, as we face into change, about we want to hold on to, what we feel must let go of, and what new things we need to let come into our lives or communities
Transformers – thinking and conversation.
It may seem that the type of change we are talking about is a haphazard affair, but as we shall find out it in this blog is not random but very much influenced by how we engage with it, how we think about change, and how we interact with others, the kind of conversations we have about change. Facing into change starts with a new awareness of our present situation and a realisation that a different way of thinking may be required. We begin to see that the resistance within us may be in the present image or status we want to maintain, in our rigid ways of thinking, the power that we want to hold on to, or our reluctance to open up to others. Through conversations, we begin to see the transformative effect of facing into change, on our way of thinking about ourselves. We may use stories or metaphors to explain our existing way of doing things, and how it might change in the future. Going with the flow or sticking to what we know is unlikely to work. Somehow, we need to get in touch with new ways of thinking and feeling about our situation, to arrive at the point where we are emotionally committed to trying new things. We realise that it will be an ongoing learning process, where we find out more about ourselves and what is possible rather than reaching an endpoint. Facing into change is a continuous process where we are ready forever begin to quote Brendan Keneally.