Metacrisis Diplomats

'Starting out' in the metacrisis can be daunting - Lots of new words [some of them quite long, unfortunately ??] Lots of new ideas [some of them quite complex] And lots of new people [who all seem very nice, by the way!] So we've put this together a sort of 'Beginner's Guide to the Metacrisis' - a list of the people and resources that we found the most helpful as we figured it all out. Most of them are on here, too, and are worth a follow to see what they're up to [tagged below]. Hope it's useful for some of you - let us know who or what we missed?? ?? Najia Shaukat Lupson Jonathan Rowson Nate Hagens Rachel Donald Daniel Schmachtenberger #metacrisis #polycrisis #leadership #complexity

What is the Metacrisis? The answer to this question is constantly evolving ... As is the introductory workshop we run. It's on again tomorrow - Weds 19 Feb at 19.0 GMT. The latest iteration focuses a little more on the role our perception plays when thinking about the metacrisis. It's about 2 hours long, free, online, and all are welcome. DM for the link. ?? #metacrisis #polycrisis #complexity #leadership

The Emperor's New Clothes ... In the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, a couple of swindlers claim to make magnificent clothes that can only be seen by the wise. The Emperor and all his advisors pretend to be able to see the clothes, not wanting to appear fools. It is only a small boy who has the courage to point out the obvious. [In the story, it's worth noting that when his mistake is pointed out, rather than stopping to acknowledge it, the Emperor continues "more proudly than ever".] Humans have always told stories - they are how we explain the world. Sometimes they are myth, and sometimes they are fact. At times, humans have believed the world was flat. Then the story changed, and we put our spherical planet at the centre of the universe. Then the story changed again, and we realised our planet is a mere speck in the grand scheme of things. [Might that particular story change again in the future?] Stories are embedded in every area of our lives, from little things like "Is Taylor Swift cool?" [the answer is yes, btw ??], to big things like "Is GDP a useful thing to measure?" What ideas - stories - are currently dominant? Are they based on fact, or myth? Where are the "invisible clothes" in our existing paradigms? ?? Stories is one of the themes I'll be exploring in the 'What is the metacrisis?' workshop I'm running next Wednesday 19 February, at 19.00 GMT. It's free, and all are welcome. Let me know if you'd like the link to join ... ?? #metacrisis #polycrisis #complexity #storyofseparation

If it feels like there’s a lot going on right now, firstly, know that you are not alone. In more practical terms, you might like to join a conversation with some other folks? We have another Studio session this Thursday 6 February, at 19.00 GMT. The theme is ‘Now’ - not as a place to rant and rage about any particular person or event, but rather to feel, reflect, and acknowledge what it means to be living in the metacrisis - Now. Studios are free, online, and all are welcome. DM for the Zoom link. Let's see what emerges ... ?? #metacrisis #polycrisis #complexity #leadership

If it feels like there’s a lot going on right now, firstly, know that you are not alone. In more practical terms, you might like to join a conversation with some other folks? We have another Studio session this Thursday 6 February, at 19.00 GMT. The theme is ‘Now’ - not as a place to rant and rage about any particular person or event, but rather to feel, reflect, and acknowledge what it means to be living in the metacrisis - Now. Studios are free, online, and all are welcome. DM for the Zoom link. Let's see what emerges ... ?? #metacrisis #polycrisis #complexity #leadership

How much does being 'right' matter? [For me? You? Us? Them?] It is entirely possible for two people to look at the same thing, and come to entirely different conclusions. I see the number 6 - you see the number 9. And, depending on their perspective, someone else might see a snail ... or a hook ... or a referee's whistle ... We all see the world through a series of paradigms - lenses - and we are often not aware that we do so. As a simple example, even being able to see '6' or '9' depends on having a 'western arabic numerals' lens. I need to recognise a particular shape as representing a particular number. If I'm talking with someone who has an 'eastern arabic numerals' paradigm that uses different shapes, we would have to dig deeper than just "do you see a 6 or a 9?" And I would have to dig deeper still with someone from the Yuki tribe, who use 8 as a base for counting, rather than 10.* [Although in both cases, we might still agree on the snail or the hook...] My sense of being 'right' is dependent on my paradigms - on how I see the world. I can either cling tightly to my paradigms, and dismiss yours ... Or I can learn to see through a different lens ... *As an aside, the Yuki counting system is based on 'the spaces between' our fingers, which is interesting in itself ... ?? #metacrisis #polycrisis #complexity #leadership #paradigms

History doesn't repeat, but it often rhymes. 'Powers and Thrones' by Dan Jones begins with the fall of the western Roman Empire, which has a fair few 'rhymes' with our current predicament ... ?? For one: "Romans liked to tell each other they were favoured by the gods. In fact, for much of their history, they were blessed with good weather." [The end of the 'Roman Warm Period' in around 400 CE coincides with the decline of the Roman Empire. It matters when the climate changes.] ?? And: "The entire Roman economy depended on Carthaginian grain exports." [When the Vandals took Carthage in 439, the Romans lost control of a key resource. It matters where stuff comes from.] And: ?? "The root purpose of the empire was to funnel wealth to be spent in Rome: in that sense it was a racket based on rampant exploitation." [Eventually, conquered tribes and areas grew weary of seeing Roman aristocrats getting richer and richer. It matters what the underlying incentives are.] The key thing here is that the collapse of the Roman Empire was not down to a simple, linear, cause and effect. [Because nothing ever is]. Rather, it was the climate, AND the resources, AND the incentives, AND a bunch of other things I haven't mentioned here. The overlapping and interweaving of multiple factors and complex systems. One last thought - Empires rise. And empires fall ... But - people? We endure. ?? PS The book is brilliant, by the way. Not at all stuffy, it reads more like a thriller. Highly recommended. #metacrisis #polycrisis #complexity #leadership #history

Emergency v Crisis. There is a difference between an emergency and a crisis. A flood is an emergency. It happens fast, and demands that we react now. Building flood defences in the face of rising sea levels is a crisis. It's slower, and requires a planned response. Much of our current predicament is both an emergency and a crisis. There are things we need to do now - and things we need to consider more carefully. At what point do we fix that dripping tap? At what point does building sea defences to mitigate flooding shift from being a crisis to an emergency? Even when we understand the distinction between emergency and crisis, it can still be hard to tell the difference. And when we dither, a crisis can become an emergency. These are complex ideas, and there aren't simple solutions. This is why we are creating spaces like our Studios - a place where we can take time to pause, to think [and feel] deeply about the metacrisis, and what it means for us all. If you find yourself craving such conversations with like-minded people, then you might like to join us next time? Our Studios are free, and take place online. There is one next week - Thursday 6 February, at 19.00 GMT. DM for details. Let's see what emerges... ?? #metacrisis #polycrisis #leadership #complexity

We recently created a video for the Dutch foreign ministry, interviewing some brilliant people and talking about the concept of Relational Accountability. Deeply interesting - and inspiring - to see these ideas and concepts starting to be considered at government level ... And we will be discussing them at our Studio this week - Thurs 16 Jan at 19.00 GMT. Free, online, and all are welcome to join us. Book here: https://lnkd.in/e4trakxm Let's see what emerges ... ?? #metacrisis #polycrisis #complexity #systemsthinking

We have two free events next week. Both are online, and open to everyone ... ?? Tues 14 Jan at 19.00 GMT :: What is the Metacrisis? Aimed primarily at relative newcomers, this 2-hour workshop introduces the key ideas and concepts of the metacrisis. Book here: https://lnkd.in/eCeSadqi ?? Thurs 16 Jan at 19.00 GMT :: Studio Following the launch of our film for the China Knowledge Network, the theme for next week's Studio will be 'Relational Accountability' ... who and what are we in relation with - and how might that influence who and what we are accountable to? Come and join a wide-ranging conversation with like-minded people ... Book here: https://lnkd.in/e4trakxm Look forward to seeing you at both! ?? #metacrisis #polycrisis #systemsthinking #complexity