In the shelter of each other
Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine: In the shelter of each other the people live. It’s an ancient Irish truth that’s been a reasonably constant presence in my mind for some time. ?Mind you it hasn’t featured in too many election manifestos these last few years,
It’s not just us Irish who have in our lexicon some pithy expressions that seem pretty subversive these days – the evocative South African concept of Ubuntu; I am because we are, is another case in point.
I say subversive because in the current global evolutionary movement from neoliberal capitalism into billionaire-worshipping oligarchy the practice of loving interdependency is potentially the kryptonite that will render the strongmen helpless.?
In the shelter of each other. I because We. Collective creative compassion.
Putting our stake in the ground before it’s too late.?
These days of my life I work as a coach.? Though if I’m honest the term feels perhaps too hierarchical to me. ??Too reminiscent of the singularly Expert Action Logic.?? Similarly the term Coach Supervisor – another professional merit badge I’ve picked up along the journey.?The semiotic landscape woven around both can, I feel, facilitate too easily a deep dive into what Martin Buber called I-It relationship.
But Ubuntu calls us to participate in the world more fully from I-Thou.
To live in the shelter of each other.
Sheltering and being sheltered. Finding together strength in our weakness and weakness in our strength.
And nowhere more so than in the coaching relationship.
When we turn the normative on its head.
Four of us sat around a zoom room last week talking about these things and as the conversation verged on deepening my friend Jane Brendgen asked a simple question. ‘How are we experiencing I-Thou together in this zoom call?’?
Not ‘understanding it’.? Experiencing it; in our bodies, sat there in splendid isolation across three different countries in the world. But somatically sensing something emerge between us.
Discovering the shelter of each other.
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I was moved to mention another element of Irish subversion – the notion of the anam cara; the soul friend; the simplest inter-sheltering constellation. ?It’s my belief that allowing John O’Donohue’s beautiful writing on the subject to permeate our whole being might just facilitate ?the most powerful coach development we ever experience.
It’s bubbling up in me that I need to put my own stake in some ground somewhere. To co-inhabit a space of mutual shelter – even if it’s just a pop-up. Even if it’s just for a fleeting sliver of a journey round the sun.
So I’m evolving a tentative offering – not a Harthill offering because it might really be a colossal shit show, but an Ian (and hopefully the yin to my yang Sian Lumsden ) offering. Maybe towards the end of 2025. Maybe in somewhere like the Corrymeela Community, that beautiful place of reconciliation birthed in the N Irish conflict, situated way out on the north coast of Ireland. ?Maybe premiering a short film on the subject currently being created my own anam cara, Irish actor Rachael Dowling . ?Maybe none of those.
Who knows, it’s early days
But not a money maker … definitely not that
Just an experience of living in the shelter of each other for a couple of days.
?Creating a moment of Ubuntu between us ‘while the chains are loosed and the world runs wild’ (Everything but the girl. The night I heard Caruso sing)
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
In friendship
?Ian
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Mac Ling Natalie Goni Simon Lovegrove Nial O Reilly Helena Clayton Liz Hall Sarah Mumford Andrew Wood Christian Scholtes Philip Brady Laura Beckingham Anastasia Nekrasova Christina Lombardi-Somaschini Liz Stewart ?? Envoy for Wholeness Association for Coaching (AC) Alice Leung Vuibert, PCC Laurent Vuibert Marie Lord Elaine Donnelly Cinzia de Rossi Alis Anagnostakis, PhD Karen Ellis Rebecca Stevens Erich Wilgenbus-Lamb Phil Ball Nicola Cottington Nickie Jakeman Sue Round Jacqueline Scannell áine O’Keeffe Cosmin Gliga Andrea Cardillo PhD, ICF MCC Toby Lott LLM, MCIPD Caroline Brader-Smith Caroline Groothoff CPCC David Brown Steph Harvie
I help executives silence self-doubt, overcome decision fatigue, and navigate uncertainty—so they can lead with clarity, confidence, and impact, without sacrificing well-being.
6 天前This resonates deeply. In a world that increasingly glorifies individualism and power, the real strength lies in?collective interdependence.?True leadership isn’t about domination—it’s about?connection, community, and creative compassion.?When we choose collaboration over competition, we redefine power itself.
ICF PCC & EMCC Senior Practitioner ?? Family Constellations ? Shamanism ?? Coach Supervision Sanctuary and ICF Mentor
3 周Ian Mitchell in a world where my heart quivers in shock and distress , having a place where people speak to my heart and soul is an absolute blessing. In these moments of alignment , my hope and flame rises. To be with the "ripplers" ?? . Connect and create and Be xx
What wonderous shit-show might our intersubjective shelter orchestrate - I am all in for that. ????
Working with leaders to raise the quality of conversations, thinking and decision-making
4 周Thank you, Ian, and yes, I'm totally in for something that could turn into a colossal shit show (although let's face it, that's highly unlikely with you, Sian and the people pootling in your orbit)
I listen so you can hear yourself think. 1:1 bespoke leadership & executive coaching and development. Specialising in walking coaching. Accredited by the Association for Coaching
4 周The notion of 'shelter' has swum around me since I read this at the end of last week. It feels in the same space as a street lamp is a 'public good': it doesn't dim however many people it lights the way for, or however few. Shelter feels undemanding, not constricted and constrained. I'd love to come play.