According to Edwin H. Friedman in his book \u201cA Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix,\u201d three interlocking characteristics of an imaginatively gridlocked system are: \u201can unending treadmill of trying harder, looking for answers rather than reframing questions; and either\/or thinking that creates false dichotomies.\u201d(Kindle, 684)<\/p>\n
Regarding the \u201ctreadmill of trying harder\u201d he uses an example of how maps were created that determined California as an island until the eve of the Civil War. He explains that these maps, were \u201cso embedded in the imagination of cartographers\u201d that it became a reality which lasted for 150 years. When we determine something is reality it is very difficult to wash it from the human psyche and often takes generations to accomplish. One concept I have been thinking about lately is that of countries and how we define them as \u201cdeveloped,\u201d \u201cdeveloping\u201d and \u201cthird world.\u201d By labeling countries as \u201cless than\u201d it tends to give an imagined license to \u201chelp\u201d them. Unfortunately, sometimes the help is not always desired, needed or helpful. The labels that we put on people determine our and sometimes their reality. If our intentions are to sincerely help and not raid them of their resources, then perhaps some labels might be helpful, otherwise perhaps not.<\/p>\n
This causes me to question\u2026what \u201crealities\u201d have we bought into that shape our imagination? How might this restrict possibilities? This generation cannot imagine a life without technology. What happens when the technology fails?<\/p>\n
Friedman\u2019s idea of \u201clooking for answers rather than reframing questions\u201d brought to mind a TED talk I recently saw where Brene\u2019 Brown, a research professor in social work stated, \u201c\u2026we make everything that is uncertain, certain. Religion has gone from a belief in faith and mystery, to certainty. \u2018I\u2019m right, you\u2019re wrong, shut up.\u2019 That\u2019s it. Just certain. The more afraid we are, the more vulnerable we are, the more afraid we are.\u201d Instead of what answers are we missing, I think Friedman would say, what questions are we missing. What beautiful revelations might be awaiting our questions? How far out of our own thinking must we go to cause a personal Renaissance? How far are we willing to go? How might we accomplish this? How might we dive deeper into the questions and the mysteries.<\/p>\n
Friedman\u2019s third lock in gridlock, \u201ceither\/or thinking that creates false dichotomies,\u201d brings into question dualistic mindsets. Might it be helpful if we moved beyond apparent opposites into the yin yang of complementary forces. Within the yin yang symbol there are \u201cseeds\u201d of the other in each. This is what creates the balance. We tend to focus on \u201cfixing\u201d instead of embracing the strength in order to balance out the weakness. We are so focused on the need for \u201ctwo\u201d – either this or that, that we then create false dichotomies and forget there might be fresh ideas within the spectrum.<\/p>\n
Does an ocean wave have only a beginning and an end? No, there is power and momentum that is gained throughout the force of the wave. How much are we missing by focusing on the \u201ceither\/or\u201d of a situation? How might we move beyond the apparent opposites of life, this illusion?<\/p>\n
Have you experienced these types of gridlock in your own thinking? How might you unlock and move beyond?<\/p>\n
How might we create new maps and look beyond giving answers to rethinking the questions?<\/p>\n