What’s New

What is the future we are creating NOW?

By Diana Smith

“The real voyage of discovery lies not in seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

Marcel Proust

There is something BIG going on in the world!

There has been a huge shift in public awareness and attitudes related to climate change and the environment, and ‘sustainability’ has become a popular buzz word.

As we look at future trends, it is important that social developers, change agents and leaders grapple with the questions: How are we responding to and engaging in change? Are we ready? Are we adapting? Transforming?

• Do we even know what sustainability means and what a sustainable future might look like?

• And what does the shift in global consciousness around the environment mean for the social agenda − in our communities? In Canada? Throughout the world?  How are we connected? And where is the dialogue happening?

I’ve been involved in social issues and movements for many years as an activist, executive director, professor, consultant, community leader, parent, and citizen. To me, these are some of the key questions that seem relevant at this critical time in our human history. My intention is to raise some of these questions in the hopes of opening up the discussion, encouraging generative dialogue, and tapping into a deeper source of possibility for our future.

The ecological agenda and the social-economic agenda are not separate entities; they are really one. Yet discrete silos based on issues such as poverty, homelessness, family breakdown, or liveable wages simply perpetuate the problem-based, let’s fix it approach. What’s wrong can be seen in many areas:

• linear and silo thinking in the political and public discourse;
• the “charity” and “service” mentality of many non-profits;
• a problem-solving approach, which limits creativity and innovation;
• a predominantly “mechanistic” mindset;
• the separation of environmental, social justice, and democracy organizations and movements; and,
• the involvement of only one group or layer of society.

Based on my experiences, I believe that by embracing a more holistic perspective, some of the underlying systemic issues and the tensions between different value systems can become focal points for transformational change. And recognizing the self-organizing, chaotic nature of change is fundamental to “seeing the world with new eyes.” In this way, the essential connections between the natural and human environments become more apparent, and embracing an ecological perspective is an outgrowth.

In this context, I see many hopeful trends and developments. Civil society is starting to take on a new role that is grassroots-based, organic and fluid. There is growing recognition of the need for collaboration across boundaries. Many groups and coalitions are exploring distributed leadership models that honour and acknowledge the dispersed and complex issues the world faces. There is also increased recognition of multiple intelligences, experiences and approaches that enable us to see whole systems − both human and natural − and their interdependence.

So how can we move forward to embrace this complexity, acknowledge our interdependence, and engage in dialogue? I suggest that we need to:

• Foster innovation and ingenuity;
• Create forums that provide spaces and places for dialogue across boundaries and shifts in mindsets;
• Move beyond the 20^th century “social welfare” model;
• Create strong and relevant social and political institutions and forms of governance;
• Celebrate and engage diversity;
• Encourage adaptability;
• Acknowledge body, mind, heart and soul, and bring forward these elements to our discussions;
• Raise the profound questions and engage in conversation about them.

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Diana M. Smith works with EcoSol Consulting Inc. − shifting thinking, building capacity − in Victoria, BC. and is an affiliate of the Ginger Group Collaborative www.gingergroup.net.  

We’ll have a blog up soon to discuss these issues further.

“This article first appeared in Perception magazine, Vol. 29, Nos. 1&2, 2007, published by the Canadian Council on Social Development.”