THE ARROW OF TIME: CLAIMING LEADERSHIP

Choosing to Lead Well in Collapse

What does it mean to be a leader in a time of collapse?

While there are very destructive dynamics at play as our civilization travels down the arrow of time, these dynamics do not have to wield influence on anyone or any group that is willing to open to its environment, use its intelligence, and bravely face reality. Whenever we open rather than close we become alive, a living system capable of self-organizing into new order rather than succumbing to disorder. The good news is that this is happening in many places, enlivened places resisting disorder by using their hearts and minds well. And every one of them is grounded in an ethic that places people at the center of all decisions and actions. Sanity in action.

In the tragedies of the refugee crisis, in the complexities of a broken healthcare system, in communities torn apart by fear and hatred, in exhausted professionals who find a new way to serve—everywhere there are communities, programs, and organizations that are learning, adapting, and creating effective responses that are making a true and positive contribution. But we need to keep this in perspective.

These leaders cannot prevent the unraveling of our global civilization and that is not their ambition. They aspire to make a profound difference locally, in the lives of people in their communities and organizations.

They also know that their successful initiatives that took such dedication and endurance to create are vulnerable to the destructive politics and behaviors inherent in a dying culture. At any moment, they or their programs may be swept away or severely hampered by thoughtless or venal political decisions. There are no assurances they will achieve long-term impact or be rewarded for success from the leaders above them who are possessed by fear and panic.

And yet they persevere because they are committed to doing the best they can for people. They have learned that nearly all people desire to do good work in good relationships with their colleagues. In full awareness of the trials and tribulations that will not cease, they offer their leadership skills to create islands of sanity, places of possibility and sanctuary where the destructive dynamics of collapse are kept at bay.

For as long as they can.

We do good work because we do good work.

Angela Blanchard, CEO

Dancing in the Space of Sanity

Chögyam Trungpa had the ability to draw forth from those he worked with the very best they had to offer—sometimes better than they had to offer.

He gave them a glimpse of just how glorious they could be.

Then, he left it up to all of us to work out how to actually become those great human beings we keep buried inside us most of the time.

He created a space of absolute sanity in which we all danced.

Carolyn Gimian⁷