第3章 Preface
PowerandLove 作者：AdamKahane 投票推薦 加入書簽 留言反饋
howcanweaddressourtoughestchallenges?howcanwebreakthroughourmostentangled,stuckproblems?howcanwecreatesocialchange?
ihavespentthepasttwentyyearssearchingforanswerstothesequestions.myworkhasbeentohelpteamsofleaderetogetherfromacrossagivensocialsystemtoaddressaparticrchallengethatallofthemwanttoresolvebutthatnoneofthemcanresolvealone.myrolehasbeenasadesigner,facilitator,andorganizerofthesepracticalsocialchangeprojects.ihaveimmersedmyselfintheseinitiatives,andatthesametimehavepaidattentiontowhatwashappeningaroundandinsideme.
ihavehadtheprivilegeofworkinginthisway,alongsidemycolleagues,withallkindsofteams,onallsortsofchallenges,inallpartsoftheworld.wehaveworkedintheunitedstates,tomakecitieshealthierandmorelivable;incanada,toeleratetheshifttoalow-carboneconomy;incolombia,tocreateequitabledevelopmentamidcontinuedprization;inguatem,toimplementthepeaceordsthatendedthecivilwar;acrosseuropeandtheamericas,tomakefoodsupplychainsmoresustainable;inisrael,todealwithwideningculturndideologicalschisms;insouthafrica,toaddresscriticaldevelopmentalissuesinthetransitionfromapartheid;inindia,toreducechildmalnutrition;inthephilippines,tounblockapoliticalstalemate;andinaustralia,toeffectlong-dyedreconciliationbetweenaboriginndnonaboriginalpeople.
theseexperienceshavegivenmeanup-frontviewofthedynamicsofsocialchangeatmanylevels:individual,groupmunity,society.ihavebeenamemberoftensofdiverseteams;workingtogetherovermonthsandyears;engagingheads,hearts,andhands.ihavehadtheopportunitytoparticipateinmuchtrindmucherrorandmuchlearning.ihaveworkedsidebysidewithremarkablechangeagents,socialentrepreneurs,andactivists,andbeenabletoobserve,frombothoutsiderandinsiderperspectives,whatworksandwhatdoesn''t.basedonthesefirsthandexperiences,ihavewrittenthisbooktosharewhatihavelearnedwithotherswhoaretryingtocreatesocialchange.
overthesetwentyyears,ihavemadetwodiscoveries.ireportedthefirstonefiveyearsagoinsolvingtoughproblems:anopenwayoftalking,listening,andcreatingnewrealities.inthatbookiconcludedthatthekeytocreatingnewsocialrealitiesistoopenourselvesupandconnect:toourowntrueselves,tooneanother,andtoourcontextandwhatitdemandsofus.
fiveyearsandmanyexperienceter,icanseethatthisconclusionwasright,butonlyhalfright,anddangerouslyso.
powerandlovepicksupwheresolvingtoughproblemsleftoffandreportstheseconddiscovery.inordertoaddressourtoughestchallenges,wemustindeedconnect,butthisisnotenough:wemustalsogrow.inotherwords,wemustexercisebothlove(thedrivetounity)andpower(thedrivetoself-realization).ifwechooseeitherloveorpower,wewillgetstuckinre-creatingexistingrealities,orworse.ifwewanttocreatenewandbetterrealities-athome,atwork,inoumunities,intheworld-weneedtolearnhowtointegrateourloveandourpower.
powerandloveisbothpractdpersonal.manyresearchers-acrosspoliticalscience,peacestudies,management,neuro-biology,sociology,psychology,philosophy,theology-haveusedavarietyofframingsandvocabriestopointouttheimportanceofpowerorloveorboth.thepurposeofthisbookisnottoreiterateorreviewthesespecializedtheories,buttoexplorehowingenerndinpracticewecanworkwithpowerandlovetoaddressourtoughestchallenges.furthermore,ihavenotconstructedmyunderstandingofthesephenomenaoutofthesetheories,butinsteadoutofsiftingthroughandtryingtomakesenseofmyownmostconfusingandchallengingexperiencesofsocialchange.
yearsagoiwasamazedwhenireadthefirstpagesofthesecondvolumeowrencedurrell''snovelthealexandriaquartet.balthazarhandsdarley,thenarrator,themarked-upmanuscriptofdarley''sfirstvolume:"apapernowsearedandstarredbyamassiveinterlinearofsentences,paragraphsandquestion-marks."thesecondvolumethengoesontortearadicallydifferentinterpretationofthesameeventsthatdarleyhaddescribedinthefirstone,andthethirdandfourthvolumesdothesameagainfromtwoadditionalperspectives.
manytimesduringthepasttwentyyears,ihavebeenhandedalternativeinterpretationsofmyownstories.iammovingalongconfidently,andthensomebodysayssomethingthatshowsmethingsarenotatallthewayithinktheyare.throughsuchdisciplinedre-viewingofmyownexperiences,ihavegraduallybuiltupmyunderstandingofthedynamicsofsocialchange.
thebookbeginswith"introduction:beyondwarandpeace,"whichsummarizeswhatihavelearned.chapter1,"thetwosidesofpower,"andchapter2,"thetwosidesoflove,"describethesetwofundamentaldrivesthatgeneratesocialchange.chapter3,"thedilemmaofpowerandlove,"exinswhywecannotchoosebetweenthesedrivesbutmustfindawaytoreconcilethem.chapter4,"falling,"chapter5,"stumbling,"andchapter6,"walking,youtaprogressionofthreemodesofemployingpowerandlove-fromthemostprizedandstucktothemostintegratedandfluid-inworkingcollectivelytoeffectsocialchange.in"conclusion:toleadmeanstostepforward,"isuggestawaytoworkindividuallythroughthissameprogression,fromfallingtostumblingtowalking,andsobemorecapableofaddressingourtoughestchallenges.
ihavespentthepasttwentyyearssearchingforanswerstothesequestions.myworkhasbeentohelpteamsofleaderetogetherfromacrossagivensocialsystemtoaddressaparticrchallengethatallofthemwanttoresolvebutthatnoneofthemcanresolvealone.myrolehasbeenasadesigner,facilitator,andorganizerofthesepracticalsocialchangeprojects.ihaveimmersedmyselfintheseinitiatives,andatthesametimehavepaidattentiontowhatwashappeningaroundandinsideme.
ihavehadtheprivilegeofworkinginthisway,alongsidemycolleagues,withallkindsofteams,onallsortsofchallenges,inallpartsoftheworld.wehaveworkedintheunitedstates,tomakecitieshealthierandmorelivable;incanada,toeleratetheshifttoalow-carboneconomy;incolombia,tocreateequitabledevelopmentamidcontinuedprization;inguatem,toimplementthepeaceordsthatendedthecivilwar;acrosseuropeandtheamericas,tomakefoodsupplychainsmoresustainable;inisrael,todealwithwideningculturndideologicalschisms;insouthafrica,toaddresscriticaldevelopmentalissuesinthetransitionfromapartheid;inindia,toreducechildmalnutrition;inthephilippines,tounblockapoliticalstalemate;andinaustralia,toeffectlong-dyedreconciliationbetweenaboriginndnonaboriginalpeople.
theseexperienceshavegivenmeanup-frontviewofthedynamicsofsocialchangeatmanylevels:individual,groupmunity,society.ihavebeenamemberoftensofdiverseteams;workingtogetherovermonthsandyears;engagingheads,hearts,andhands.ihavehadtheopportunitytoparticipateinmuchtrindmucherrorandmuchlearning.ihaveworkedsidebysidewithremarkablechangeagents,socialentrepreneurs,andactivists,andbeenabletoobserve,frombothoutsiderandinsiderperspectives,whatworksandwhatdoesn''t.basedonthesefirsthandexperiences,ihavewrittenthisbooktosharewhatihavelearnedwithotherswhoaretryingtocreatesocialchange.
overthesetwentyyears,ihavemadetwodiscoveries.ireportedthefirstonefiveyearsagoinsolvingtoughproblems:anopenwayoftalking,listening,andcreatingnewrealities.inthatbookiconcludedthatthekeytocreatingnewsocialrealitiesistoopenourselvesupandconnect:toourowntrueselves,tooneanother,andtoourcontextandwhatitdemandsofus.
fiveyearsandmanyexperienceter,icanseethatthisconclusionwasright,butonlyhalfright,anddangerouslyso.
powerandlovepicksupwheresolvingtoughproblemsleftoffandreportstheseconddiscovery.inordertoaddressourtoughestchallenges,wemustindeedconnect,butthisisnotenough:wemustalsogrow.inotherwords,wemustexercisebothlove(thedrivetounity)andpower(thedrivetoself-realization).ifwechooseeitherloveorpower,wewillgetstuckinre-creatingexistingrealities,orworse.ifwewanttocreatenewandbetterrealities-athome,atwork,inoumunities,intheworld-weneedtolearnhowtointegrateourloveandourpower.
powerandloveisbothpractdpersonal.manyresearchers-acrosspoliticalscience,peacestudies,management,neuro-biology,sociology,psychology,philosophy,theology-haveusedavarietyofframingsandvocabriestopointouttheimportanceofpowerorloveorboth.thepurposeofthisbookisnottoreiterateorreviewthesespecializedtheories,buttoexplorehowingenerndinpracticewecanworkwithpowerandlovetoaddressourtoughestchallenges.furthermore,ihavenotconstructedmyunderstandingofthesephenomenaoutofthesetheories,butinsteadoutofsiftingthroughandtryingtomakesenseofmyownmostconfusingandchallengingexperiencesofsocialchange.
yearsagoiwasamazedwhenireadthefirstpagesofthesecondvolumeowrencedurrell''snovelthealexandriaquartet.balthazarhandsdarley,thenarrator,themarked-upmanuscriptofdarley''sfirstvolume:"apapernowsearedandstarredbyamassiveinterlinearofsentences,paragraphsandquestion-marks."thesecondvolumethengoesontortearadicallydifferentinterpretationofthesameeventsthatdarleyhaddescribedinthefirstone,andthethirdandfourthvolumesdothesameagainfromtwoadditionalperspectives.
manytimesduringthepasttwentyyears,ihavebeenhandedalternativeinterpretationsofmyownstories.iammovingalongconfidently,andthensomebodysayssomethingthatshowsmethingsarenotatallthewayithinktheyare.throughsuchdisciplinedre-viewingofmyownexperiences,ihavegraduallybuiltupmyunderstandingofthedynamicsofsocialchange.
thebookbeginswith"introduction:beyondwarandpeace,"whichsummarizeswhatihavelearned.chapter1,"thetwosidesofpower,"andchapter2,"thetwosidesoflove,"describethesetwofundamentaldrivesthatgeneratesocialchange.chapter3,"thedilemmaofpowerandlove,"exinswhywecannotchoosebetweenthesedrivesbutmustfindawaytoreconcilethem.chapter4,"falling,"chapter5,"stumbling,"andchapter6,"walking,youtaprogressionofthreemodesofemployingpowerandlove-fromthemostprizedandstucktothemostintegratedandfluid-inworkingcollectivelytoeffectsocialchange.in"conclusion:toleadmeanstostepforward,"isuggestawaytoworkindividuallythroughthissameprogression,fromfallingtostumblingtowalking,andsobemorecapableofaddressingourtoughestchallenges.