Morphing Curriculum

The last few days I've been working on how to introduce teenagers to the teleological perspective.

What a challenge - cutting this thing into small enough chunks that they can digest! Heather suggested supplementary videos on the website to give the students more detail over a longer period of time. Great idea Heather - I'm gonna do it....

I've been focusing on the postmodern mindset today. I think I'll use Bittersweet Symphony as one example of the despair and downward spiral that a shapeless view of history can lead to.

Fun stuff!

Like a glove

I made the switch. PC to Mac - that is.

I used a Mac for several years back in the Motorola days. But through my career - everything was Windows. Windows was how I made money and the Mac went bye-bye.

Now, as much more of a computer user than a systems architect - I'm back on the Mac, baby.

It fits like a glove.

More on "We" pressure

In his comment on this post, Caleb asked "Then where does staying connected come in?".

When I first read Friedman's Generation to Generation, and first learned a bit of Family Systems Theory as applied to leadership - I also had questions as to how it all worked.

I mean, if I focus on clarifying my own life-goals (saying "I believe") - won't those I'm supposed to be leading just walk away? In other words, how can a team stay together when the leader resists "We" pressure?

Well, FST gurus say that it is the "We" pressure itself, when properly understood and managed, that will keep the team (or most of it) together. Homeostasis (the tendency of a system to maintain equilibrium) works in favor of the properly differentiated (and connected) leader.

But how?

Here's an example. When I was entering 9th grade in high school, my father announced to us that we were moving from St. Louis to Oklahoma City due to his job requirements. This pronouncement was jarring and abrupt - we had little time to prepare ourselves at all.

Of course, I emoted all over the place, and expressed my discontent with the situation to anyone that would listen. But here's the thing...

When it came down to it - I valued the family system itself over my particular desires in that situation, and so - I reluctantly capitulated. We moved to OKC and life continued. The family system remained together in albeit difficult circumstances.

Another example... How many times have you heard of a parent being extremely unhappy with their child's choice to get married? It happens all the time.

Mom and Dad blow a gasket. "He doesn't make enought money!" or "she's not good enough for you!" are comments often screamed by such parents. But after the marraige takes place - guess what? Mom and Dad (usually fairly quickly) line up and honor the family system.

What's at work in these examples? Friedman would say that homeostasis pressures lead the anxious family members to finally seek to preserve the family system. Put simply - family systems want to stay family systems.

And how does this apply to self-differentiated leadership? Well, if you find your "I believe" statements and your clarification/communication of your life-goals to be upsetting those in your family of origin, or your church, or your workplace - just stay the course.

Don't knuckle under to the "We" pressure. Just remain emotionally connected to the family system without allowing the anxiety flowing through that system to invade you. Remain a "non-anxious presence" in the system.

And then the natural tendency of the family system towards the status quo will (most of the time) cause the other members of the system to straighten up and fly right.

Not so hard, eh? :)

The powers and pitfalls of "We"

We.

"We" is a force that is often used for tremendous good. "We", when working together in unity, can encourage one another to heights of achievement that alone we'd never consider. The sense of community that "We" brings can be God's healing touch for the brokenhearted. Yep, "We" can often get things done that no "I" could ever do.

At K-Colorado (soon to be Camp Kivu) - we work hard to provide a place where young men and women can be part of a global community of world changers. That's because we believe strongly in the creative power of "We".

Yes, I believe "We" is perhaps the most powerful human force in the world - both for good, and unfortunately, for "not so good".

Huh - what was that? How could "We" be a bad thing?

Well, we all know about the really nasty instances where "We" went badly astray. Hitler's Germany and the more recent Rwandan genocide both come to mind. The rampant and oft-reported problem of gang violence is another example.

But there is a more subtle and I'd say more difficult problem with "We". That is, "We" can make change impossible.

Family Systems Theory uses the term "homeostasis" to describe this "We" pressure to remain the same - to stay stuck together even though saying "I" would be more beneficial to everyone involved.

For example - have you ever made a decision against your better judgment just to "keep the peace" - perhaps in your family or in your group of friends? Have you ever seen a "leader" knuckle under to the demands of the group rather than take a stand for her own life-goals?

And perhaps nastiest of all - have you ever seen members of a church, a business team or even members of your own family "sabotage" the leader who attempts to say "I" in the face of the homeostasis - when he tries to define his goals apart from those of the group?

I've seen all of this junk - and sad to say - I've been involved in some of it myself. But years ago I made a concerted effort to just say "no" to this kind of behavior - and I still strive to rid my life of it.

Good leaders must learn to continually define themselves and their life-goals over against the surrounding togetherness pressures. But they must do this while remaining connected to the groups and families to which they belong and of which they lead.

Otherwise - there's no way the group or family will make any progress. Such a team will remain "stuck" - never achieving anywhere near what they could with a properly differentiated leader.

So let's continue to work on clarifying our own life-goals while teaching others to do the same. This may mean that you end up leading your group or family to a totally new place.

Would that be so bad? :)

Father, help me to help others clarify the gifts and goals you have placed in them. Help all of us to value progress over "peace at any cost" in the groups you've given us to lead - so that we may fully complete our part of your Great Project to renew and rebuild the world.

Springtime at Camp Kivu

As far as I'm concerned it's still spring in the mountains even though it's June and we've got 300 young men and women out here at the camp. I haven't met a person yet that doesn't love springtime.

I'm bettin' the farm that one day - Messiah will breathe the Great Springtime onto planet Earth. Peace and justice for all peoples. No more sorrow, crying or pain. And of course, the resurrection will be a huge part of all that.

What will that day be like - when we finally experience the Spring of all springs?

I can't pretend to predict it exactly - but I think I get a taste every time I go to the mountains. Springtime is awesome here at Camp Kivu.

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