More on Empowerment - Moderation and Languages

Joelle Lyons Everett JLEShelton at aol.com
Sat Jun 1 11:17:53 PDT 2002


In a message dated 6/1/02 6:29:53 AM, artsilva at mail.eunet.pt writes:

<< And you are right it is not only language. But body-language is also a
"language", isn't it? And probably an even more profound language that the
one people "speak". And I wonder if "culture" is not a meta-language...

So you have "language" (cultural) sensibility, isn't it? Maybe you don't
speak Chinese but your body does ;-)
 >>

I know that when we presented workshops in Mexico, with simultaneous
translation, our client not only provided translators, but gave us some
coaching on body language--which helped a little, though probably not enough.
 When I watch Brazilians, for example, dance the samba, I recognize that
there are some languages my body will probably never speak very well!

Re: football--we are seeing the same crosscultural phenomena in American
baseball.  Many professional players are Puerto Rican and, in recent years,
Japanese.  In a few games this year, outstanding players on both teams are
Japanese, and many Japanese fans take a "baseball vacation" to Seattle to
watch them play.

So we are seeing all over the world international businesses and
international sports, and at the same time a growing consciousness of ethnic
ties and attention to our own ancestors.  It's an interesting dynamic.

<<So my current line of research is - how to facilitate unlearning of what
one always took for granted? How to facilitate personal, organizational or
social metanoia? How to prepare the new generations to continuously
question and review their old "knowledge"?>>

I sure don't know the answers to these questions, but I am becoming more
aware of the necessity for allowing time and space for grieving changes, even
changes that may be very positive and desired.  I wakened Tuesday morning,
very early, feeling very sad.  My feeling was surprising, because my work
that day was a happy one--to help a client plan for an upcoming Open Space
meeting.

It was not until evening that I had time to sit quietly and realize that
Tuesday was the sixth anniversary of the day my dad was hospitalized before
his death.  Some unacknowledged or unexpressed grief hidden in my body had
wakened me, demanding my attention.  I suspect that some of the irrational
phenomena in the world today are something like that--grief over changes that
we recognize are happening, but don't know how to acknowledge or express our
feelings.

This question of how individuals, organizations, societies can live in a
changing world, learn to surf the changes instead of being overwhelmed, is a
huge one, and at the heart of my practice.  From your experience, what helps?

Joelle Everett

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