http://www.stuartbhill.com/
Shared – dare I call it – WISDOM
(these were compiled in 2005, based largely on my university and
international development experience over the past 60+ years, as possible
‘testing questions’ for all theory & practice
• Ask of all theory & practice – what is it in the service of? –
before supporting or copying it
• Work mostly with ‘small meaningful achievable
initiatives' vs. ‘Olympic-scale projects' (most of these are abandoned or
fail, & have numerous negative side-effects)
• Don’t get stuck in endless ‘measuring studies’
(‘monitoring our extinction’) – these are often designed to postpone
change that is perceived as threatening to existing power structures
• To achieve sustainable progressive change, focus
(at least first) on enabling the ‘benign’ agendas of others vs. trying to
impose on them your own ‘benign’ agendas
• Focus on enabling the potential of people,
society & nature to express itself – so that wellbeing, social
justice & sustainability can emerge (in integrated, synergistic
ways)
• Collaborate across difference to achieve broadly
shared goals – don’t end up isolated, alone in a ‘sandbox’
• Don’t let ‘end point’/goal differences prevent
possibilities of early stage collaboration
• Outcomes are only as good & sustainable as
the people creating & implementing them – so start with the people;
& remember that we are a relational/social species!
• Use the media – let me repeat – use the media! –
such ‘political’ communication is key to change
• Work with business & the public/community;
government will always follow, but rarely lead!
• Celebrate publicly at every opportunity – to
enable the good stuff to be ‘contagious’
• Keep working on & implementing – especially
with others – your (shared) benign visions
• Most of what is remains unknown – which
is what wise people are able to work with; so devote most effort to
developing your wisdom vs. your cleverness, which is just concerned with
the very limited pool of what is known (Einstein was clear about this!)
• Always be humble & provisional in your
knowing, & always open to new experiences & insights
• Take small meaningful risks to enable progress, transformational
learning & development
• Devote most effort to the design & management
of systems that can enable wellbeing, social justice &
sustainability, & that are problem-proof vs. maintaining
unsustainable, problem-generating systems, & devoting time to
‘problem-solving’, control, & input management
• Work sensitively with time & space,
especially from the position of the ‘others’ (ask: who, what, which,
where, when, how, why, if & if not?)
• Act from your core/essential self – empowered,
aware, visionary, principled, passionate, loving, spontaneous, fully in
the present (contextual) – vs. your patterned, fearful, compensatory,
compromising, de-contextual selves
• See no ‘enemies’ – recognise such ‘triggers’ as
indicators of woundedness, maldesign & mismanagement – everyone is
always doing the best they can, given their potential, past experience
& the present context – these are the three areas to work
with
• Be paradoxical: ask for help & get on
with the job (don’t postpone); give when you want to receive; give love
when you might need it, or when you might feel hate
• Learn from everyone & everything, & seek
mentors & collaborators at every opportunity
Professor Stuart B. Hill is Foundation
Chair of Social Ecology
at the University of Western Sydney
School of
Education (includes previous School of Social Ecology &
Lifelong Learning)