Most of us don't like change. We'd be happier if things just stayed the same - assuming of course that everything is just fine so far as we are concerned. However, life is not that simple. The world is out of control. If you don't believe me just think of the current economic crisis, global warming and the increase in global disasters - the Haiti earthquake the latest. Who can we blame for the problems we face? Who will take responsibility and get us out of this mess?
Like it or not change is an inevitable part of life and living. It affects all aspects of our lives, the scale and tempo is relentless. Consumer driven economies, the convergence of computing and communications, an aging population in the West, an increasing population world wide, the emergence of the Indian and Chinese economies - there is no end in sight.
But change is not in itself a bad thing. Without it we would never make mistakes, never be able to appreciate the difference between seasons or see our young people realise their potential and and never experience the joy or satisfaction of giving, or helping someone in need. Change stimulates growth and renewal.
The media and Government continuously remind us of the changes we can expect to take place over the next 50 years. The most pressing issue, we are told, and one that we cannot afford to ignore is that of climate change. The scientific community continues to argue about the severity and likely consequences. International governments cannot or will not agree (often with their own selfish motives in mind) on what to do about it and there is a real possibility that it is already too late for remedial action. It is a natural reaction to try and block the horror from our minds - to carry on with our lives as though nothing untoward is happening.
It is possible that climate change is caused by natural processes. Chaos and Complexity Theory - the science that focuses on instability, rather than the state of equilibrium may be able to explain what is happening! Complexity Theory is something of a hot topic at the moment, influencing all kinds of different areas of research including physics, maths and biology and more generally - on thinking about the way "organisations of things" behave. We are increasingly aware that each of us is a small part of a much larger and interdependent system participating in an ebb and flow of cause and effect.
The emergent properties of climate change may be unpredictable and there may be little that we can do to influence the final outcome in a direct way. Nevertheless it is apparent to an increasing body of people that fundamental change is taking place. Not least in terms of our perception of the world and the way we interact within it. We are beginning to appreciate that we can control our own behaviours and actions and in doing so we can influence those around us with potentially large effects.
The Butterfly Effect is a well known example of chaos theory. It states that the turbulence caused by a butterfly in flight could affect weather patterns on the opposite side of the world. In other words, a small event has the potential to produce unpredictable and drastic results by triggering a series of more significant events.
Maybe we need to look more closely at our own values and behaviours, take responsibility for our own actions. In doing so we might create our own butterfly effect.
Metaphorically Speaking LLP is an organisation interested in exploring the management of change by encouraging and exploring personal responsibility and ownership, encouraging autonomy and co-operative working in teams through creative games and workshops.
