by Lindsay Mitchell
When I look around our society today, particularly our global community, I can’t help but feel discouraged and slightly hopeless. With bombings in large cities in Europe, wars in the Middle East and Africa, extreme weather events leading to civilization threats, and political and economic uncertainty all around the world my limited ability to make sense of things and figure out what to do feels like a circuit board on overdrive. Frizzle, spark, poof…can not compute. This is especially heightened when I look into the eyes of my two young girls, and think about all the wee humans that are being born into the current climate of uncertainty. I feel a huge responsibility to do something combined with a lot of anxiety and paralysis that comes with sorting out what that should be, and what would be most helpful.
It is only through learning about the meta-framework, alongside the people in the Human Venture community, that I begin to feel hopeful. While the situation still feels overwhelming most of the time, the meta-framework provides a much needed biggest-picture-of-all reminder as well as some serious sense-making support for these what-the-heck is going on current events. For me the meta-framework for thinking about our thinking doesn’t tell me what to think, or give me the answer, but it does provide guiding direction for deeper meaning-making and sense-making for myself, my family, my work, and other areas of engagement. It’s like a reboot for my fried neural circuitry in overdrive.
One of the areas of significant engagement for me right now is being a parent to two young girls. The transformation to motherhood was a big shift in my own meaning making, and my role as a human that came with big existential questions. What do children really need to learn and how do they best do that? What role do parents play in that learning? Why do I feel so strongly that the current system for learning is not really serving our wee humans? What can we do about it? And personally, am I capable of being and giving what they and other children need?
The more I explore this area the more I see a bigger need for more meaningful learning for all children. I believe this requires the creation of a culture and society that is equipped to role model deep existential learning and meaning-making. It is only with the help of the meta-framework, and the learning opportunities within the Human Venture community that I feel personally more capable to reach for deeper and broader meaning in my role as a parent. The meta-framework and the vision of Human Venture Leadership give me hope for the ecology of learning of the generations to follow.
Additionally I see the depth of caring and thought in the people directly involved in the development of the meta-framework, and the applied products being offered to the Human Venture community; many of whom do it without any pay in return. I see the value the meta-framework and Human Venture Leadership has to offer our community and the world and at this point it needs an extra boost of financial support. Yes, the work would find a way to keep going without my donation, but I also know the extra money gives much needed security and breathing room to allow the work to keep going a little bit faster and with the type of attention it deserves. I elected to donate a small amount on a monthly basis. This allowed us to manage our personal finances, and provide some steady revenue for Human Venture Leadership. I hope if you’ve read this far you will also consider donating whatever you can, and my sincere thanks to those who have made a contribution already. See you out there – learning, caring, and striving for better.
Lindsay