The first is about my experience leaving Sweden and the "bubble" as we affectionately referred to our Masters in Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability programme. The bubble was soft, fuzzy, warm and filled with supportive, collaborative, and caring people and invaluable dialogue about the sustainability challenges we are facing right now. We all talked about how cold and rough the exit from this bubble would be but it's only over the last few weeks since I've really been feeling the pain and butting heads with friends, family, and myself as I was introduced back to the REAL WORLD! No more ideal student in Sweden life:
- biking everywhere (and feeling like I'm not going to get hit by every car!),
- having a local Saturday market/social gathering,
- no TV (read: not bombarded by N.American media crap), and
- being spoiled by being surrounded by 63 fellow classmates that supplied a constant feed of ideas, dialogue and most importantly understanding and support.
The first and most abrupt post 'bubble' experience happened during my trip home through London Heathrow. It started by filling out the landing card, "What is your profession?" Hmmmmm.......how do I summarize the 4 system conditions (to achieve a sustainable society) in about 3cm of space?? No short answers here. Searching for a familiar term...I settled on "Peacemaker" or maybe I could have written "Societal Muse"? Hahahaha. I liked that one!
First Challenge: How do we recent graduates define ourselves? It is not a profession that is widely understood, like if you said, "I'm a doctor", "I'm an astronaut", or "I'm an exotic dancer"..nope. Most often, when I'm asked what I do and I respond, "Sustainability Practitioner" I get a very blank look. Thankfully I'm good at talking and if they are willing to listen it's a win-win situation!
So, I rolled up to the desk that contained the totally uptight security supervisor. Standard questions, "Where have you been?" etc. So I start by saying I've been going to school in Sweden etc and so he asks what topic?
"Sustainability" I answer.
He snaps his head up (read: totally panicking as he has no idea what I'm talking about OR thinks I'm being a smart ass). "What is that?", he replies.
I say, "It's about studying how we are stuffing up the planet (thanks to Annie my thesis partner!)".
SILENCE.....
"So why didn't you take the train from Copenhagen, it's more sustainable?", he replies in a smartie-pants way that makes me want to hit him.
*SIGH* (Patience is a virtue I remind myself loudly). Then a locomotive train full of thoughts flashed through my brain in the next 0.5 seconds:
- where the hell does the train from Copenhagen go to get to London?
- I curse some more in my head,
- think of Sara Parkin (Forum for the Future Director) and her story about the media searching under her kitchen sink,
- think so I look like the asshole because I flew from Copenhagen to London instead of taking the more sustainable option of taking some unknown train from Copenhagen to London...perhaps through Paris? hmmm.....how about asking me some important questions like how I choose to live my life outside of flying, that I offset my flights with carbon credits etc..
"I didn't have time", I blurt out, not feeling like challenging him to explain to me where the train goes.... He looks smug and I still want to hit him.
The next voice in my head sings, "Welcome to life outside the bubble!". This is a place where the definition of Sustainability is twisted, confused and mixed with a lot of fear and judgement. So many people are scared about what it means for them. Will I have to give up my car? What about my vacations? How about my favorite cream puffs imported from Italy? Are the polar ice caps going to melt? Will I be able to afford to eat?
Many people believe it [sustainability] is only about climate change, pollution, environmental issues or my personal favorite, finances (i.e. - if your business is sustainable, then it is financially successful). It's a jungle out here!
Second Challenge: Have enough patience to navigate through the thick, invisible cloud of doubt, fear, judgement, and "I'm-out-to-save-myself-so-screw-you" attitude to be able to explain how we are all connected, that sustainability is a whole-systems challenge and that the recent increase in food and gas prices to $4 a gallon (or $1.509 a litre in West Vancouver tonight) is only a small piece of the larger picture for example.
I am doing my best to stay calm and listen to the concerns my friends and family have. They are valid and even if they don't completely listen as attentively as I would wish to the suggestions I make, at least they are asking! For certain it's not an easy topic and if you are out there listening.....send your supportive vibes as we all work together to grow our bubble like a raindrop, spreading and collecting more and more little drops into a big and beautiful resource!
No comments:
Post a Comment