Better Signals
There are opportunities for opinions all around us.
Anything we notice has an opinion behind it. This is an overwhelming picture—we needn't spend time analyzing every turn of our attention. That would be living inside our heads instead of in the world. But we could be missing an opportunity to create the change we want. If we don't spend time in our heads actively and imaginatively, with belief and rigor, we will not find systematic change and could end up repeatedly dealing with the same issues.
I invite a meta-scale to connect to the nested nature of systems of meaning to calibrate how active we want to be when creating change. The right balance will allow us to integrate with existing models (enough of the same) while sustaining when we leave the room (enough of a delta). Many well-intentioned change efforts err on fitting in and end up being recreational because they disappear when the change agent leaves. And too, sometimes we might go too big, in a hard-to-grasp way, which can be detrimental to the culture we look to support, becoming recreational from a book-smart, philosophical perspective.
The connected nature of our world takes many forms, but all forms are represented in language and ideas. Words hold other words, and meaning holds different meanings. It is a universal interface for change. We can enjoy the balance of change and integration by deconstructing specific words and looking for and configuring their meaning.
This week, I invite you to consider one word that does not capture all the meaning you see.