Spring is in the air! Daffodils delight, wild iris glisten, bluebirds nesting, warm sunny days. Delightful indeed! And yet, haunting with our lack of rain here in California. Invisible imbalance, with sunny illusions. I think about the reality of our water situation as a metaphor of what is upon us.
What are our sunny illusions? Where is our interior parched and lacking sustenance? Do we really respect the intimacy of the water table? Can we fathom that the 'not enough rain' here and 'too much rain' over there is all related to the imbalance we have created? Does the notion that we are on a fast moving train of unsustainable over-abundance and illusions of grandeur seem overwhelming?
It takes me back to an old saying, "Know where your water comes from." Just because you buy bottled water doesn't mean it is healthy for you. Think about all the water required to make the mass quantities of plastics and brightly colored clothes that litter the malls. Water is finite. We too are finite. Do you ever consider not only how you consume water, but how the systems you live and work in consume water? How much water do companies making widgets, clothing and pharmaceuticals use?
In our leadership programs we ask "what is my purpose?" Maybe our future success (survival) is no longer defined by how much money we make and what our job titles state, but rather on "How simply can we live?" I believe our new Leadership paradigm is about being a good Conservationist. A conservationist is a person who either protects and restores the natural environment and ecosystems, or prevents the excessive wasteful use of a resource. Water and soil are essential resources. Take time to learn about where your water comes from and where it is going.
How is your soil? I ask this question not just of the soil of the earth under our feet, but the soil, the terrain of our own bodies. What metaphors become relevant as we relate the water in our outer world to the water of our inner world. The imbalance of our water and soil on the outside is a metaphor of our collective imbalance on the inside. Don't be afraid. Don't dismay. Be brave. Be inquisitive. One thing remains true to Leadership Development, and that is the importance of taking a stand for what you believe in. Where can you take a stand for conserving and preserving not only your own health, and the health of your loved ones but also conserving your resources both personally and professionally?
Being a leader today means being part of this new paradigm where we take pride in how much we conserve rather than how much we buy. Do you really need that new blouse? Wait a minute, what is the goody I want packaged in? Plastic-well never mind. How good of a conservationist are you? That is nature's question. Be brave in your answers and creative with your solutions.
Where does your water come from?
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