Life on the Edge

When your community or social group is going through a crisis, talk to people and try to find out what they feel they are learning as a result of this challenge. What is this challenge forcing them to discover about them themselves? What are the opportunities for growth or realization on a personal, individual level as a result of the crisis? By honing in on the individual level, it weeds out what they think other people need to learn or realize, and focuses on what they are learning to do through their own behaviors. Also, take note of the differences in perspective of the people who are most distressed by the crisis that those that are relatively at ease, or may even find some aspect of it exciting. Many may feel there is nothing to learn on a personal level from the crisis.  

Once you gather these accounts, identify common themes of what is being learned and what the opportunities for growth are on a small day to day scale. Try to think of ways that the learning of these ideas can be taught or accelerated; clarified and anchored. Host a public gathering in an a warm and inviting place; a place that embodies the idea of not needing to go through catastrophe in order to incite a transition. Present your findings in this gathering, including activities designed to teach the ideas you found. There is an element of fun to these activities designed to facilitate these people getting to know each other.  The gathering mostly serves to bring people who have a more optimistic view of the crisis together under one roof. The invitations to this gathering are not straightforward though; they are a treasure hunt. People will follow a series of clues around town that lead them to the gathering place. Along this path present questions that relate to the ideas people are exploring through the crisis. Orchestrate this event as you see fit so that the timing and location and various loose ends work together.