What chaos asks of us

This is a highly confusing time for leaders within social good organizations. The foundations of international aid and the independent nonprofit sector are being shaken. Our determinate strategies and linear plans are falling apart. No one problem can be fixed or solved, rather we have more than we can give our attention to. There are no clear answers to be had. 

People are discovering for the first time it seems (while others are simply being reminded yet again) that stability is not a promise. Institutions, and the resources and jobs they provide, do not exist in perpetuity. In a global economy built on the wealth accumulation of the ultra rich, an expected level of financial security is never a promise for working people. 

The chaos is by design, predictable even, but it’s no less distressing. The should’s and must’s are readily apparent, and have been for a very long time. So what can actually get us to support each other on this planet in a more balanced, hopeful way? People are having to tune into their own emotions and internal guidance to stabilize themselves during times of uncertainty, which can seem insufficient for such deeply collective problems that we face. (Thus, as a writer, it’s hard to write using the “royal we” these days. So take what resonates for you below, and leave the rest.)

As thousands of people lose their jobs in the social good sector, as budgets are cut, as programs are abruptly closed, as strategies become irrelevant, let’s ask ourselves and each other: what does this turmoil invite? 

The chaos…elicits fear. 

…requires untangling. 

…invites silence.

The unveiling is disorienting.

We must remember alone is a lie, and belonging can be made.

There is only…together. 

The chaos requires knowing ourselves. 

We can more fully understand the roots of this evil, exorcising its hold in our lives first. 

This means…detaching from authority.

…speaking our truths, out loud.

…trusting our neighbors.

…getting good at consent and boundaries.

…getting really, really good at sharing. 

The chaos requires moving money. In times of crisis, liquidity is more important than accumulation. We can and must practice letting the resources flow.

The chaos requires us to think in smaller time frames. 

It means releasing illusions and grand ambitions and paying exquisite attention to what’s in front of us – right here, right now. 

It means being more realistic about what we can and cannot do.

Before anything, the chaos asks us to offer regularity and consistency to those beings closest to us first. 

The chaos calls for rest to be non-negotiable. 

The upheaval reminds us we can pause, and practice interdependence here and now. 

It reminds us to prioritize the things that bring us back to life.

The chaos calls us to be uncomfortable and political, and to refuse to see any one person as separate from their environment (and the algorithms) that shape them.

The barrage demands that we contain our fears, rather than avoiding or overriding them.

Grief demands its time and space.

The uncertainty demands that we make cut-backs wherever we can, while resisting the instinct to constrict our hearts and minds.

It beckons us to cultivate and consider possibilities and options that felt unrealistic before, that seem completely divergent from business-as-usual.

The chaos means releasing attachments to conveniences and comforts.

It means paying more attention to what is below the surface of what is being said, and where emotional energy is being consumed, so that we can:

Pay attention to actions, words, and inconsistencies that indicate a clash in values.

Believe it before it happens to you.

Bear witness, and name the line that has been crossed. Name the harm that has and will be done. Name the evil.

Differentiate between reaction and response, information and wisdom. 

Stop with the “hot takes”, or at least slow down reactions to “breaking news,” otherwise known as other people’s unprocessed trauma.

Remember, always, that urgency most often protects the status quo. 

Surround ourselves with trusted others who help us identify and test our assumptions rigorously, with love. 

Pay attention to what, as professionals, we get (or got) access to for free.

Identify where we are relying on or providing invisible labor.

Make sure the healers and teachers in our midst are ok.

Whenever possible, think in equivalencies, not just amounts, e.g. is X expensive or is it as much as we spend on X?”

Consciously assign value (monetary and otherwise) to things dominant culture undervalues, e.g. care work, anything labeled “touchy feely”, cultivating and tending to relationships, identifying and questioning false binaries.

Be unafraid of not knowing.

Learn what we need to learn next.

We want to share four ways we’re making our group learning spaces more accessible, and access to us more affordable at this time of upheaval in the social good sector:

1. Free daily practice, "The Pause"

Join us for 15 minutes of presence, care, and connection - offered each and every weekday (M-F) at 8:30am U.S. Eastern/1:30pm UK Time. (See time zone converter here.) We will share a poem, story, video or audio clip, or body-based exercise, based on a theme and offering a reflection question for your day ahead. These sessions are designed for people in the "social good" sector, but everyone is welcome to join.

Get grounded. Stay inspired. Welcome change. Register here. 

2. Pay-what-you-can Monthly Workshop, “Can we recognize organizational trauma?”

Have you experienced organizational trauma? What impact can it have on a team? 

We want more people to have knowledge of the scholarship of Pat Vivian and Shana Hormann, which focuses on the group dynamics of teams, particularly in “social good” organizations. Learn about their concept and framework of organizational trauma, and what distinguishes it from organizational change and conflict. Having shared language and being able to notice red and green flags in our own responses makes it possible to assess, utilize, and recognize the concept of organizational trauma more effectively.

Date/Time/Duration: First Monday of every month, 12-2pm EST / 5-7pm BST - (Next workshop is Monday, April 7th.)

Cost: Pay what you can (Suggested: 75 USD / 60 GBP)

Register here. 

3. (Coming soon!) No-need-to-schedule “fly by” coaching sessions

Coaching is a chance to access our own best judgment with the accompaniment of another person. Sometimes, you just need a time-sensitive, short conversation to address a specific need or sensitive situation. You need someone with relevant knowledge who can act as a mirror, a friend, a more impartial analyzer, an identifier of options. 

For these instances, we're offering “fly by” coaching sessions, brief 15 to 30 minute calls without a contract or regular fee with my partner Amanda Lindamood or myself. You'll be able to make one time payments for when you just need some quick support. 

4. Tiered pricing for online group learning cohorts

In recognition of the lack of financial predictability for so many people and organizations at this time, we are offering tiered pricing for our group learning spaces. Class consciousness and anti-capitalist practices call us to offer more options for those interested in joining and supporting our work: 

• Higher price - for making the spaces sustainable, creating overflow that also covers others’ participation, for folks with expendable income or sufficient resources to support this ongoing work

• True cost - for those able to pay what it actually costs to offer group learning spaces, for folks with stable or regular incomes

• Lower price - for those who cannot attend otherwise, for folks that have some means to contribute but need a reduced cost

Stay tuned for more to come!